26 THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 



are considered to produce inferior vines, and not do as well. To 

 procure cuttings or vines, the old vines are sometimes cut a few 

 inches below the surface of the soil, causing the parent plant to 

 throw off numerous suckers or shoots, which the following winter are 

 separated and used as we do rooted vines here in California. Three 

 or four years will elapse before they come into regular bearing. Some 

 vineyards are produced by grafting the black currant on the wine 

 grape, and many wine vineyards that do not pay are thus transformed 

 into paying raisin vineyards. The grafted vines come into bearing 

 much sooner than those grown from cuttings. The grafting is per- 

 formed in Zante as follows: The soil is dug away from the main 

 trunk of the old vine to the depth of from twelve to eighteen inches, 

 and the trunk cut off square at the bottom of the pit. Two or three 

 scions are then inserted in the trunk, and made to slightly project 

 above the ground, in no case with more than two or three eyes. 

 Clay is then applied to the joint of the graft, and the trunk slightly 

 covered with leaves, and the hole then filled up with soil. The 

 grafting is done in the spring, and the cuttings must be kept dormant 

 in dark and cool cellars. 



Pruning the Vines. The pruning is done in the fall, just as soon as 

 the leaves have fallen, and is performed in two parts. In December, 

 the vines are cleaned of all small, weakly or dead branches, and at 

 that time only the large and strong branches are left. In February, 

 the regular cutting back commences, two or three eyes being left on 

 every spur. There are as many different ideas of pruning the vines 

 in Greece as there are in California, each one having his favorite 

 methods and theories as to what is proper and what is not. Some 

 vineyardists prefer to delay the second pruning until after the vines 

 have started to bud out, and, when the young shoots are two weeks 

 old, the old wood is so cut that the bleeding of the vine will not run 

 down on the bud. Bleeding is at any time considered injurious. 

 The principal pruning is therefore conducted in February, as being 

 the time most suitable to the currant grape and conducive to the best 

 crops. Mr. Manoti, a very intelligent Zanteote currant grower, told 

 Dr. Davy (Ionian Islands, page 343) that he had at one time experi- 

 mented with pruning the currant vine at different times of the year. 

 Those pruned in December yielded very few grapes, which were large; 

 those pruned in April gave plenty, but very small berries. Again, 

 those pruned in February were in every way the best. Mr. Manoti 

 added that if he had told one of his neighbors of his experiments they 

 would have laughed at him, and said, "Whoever thinks of pruning 

 the uva passa (or currant) in December or April. ' ' This shows how 

 much the growers are opposed to experimenting and improving upon 

 the methods which have been handed down to them from their fore- 

 fathers. As we have shown, the currant vines are all very closely pruned, 

 very much in the same way as our Muscats. Seldom more than three 

 spurs are allowed to remain, each one with two or three eyes. Sum- 

 mer pruning or topping the branches is never practiced on the currant 

 vines, but generally on the wine grapes. On the contrary the currant 

 branches are carefully guarded, and in order that they may not break 

 are tied to stakes from four to five feet high. 



