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to their full length in summer, training them lay in the wood very thin in the summer season, 

 wherever there was a vacancy between the old that the sun and air may be freely admitted to 

 where there was none, he ran them along ripen it well, as by these means it will grow very 



tarees; 



the top of the wall, without topping them. In 

 winter he trained them in a serpentine manner 

 so as to fill the wall as regularly as possible ; 

 they were, he says, as productive as those in the 

 former year. And after a three vears' trial, he 

 thought he was warranted to follow the same 

 practice with the whole ; when in the year 1793 

 he sent, he says, for the use of his majesty and 

 the rural family, three hundred and seventy- 

 eight baskets of grapes, each weighing about 

 three pounds, without planting a single vine 

 more than there were the preceding year, in 

 which he was able to send only fiity-six baskets 

 of the same weight ; and those so bad and ill- 

 ripened that he was ashamed of them, as they 

 were not lit to be sent to the table." 



This, he thinks, sufficiently proves the great 

 advantage that the serpentine method of training 

 possesses over the common method. He ad- 

 vises that the shoots should be brought as near 

 as possible from the bottom of the vine, that the 



strong. Great care should also be taken to keep 

 the shoots nailed to the wall, which will prevent 

 their being broken by high winds ; picking off 

 all the side-shoots every time they are nailed, 

 which should be done several times during the 

 summer months, according to the quickness of 

 their growth. In line weather they grow so very 

 rapidly that it is necessary to look them over 

 once every fortnight or three weeks to have them 

 in irpod order. The vines should never be suf- 

 fered to run together in a cluster, and mat, as 

 it infallibly ruins them for bearing the succeeding 

 year. The shoots that have been trained in a 

 serpentine manner, are advised by Mr. Forsyth 

 to be topped, as soon as the grapes come to the 

 size of very small green peas, at a joint or two 

 above the fruit ; but neither the leading shoot, 

 nor that which is intended to bear fruit the 

 next year, should ever be topped. 



In the second year Mr. Forsyth never recom- 

 mends "the pruning of vines to be performed till 

 wall may be well covered. When the walls are the beginning of February, except in such sea- 

 hio-h and the shoots from the serpentine sons as are very forward. It is, however, the 

 branches strong, thev are sometimes let remain ; common practice with some to begin pruning 

 but if the watls are low, and the serpentine soon after the fall of the leaf, before the wood 

 branches produce weak shoots, they are cut out becomes hard ; but if a frost sets in before the 

 in the autumnal pruning, and the strongest of wood is hard, in particular after wet summers 

 the young wood trained up in their room. and autumns, it is apt to be very much injured ; 



As the size and fineness of the bunches of he has frequently seen it almost killed alter 

 crapes depend in a great measure on the bearing autumnal pruning. And he observes that there 

 wood being strong and well ripened, great at- is often fine weather in the months of October, 

 tention should be'paid to these circumstances. November, and December, with sun and drying 

 Where the vines produce small bunches, they winds, which helps to ripen the wood after wet 

 should be cut down to two or three eyes, in order autumns." 



to have strong wood for the ensuing year. And It is advised, " when the vine leaves begin 



as it has heen seen that vines bear their fruit on to fall, to take a soft broom and sweep them 



the wood that was produced the preceding year, off upwards in a gentle manner, which will be 



when there is a great deal of old naked wood on of great service in assisting to harden the wood." 



them, as generally is the case, with some small In beginning to prune in February, it is recom- 



weak shoots at the extremities, they should al- mended always to make choice of the strongest 



ways be cut down as near to the ground as pos- and longest shuots, leaving them as long as the 



sible, in which case there will be no fruit for eyes are found good and plum]), and the wood 



that year. But another mode is sometimes prac- round ; but by no means to leave them when 



tised, which is to cut every other shoot, leaving they become Hat, as in that case they seldom 



the old ones to produce some small grapes; when bear fruit ; and if they do, it will be very small. 



in the following year there will be plenty of fine Mr. Forsyth never lays in any that has less than 



wood, provided care be taken to nail in the fifteen, and from that to thirty good eyes, ac- 



strongest shoots, and pick off all the side-shoots cording to the strength of the shoot, which will 



that are produced from the eyes, pinching them produce two bunches from every good eye. He 



oil" with the finder and thumb, or cutting them has had seventy bunches of grapes from one 



out with a sharp penknife close to the bud or shoot. The shoots that have borne fruit in the 



eye; but never twisting them; as by twisting preceding year should be cut out the next year, 



them the bud that produces the grapes the except where the wall is to be filled and the 



next year is hurt; being always attentive to cut shoots are very strong. Plenty of fine healthy 



as near to a bud as possible, and taking care to young wood is easily provided, if care be takea 



