376 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



for another year — see Fig". 66. There is thus, in this system, a constant renewal of all 

 wood except the main stem or trunk. The number of buds (from which the fruit-bearing 

 shoots come) left on a vine after pruning would be from 25 to 30. 



The Kniffin System. — This is 

 perhaps the most popular method of 

 training the vine amongst commer- 

 cial growers, and is a system which, 

 with various -modifications, will 

 probably be generally adopted in 

 all large vineyards. The advan- 

 tages that it possesses are three — it permits 

 a cheaper trellis, there being only two wires 

 employed ; it necessitates no summer tying, 

 the shoots being allowed to hang free ; and 



it affords greater facilities for cultivating the 



w/MMmmj 



FIG 69 



ground beneath the vine. All these things 

 make for cheap production and, with pres- 

 ent prices for grapes, cheapness of produc- 

 tion has to be very earnestly considered. In 

 the true Kniffin system two wires are used, 

 the lower about three and a half feet from 

 the ground, and the upper about 

 five and a half feet. In the third 

 spring a single strong cane is 

 tied to the top wire and also to 

 the lower. This cane will form 

 the permanent trunk. At the 

 end of the third season there will 

 be eight or nine good canes on 

 the main stem. Two of the 

 upper ones are selected and cut 



