olio , ON PRUNING. 



every alternate bud, observing that it is those on the under 

 side of the shoot. If every thing has been attended to in 

 soil, planting, and pruning that we have advanced, there 

 may be expected to arise four shoots from each of these 

 horizontal branches, which, if any show fruit, it must be 

 cut off: these young shoots must be trained upright during 

 summer, being careful to displace every other as they 

 appear. Some approve of training these young upright 

 shoots in a serpentine form, which, in our opinion at pre- 

 sent, is of little consequence ; but top them about the end of 

 August, or earlier if they are to the desired height. In 

 November of the third summer's growth, you may now 

 prune for fruit as above stated. Your horizontal branches 

 will have fully matured four luxuriant upright shoots. Cut 

 two of these "alternately within one eye of the horizontal 

 shoot, which will produce wood to be fruited the following 

 year, and lay in the other two, in a serpentine form for 

 fruit, to about three feet in length. The vine has now 

 assumed the form in which it is permanently to remain, 

 and it may be considered as the foundation of a system of 

 alternately fruiting four shoots, and training four out their 

 full length every year, which method may be continued 

 every year without any alteration. After several years, if 

 it is thought proper, the arms may be lengthened by the 

 training in of a shoot at their extremities, and managing it 

 in the same manner as when the arms were first formed ; 

 but it is not advisable that the branches should be far ex- 

 tended, which would ultimately prove injurious to those 

 branches arising from the bosom of the vine. This system 

 of pruning and training the vine we do not advocate as 

 something new or original, but one which we have seen 

 in full and successful practice twenty years ago. By pro- 

 curing well-grown plants in pots, one year may be gained 

 on the above calculation ; for you can prune, and at once 

 take two shoots to prepare for laying the foundation of 

 your future plant ; but more than this cannot be accom- 

 plished. We are aware that many of our readers are 

 already startled at this tedious method of fruiting vines, 

 and have almost concluded to have fruit the first year or 

 none. Such are too frequently the conclusions of many; 

 but, as sure as they practice it, they as invariably meet 

 with a failure, and that in a very few years. The practice 



