PRUNING AND TRAINING THE VINE. 205 



shoot may be allowed to grow upward, slightly assisted, and 

 be retained and ripened, to be cut back as the first was, or it 

 may be stopped as soon as there are three or four joints, and 

 be allowed to throw out side-branches, which will ripen, and 

 be fit to lay in their places, right and left, fan-fashion ; and iii 

 this way the third year will have made wood enough to cover 

 a large space. Let all the new wood, except that wanted to fiJl 

 a vacant space, be cut back yearly to one eye, or two if the 

 vine be weakly ; that when the eyes break, the stronger may 

 be saved, and the other rubbed off. When shoots come much 

 closer together than ej^es can be wanted for next year's bear- 

 ing, let them be removed young, because all the growth made 

 by branches intended to be taken away altogether, is so much 

 vigour lost to the other branches. A vine can only do a 

 certain quantity of work well : all beyond this distresses it, 

 or at least weakens it. It is as requisite, therefore, to take 

 away some of the fruit, as some of the branches. Every eye 

 that breaks well will put forth a shoot with one, two, or even 

 three bunches of grapes : on no occasion should more than 

 one of these three be allowed to swell. The instant the one 

 bunch is fairly developed, the shoot on which it grows should 

 be stopped at the joint beyond, and the shoot made fast by a 

 piece of list, in such position that it may be sustained properly 

 during the time of its swelling and ripening. Those who are 

 particular about appearances, and wish the vine to be very 

 uniformly trained, may, upon planting the young one, cut back 

 to three or four eyes ; and when they break, and commence 

 their growth, save the best on each side to go right and left, 

 and rub the others off. If there be any fruit, let it be picked 

 off at once. These right and left stems, or shoots, are to be 

 trained within a foot of the ground the whole length of the 

 front they are to occupy, and no others are to grow. The next 

 year these two shoots will break at every eye, and you have 

 to rub off all but those which are wanted, which should be at 

 equal distances the whole length of the branches, every alter- 

 nate, or every third, or every foiu'th eye, so that they are 

 about eighteen inches or two feet apart, and eyes breaking at 

 the top of the branches. These may be allowed to grow, and 

 be well supported, but with room to swell. If the vine has 

 been well rooted, and in good soil, this second season will fill 

 aU the space required Tvdth upright branches, or the greater 

 part of it with serpentine branches, according to the fancy of 



