428 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



PRUNING. 



GRAPES. 



^LTHOUGH out of the order of ripen- 

 -f V ^"§^ 't^ fruit, the grape is taken for 

 ^^ the purpose of bringing- out some of 

 the mooted questions now engaging the 

 attention of fruit growers as to pruning for 

 inducing increased weight and fruitfulness. 



In September, 1882, several members of 

 the N. J. State Horticultural Society spent 

 three days visiting the noted vineyards on 

 both sides of the Hudson in and near 

 Poughkeepsie. During this visit a call was 

 made on Charles Downing, and the pruning 

 of the grape as to the length of cane to be 

 left in certain varieties of grapes found to 

 be defective in setting of fruit on the bunch 

 came up. Mr. Downing stated that in 

 pruning the Diana the best bunches were 

 produced on short spurs on a main cane at 

 least 50 feet in length. Several other 

 experienced growers stated that many of 

 the Rogers' Hybrids, such as Salem, could 

 not be successfully grown on main cane 

 less than 20 feet in length. The pruning of 

 the Eumelan also came in review. The 

 Delaware was found to be pruned to long 

 spurs or canes of from 20 to 25 eyes, as the 

 best bunches were grown at or near the 

 remote end of the cane. During this visit 

 the experience of a few growers seemed to 

 point to the fact that the time of the year 

 when the pruning was done might influence 

 the potency of vine in the production of 

 size and weight of bunches as well as the 

 position of fruiting eyes on the new growth 

 of cane. Late pruning was thought to 

 favor these characteristics. 



The next step was that as the fruiting eye 

 of the grape is a compound one, or as it has 

 a small supplemental fruit eye by the side 

 of the large ones, certain varieties, notably 



the Niagara, produced the best and largest 

 bunches on the cane from the secondary or 

 supplementary eye, starting out after the 

 first shoot had made some growth. 



To-day the planting of mixed varieties 

 near each other, or the pollenization of erne 

 variety by another is a great factor in the 

 size, weight and setting of the fruit on the 

 bunch. Some most successful cultivators 

 of the grape follow the close or short spur 

 system on a comparatively short cane, but 

 place great reliance on pollenization by 

 other varieties. 



To be a successful pruner requires that 

 the person performing it should understand 

 the distinction between fruit and wood- 

 buds, as the pruning instrument must have 

 an educated mind to govern what it does. 



The advent of the Japan plum in its 

 abundant and early fruiting has modified to 

 a great extent the pruning of this fruit. 

 The cutting must be severe, and a modifica- 

 tion of pruning and of thinning of the fruit 

 must be practised. It may safely be laid 

 down as a rule in fruit growing that prun- 

 ing the growing fruit by thinning must be 

 followed, if large, handsome, good flavored 

 and fruit free from rot is desired. It is 

 claimed that late pruning of the plum after 

 the fruit is set tends to the formation of a 

 much larger number of fruit buds for the 

 next year's crop, and the Massachusetts 

 Experiment Station is now carrying on a 

 series of experiments along this line. The 

 best plum growers in the State of New 

 Jersey follow cutting away at least one-half 

 of the last year's growth at each pruning 

 and severely thin the fruit remaining on the 

 the tree. — American Gardening. 



