318 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON PRUNING GRAPE-VINES- 



through them, have gone into general culti- 

 vation. 



The original name of this variety here 

 was Golden Sweet. Afterwards, to desig- 

 nate it from the correct sort of that name, 

 known in New-England, it was called 

 Northern Golden Sweet. It seems pre- 

 ferable now, that the suggestion of the spe- 

 cial fruit committee of the late Pomological 

 Congress be adopted, by omitting the term 

 M Golden," and calling it merely Northern 



Sweet. The proposed change may, at first; 

 occasion some little embarrassment to cul-> 

 tivators in the valley of Lake Champlain, 

 where it is now considerably disseminated; 

 yet I think this will be more than over- 

 balanced by the greater convenience re- 

 sulting to fruit-growers generally, from its 

 havinsr a shorter and correct standard name. 

 Respectfully thy friend, 



Jonathan Battey* 



Keeseville, N. Y-, 12th mo. 20/fc, 1649, 



PRACTICAL HINTS ON PRUNING GRAPE-VINES. 



BY JAMES STEWART, WASHINGTON, D. C, 



As the season for pruning grape-vines, with 

 the majority of horticulturists, is rapidly 

 approaching, — the middle of January being 

 the time most commonly chosen, — I beg to 

 offer a few remarks on this important ope- 

 ration. 



The spur system, and the long-cane or re- 

 newal system, have both their admirers, and 

 are most strenuously advocated by each of 

 them, as being the ne plus ultra method, 

 to obtain large and heavy crops of fruit. 

 However, I beg to differ with the advocates 

 of each of the above methods, although ex- 

 cellent crops can be obtained by both 

 methods. The long-cane system, it is well 

 known, shows the largest bunches ; but, at 

 the same time, the eyes do not deve op 

 themselves regularly, since frequently one- 

 half of them remain inert, particulaly to- 

 wards the bottom of the vine. Another con- 

 sideration in this system is this ; however 

 splendid the bunches may be that are pro- 

 duced, you never see them develop and 

 mature berries to the same size as in 

 bunches on the spur system of pruning. 

 The strong rod, that has been regularly 



spurred-in to one eye for a series of years, 

 clearly demonstrates its superiority over the 

 finest cane. Therefore, I do not think fa- 

 vorable of the cane system. First, because 

 the berries are not swelled so well as on 

 the spur system. Secondly, that many of 

 the eyes or buds are not developed ; nor can 

 they be, however much the vine may be 

 twisted or turned about ; nor will all the 

 depression that you can give the terminal 

 eyes have the desired effect. Thirdly, that 

 it is not permanent, but requires renewal 

 every year. 



The spur system is now so well under- 

 stood by grape-growers, that a minute de- 

 scription of it is unnecessary. With modi' 

 fications, it is my favorite mode ; but as the 

 usual practice in pruning vines, on this 

 system, is to cut them back to one eye, and 

 that eye is never so prominent at the base 

 as it is midway on the shoot, it is an utter 

 impossibility for the bunch developed from 

 such an eye to be so large as the bunch 

 obtained on the long-cane system. My ob- 

 jection to this method is this ; that in cut- 

 ting back to one eye, to keep the spurs 



