76 ANNUAL REPORT 



being the best, as circumstances and conditions may exist when any- 

 particular system would be " more honored in the breach than in the 

 observance." But whatever system is adopted, the third season 

 brings around the time when it is necessary to erect the trellis, which 

 we make by setting posts of taraarac or oak, six feet two inches long^ 

 sixteen feet apart in the row, and two feet deep, leaving them about 

 fifty inches high. To these posts attach four strands of galvanized 

 No. 12 wire, one foot between each strand; fasten the wire to post 

 with small staples, bracing the end posts well to keep the wires taut. 

 Having the trellis completed, it would be well to consider a few 

 important principles before we can proceed intelligently to train and 

 prune the vine : 



First — As a general rule, the fruit-bearing canes at this stage are 

 grown from buds on the previous year's canes, or in other words, the 

 wood of this year contains the buds which produce fruitful canes of 

 next year. 



Second — That fruit buds differ from loood buds onlj' because of 

 better development. 



Third — That a cluster is a fruitful tendril, and that the ordinary 

 capacit}'^ of a fruitful bud is to develop on an average three of these 

 fruitful tendrils; although I have seen on the Eumelan and Elvira as 

 many as five of these fruit bunches, or clusters. 



Fourth — That it is an easy matter to overtax a young vine by leav- 

 ing moie fruit on it than it is capable of ripening without damage. A 

 young vine cannot yield the crop that an old one may, any more than 

 a young person can perform the labor of an adult. 



Fifth — It is of the utmost importance, if we wish to insure health 

 and long life to the vine, to keep the foliage, fruit and roots well bal- 

 anced, for the relations of all parts are closely related and are con- 

 stantly acting and reacting on each other, quite as readily as do the 

 mind, body and brain of a living organism. 



In fall pruning, cut the fruit-bearing canes so they will not reach 

 more than half way to the top of the trellis. As the vines awaken 

 from their winter's sleep in the spring, and the buds begin to swell 

 and burst forth, it will be observed that two buds often appear from 

 what seemed but one in the dormant state. The first and simplest 

 operation, in summer pruning, is to rub off one of these buds, and all 

 superfluous ones wherever and whenever they appear; a simple touch 

 of the finger is sufficient The weakest and lowest ones must go. If 

 these shoots have grown a foot or more the necessity of removal is 

 greater, and this must not be neglected. 



