Jane 8, 1660. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



KC 



mnst be given towards the disposal and proper distances of 

 the bearing and ecccndary main slems on the houee front. 

 Where windows occur the genius of the trainer rauet avoid 

 them by hugging their outlines a.i closely as poesille. The 

 ultimate vertical growth I allow depends upon the height of the 

 walls or the strength of muscle to raise the longest ladder 

 to be had. Two feet apart is the distance I allow between each 



5jtt^!»H*JVl*'5?i:(^J'^ri'. 



Fig. 2. — Second year's appcarnnoe, and tte places occupied by tho 

 laterals produced by the trial buds during the second season. 



pair of fruit-bearing shoots — viz., at 2 feet, measuring from the 

 ground level, allow a pair of opposing buds to grow from the 

 main stems, train them horizontally to meet, or for that matter 

 they may even pass each other for two or three joints, and then 

 stop them by pinching oft their extieme points as above stated. 

 Possibly three tiers of fruit-bearing shoots, at 2 feet apart, 

 may be achieved this season, bearing strictly in mind that they 

 are to be reserved for fruiting next year ; therefore, which is 

 often the case, when they attempt to form a bunch in the pre- 

 sent year, without hesitation pinch it awoy. 



The young shoots which burst from the eyes of the special 

 bearing branches will each show for two or three bunches of 

 Grapes. They must only be allowed two bunches each, and as 

 soon as their young shoots have grown to the length of four or 

 five joints beyond the second bunches, whether they are in 

 blossom or not, pinch-off the points of the shoots, and eventu- 

 ally, as soon as the Grapes are set, leave only two leaves before 

 the fruit, or three if the wall is not too crowded with foliage. 

 Secure the shoots to the wall with shreds and nails, as soon as 

 possible, in an oblique manner, both above and below the branch, 

 and one may be secured horizontally to it with a piece of zinc 

 wire, or a tie of some sort, and those shoots which occasionally 

 grow with uo fruit upon them must be at once rubbed off. So 

 also treat every one of the young succulent shoots that push 

 on the old wood of the stems, for there they are not wanted. 

 Any laterals that are formed should be pinched back to one 

 leaf when they are quite young. 



Fig. 3. — Third year's appearance at the November pruuinrr. Thelnterals, 

 having produced their fruit, are to be afterwards completely cut otf to the 

 mother branches, aa shown by the dotted lines. 



When the Grapes have attained the size of early Peas, a few 

 prime bunches may be sorted out for eating, and be thinned 

 out with sharp-pointed scissors snfiiciently to allow the opera- 

 tor to perceive when tho berries remain with space suffi- 

 cient to admit quite Ihrico their circumference between each 

 other ; at the same time the finger and thumb should be dis- 

 creetly used to prevent all overcrowding of young lateral spray, 

 which at this time tends more than anything to the encourage- 



ment of mildew. As will be seen by fig. 3, no central shoot \a 

 encouraged for tho future ; but the secondary main stem must 

 be allowed to grow unchecked outside of the first, and a third 

 provider for tho future encouraged to grow from its junction at 

 tho main stem, immediately beneath it. These three stems, or 

 more properly six stems right and left, and the young shoots 

 for next year's fruit, maturing themselves horizontally, as shown 

 by the arrow heads, between tho fruit-bearers of this year, will 

 prove quite suflicient, as it is always advisable to maintain 

 growth, so as to encourage vigorous root uctiDn, without which 

 a short life, and possibly not a merry one, will bo the result. 



What I advised tho two previous autumns relative to tho 

 disposal of the laterals, and by pruning back to well-ripened 

 wood, need not, I think, be repeated ; but I will add a few 

 remaiks as regards the chief operator— sunshine. It will 

 probably be advisable in cases of rude health, to deprive the 

 Vines in this and future seasons of about one-fourth of their 

 leaves during the first fortnight in October, singling out those 

 which underlay, or are less matured than others ; for the foliage 

 which is at this period of the most importance is that which 

 has arrived at its full substance and maturity, and is capable 

 of giving to, instead of taking from, the Vines' resources; even 

 a matured leaf is less capable of doing so when overlapped by 

 another revelling in the full power of the light and air. I must 

 make another observation also about leaves. How often do we 

 see people plucking leaves from a Vine, when wanted to garnish 

 dessert dishes, &c., quite indiscriminately, and without thought 

 of what they are doing:' The leaves they choose are, in nine 

 cases out of ten, amongst the finest and most prominent at 

 hand, the very foliage which the Vines most require to develope 

 the buds at their axils to the last stages of their maturity. 

 Deprived of them, the proper developmeut of the buds is 

 brought to a comparative standstill, and in all probability the 

 Vine rendered unfruitful, or nearly so, in the following year. 

 This is like depriving a man of one of his lungs. Nothing loots 

 better than afresh Vine leaf round butter in the market— under 

 its cool refreshing influence the butter is worth a penny a-ponnd 

 more ; no garnish can be more appropriate for the dessert ; bnt 

 either grow Vines especially for theu- leaves in an out-of-the- 

 way place, or pick the leaves with discrimination. When I break 

 off a Vine leaf by accident, I always stay to observe whether it 

 is from a bud whence I calculated upon Grapes for the follow- 

 ing year; if so, out comes my knife, and I slice off that bad 

 down to the very quick. I have learnt that without the leaf to 

 carry out its functions to the very last 1 can place uo confidence 

 in the bud. 



Tlie shoots which fruited in the third season, as shown in 

 fig. '■'>, are to he cut entirely away quite cIoeo to the main stems, 

 without leaving any snags, in November ; shorten then all the 

 young branches and leaders to well-ripened wood. I shall at 

 once pass over the rigours of llie winter, into the fourth season 

 of which much need cot be said, as the general routine manage, 

 ment is a mere repetition of the foregoing, and extended opera- 



Fi;i. -1. — Fourth year's appearance after the November pruningr, showir ^ 

 how the iirst main branches are cut away, as represented by the dotteu 

 lines. The arrow heads point out where new ones are immediately to ba 

 trained in their places, 



tions would have to go on customarily, as providing for bearing 

 wood, deprivation of laterals, stopping, pruning, &c. I will 

 mention, however, that the breaking of tho bads must be well 

 considered, so as to carry on as even a balance aa possible for 

 the tree, as well as to please the eye as regards uniformity of 

 shape. It mil be well loiown to the trainer by this time, that 



