278 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



September, 



THE COMPLETE GARDEN.* 



XIX. 



BY A ^VELL-KNOWN HORTICULTURIST. 



Continued from page 255. 



THE GRAPE. 



The luscious, handsome, healthful fruit 

 of the Hardy Vine, every land <)\vner should 

 a-spire to grow in abundance. Indeed the 

 Grape though requiring vertical space for 

 accommodating its climbing habit, may be 



FigA^, First year. Fig.50. Second year Fig. 51. Third year. 



Pruning the Orape the first three years after planting. Heavy parts 

 indicate old wood, dotted parts the course of new wood. 



grown on a ground area so limited that 

 hardlv another kind of fruit-bearing tree or 

 plant could be brought within the same 

 compass. This is a special recommend for 

 its culture in towns and villages, by training 

 the vines against buildings, trellises or 

 arbors. But let it be borne in mind that the 

 Grape requires warmth and sun heat, and 

 to this may be added a well-drained, open 

 soil in whicli to grow. 



iSo)'! (Old Culture. In general it may be 

 said that a high, dry, warm soil is the best 

 for the Grape, but it will succeed very well 

 in most any kind of fertile soil suited to 

 garden crops. Loving warmth, protection 

 from bleak winds by means of evergreen 

 screens, or high fences is advantageous. 

 Stable manure is well suited to the yoimg 

 vine at a time when a good foundation of 

 wood is desired, but as the bearing begins, 

 manures that contain a large percentage of 

 potash, such as wood ashes, superphosphate 

 of lime, bones, etc., are to be preferred. If 

 the soil is heavy, the addition of a quantity 

 of anthracite coal ashes, will help it much 

 for Grapes. Prepare the soil by deep plow- 

 ing, cultivate with the plow the first year, 

 and after that keep the soil stirred, but not 

 deeply, with a cultivator. Plant in rows 

 eight feet apart, the vines six feet in the 

 row for moderate growers, and from that up 

 to ten or more feet apart for strong growers. 



TrcUiiies. The approved style of trellise 

 is one which provides three or four hori- 

 zontal supports either of wire or wooden 

 bars, along the row of vines for carrying 

 tlie canes, and these supported by posts, at 

 eight feet apart. The end posts of all wire 

 trellises, must be strongly braced in the 

 direction of the wires. For the garden cul- 

 ture of Grapes, a trellise with the lower bar 

 or wire at 18 inches from the ground, and 

 three above this at one foot apart, will be 

 found very suitable. In vineyards of some 

 extent usually but three wires are used and 

 sometimes but two. 



Prviiinri the Vhir. There is no end to the 

 .systems for pruning the hardy Grape that 

 have been advanced by writers on the sub- 

 ject. The trouble with most of the.se is, that 

 they are directed to some fanciful ideals of 

 training, which, it they can be carried out 

 at all, it is at the cost of more lal)or and 

 time than the average person could bestow 

 to tliis work. Hence we find in the books, 

 .system after system attractively pictured, 

 but of which the counterparts are never 

 met in the vineyards. I therefore propose 



♦Copyright, 1887, Popular Gardening Publishing Co. 



to pass by all theoretical forms of pruning, 

 and confine myself to a simple course that 

 has borne the test of continued actual prac- 

 tice, giving the best of results in fi'uit and 

 beauty of vine for a small outlay of labor, 

 and very simple in principle. 



Of the importance of systematic pruning 

 there can be no question, the salient points 

 to consider are when to prune and how much. 

 IF/u'» to Prune. Concerning this I will 

 ask the reader to fix in his mind three dis- 

 tinct times for and kinds of 

 pruning as follows: (a)Prun- 

 inij when Dormant, that is 

 the pruning to take place at 

 any time between leaf fall in 

 autumn and March 1st, in the 

 north, November being the 

 preferred time. (b) June 

 Prunintj to take place just 

 after the fruit has set and 

 having in view the thinning 

 out of new canes, and need- 

 less suckers of which many 

 usually appear, (c) Summer 

 Heading Back or Pinchinq 

 for checking the growth to 

 concentrate the energy of the 

 plant to the fruit, and to the 

 leaves and wood already formed. 



