THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 129 



advise summer pruning after the first days of June; in Southern Cali- 

 fornia, somewhat later. Grapevines on sandy, dry and poor soil should 

 not be summer pruned, or only very lightly so. They have not strength 

 to start a new growth and will remain stunted all through the season. 



Many growers of Riverside, El Cajon and Fresno consider sum- 

 mer pruning beneficial, if not necessary, and practice it every year 

 regularly. It is necessary to summer prune heavily or not at all. Cut 

 back one-half of the growth, or cut back leaving one or two leaves 

 above the bunch of grapes on every cane. If the young canes are only 

 topped, the secondary branches will come out near the ends of the 

 canes and bear them down, in time exposing the bunches to the 

 sun as well as causing the second crop to grow too far from the main 

 trunk, the summer pruning thus acting the opposite of which it was 

 intended. In Greece the wine grapevines are summer pruned, but 

 the currants are never so treated. 



Root-pruning. The pruning of the roots of grapevines, in order 

 to cause them to bear, is entirely unnecessary, and is never done by 

 experienced growers. Some growers have practiced the cutting of the 

 surface roots of the vines so as to cause the tap roots or the main roots 

 to go farther down, and they claim that by this method greater crops 

 are harvested. I am satisfied this is only a theory not supported by 

 facts. Surface roots are as necessary to plants as deep-soil roots, and 

 serve the plants in their way, bringing atmospheric air to the circu- 

 lation in the roots. If too many surface roots are formed, it is a sure 

 indication of too much water in the top soil, as too frequent irrigation 

 with a small stream of water will cause such roots to form. The 

 proper remedy is to irrigate less frequently, but more at a time. The 

 above does not refer to the pruning of the roots of grafted vines. 

 In cases where Muscats have been grafted on resistant stocks, it is of 

 importance that the graft should not make roots of its own, as these 

 would soon overpower the stock and in their turn succumb to the 

 enemies which it was the intention to avoid. When rooted vines are 

 planted in the vineyard, their roots should be well pruned, and all dead 

 and decaying, as well as dried-up, parts should be removed. If they 

 are allowed to remain on the vines, they will draw moisture from the 

 sound parts at a time when all the moisture is needed for the formation 

 of new roots. 



Suckering. The object of this process is to relieve the raisin- vine of 

 superfluous wood before the latter has had time to draw on the strength 

 of the vine and deprive it of the elements necessary to support The 

 fruit-bearing branches. The proper time for suckering is early in the 

 spring, when the young wood is yet tender and easily broken. With 

 a hard and flat piece of wood, the lower suckers are dug out from 

 below the ground, while the upper suckers may be broken by hand. 

 A sucker must be understood to be any branch which does not produce 

 fruit at a time when the vine is old enough to bear. In strong and 

 moist soil and on strong vines even the lowest shoots produce grapes, 

 and can therefore hardly be called suckers. But as a rule even they 

 should be removed, unless we have a special object in view, such as 

 renewing the trunk of the vine, lowering its head, or in otherwise 

 encouraging the lower branches. 



