FRUIT CULTURE. 



377 



back to about eight buds each and tied to 

 the wire. Two others, with five or six buds 

 each, are tied along the lower wire, as in 

 Figf. 69. At the end of the fourth season 

 the vine will present the appearance in Fig. 

 70. The same process will then be repeated. 

 Four strong canes will be selected and tied 

 for the fifth season, as in Fig. 69. After a 

 time the cutting back operation will leave a 

 stubby, awkward lot of old wood where the 

 horizontal canes start. It will then be wise 

 to take, at the first opportunity, a shoot 

 direct from the main stem and train it as an 

 arm, cutting away all old wood that has 

 gradually collected between the trunk and 

 the horizontal canes. It will be noticed also 

 that the Kniffin system simplifies pruning 

 very much. There is no desire to urge here 

 that the Kniffin system will give better re- 



Fan-trained Concord. FIG, 67 



suits than many other methods in operation. 

 In many vineyards a combination of Kniffin 

 and the Fan system is giving good results, 

 but, properly managed, the Kniffin-trained 

 vineyard will yield as well as any, and no- 

 body can question its greater cheapness and 

 the conveniences it presents. Success can 

 be achieved with all systems, and in this 

 matter of grape-training, there is lots of 

 room for the expression of a man's individu- 

 ality. The main things are — see that the 

 vine is in a good thrifty condition ; do not 



allow an unnecessary accumulation of old 

 wood ; and let pruning be directed so that 

 enough healthy last year's wood shall be 

 left to produce the right number of bearing 

 shoots this year. For one man who prunes 

 too closely there are ten who leave too much 

 wood. From twenty-five to forty healthy 

 buds are ample. 



Summer pruning need not be done except 

 in the Fuller system, where some pinching 

 in of the shoots is practised. With most 

 systems, however, the vigorous growers, 

 like Brighton and Rogers, will produce such 

 immense shoots that cultivation is impeded. 

 When they begin to get straggly and a nui- 

 sance, the ends can be trimmed off" very 

 quickly with a sharp sickle or corn knife. 

 Importance should be attached to the early 

 removal of superfluous shoots, and laterals 

 or axillary branches. This operation 

 does not take so very long, and is a 

 true " thinning " process. These sec- 

 ondary shoots often bear one or two 

 bunches, and second-class bunches at 

 that. The vine will have enough fruit 

 without them. The remaining fruit will 

 be finer, and there will be a better lot of 

 ripened canes to select from next year. 

 As to the time of pruning : Any time 

 through the winter where the vines can 

 remain uncovered will be suitable. It is 

 better to finish all pruning before the 

 sap starts, though it is questionable if 

 the bleeding of the vine does much harm, 

 and it is hardly necessary to say that it is a 

 vast deal better to prune late than not at all. 



The Fan System. — In this system, which 

 is not much in vogue in recent days, the 

 wood is renewed almost from the ground 

 every year. An excessive amount of old 

 wood and a trunk are thus dispensed with, 

 and after fall pruning the vine is easily cov- 

 ered, where winter protection is needed. 

 Fig 67, from Bailey's " Pruning Book," 

 shows a vine trained in this way. With so 