How to Prune. First season after plant- 

 huj. Pruninij when Dormant. The vine 

 as received from the nursery, whether it 

 consists of one or several shoots should be 

 pruned at planting time back to two eyes as 

 shown at a in Figure 4y. June Pruning. 

 As shoots start up remove all l)ut the 

 strongest one represented at ti in Figure 49; 

 as this cane extends it should be tied up to 

 a stake or trellise. Summer Pinching. If 

 side shoots appear on the main cane, nip 

 them out. About the first of August nip 

 out the end of the cane. 



Seconil Season. In these directions the 

 season is reckoned as beginning and ending 

 with the annual leaf fall. Pruning when 

 Dormdnt. Assuming that a growth of 

 eight feet or more was made by the one cane 

 of the past season, this should now be cut 

 back to four eyes as at <(, Figure .50. June 

 Pruning. Retain the three strongest shoots 

 as ii, h, h, Figure .50, removing the other one 

 or ones. If fruit appears remove all but one 

 or two clusters. S'immer Pruning. Nip 

 the tips of the shoots about August 1st. In 

 case the past season's growth did not reach 

 a full eight feet, then instead of 

 treating the plant as above, treat over again 

 precisely as directed for the first season; 

 then later treating the third season as the 

 second, fourth as the third, etc. 



Third Season. Pruning when 

 Dorntant. Cut back the three 

 canes of the past season to two 

 eyes each a, n, a. Figure 51, .Tune 

 Pruning. Retain six or eight of 

 the shoots that have formed, tying 

 these to the trellise. Summer 

 Pruning. Head back all bearing 

 canes about the middle of July in 

 the north to six or eight eyes. 

 This summer pruning is an im- 

 portant matter with the vines 

 from now on. The clipping may 

 be easily done with a quick stroke 

 of a sharp knife. 



Subsequent Sea.ions. Pruning when Diir- 

 mant. Apply the principle of cutting all 

 the main shoots of the past season's growth 

 back to two eyes each. From these eyes 

 will then proceed the canes which will fruit 

 the coming season. In rare cases as when a 

 certain spa':e should soon be occupied, three 

 eyes might be left, but this should not be 

 often. By observing this rule a distribution 

 of old wood something as is shown in Figure 

 '•>2, will result. This is a drawing from nature 



ones, canes of the present year. In time it 

 becomes desirable to replace the older 

 branches by yoimger ones, a matter easily 

 done by encouraging an occasional new 

 shoot like A springing from near the 

 root to form a main branch. June Pr\ming. 

 Now the vines should be gone over to thin 

 out all superfluous shoots, of which, usually, 

 there will be quite a number, and tying up 

 others. Let enough remain to give an 

 even distribution over the trellise, say for 

 having the canes at the limits of the trellise 

 average from 9 to 12 inches apart, the ob- 

 ject being to admit air and light to all parts 

 of the vine. Summer Heading Back or 

 Pinching. Observe what is said under the 

 third season concerning this point. Numer- 

 ous small laterals are liable to start up on 

 the canes now headed back, the more so it 

 the cutting is done rather early; of any such 

 it may be well to nip out the ends a month 

 after the regular heading in. 



Winter Protection. The benefits of win- 

 ter covering are so decided, that the course 

 is to be recommended for all varieties. 

 With the hardier kinds nothing further is 

 required than after spreading the vines 

 out on the ground to lay a rail across them 

 to keep them in place, the warmth of the 

 earth, and the snow lodging on the vine pro- 

 tecting it sufficiently from severe winds. 

 For more tender varieties some straw, ever- 

 green boughs, or soil covered to a slight 

 depth over the canes, and also over the root 

 area should also be applied. Lay the vines 

 down in November, just after pruning. 

 Uncover them immediately after the frost 

 has left the soil in the spring. 



A Selection of Varieties. Following is a 

 short list of such Grapes as have been well 

 tried, and found to be reliable over a large 

 range of our country. With the constant 

 coming in of new varieties there is a strong 

 temptation offered to invest in these, but to 

 the inexperienced, I would say leave novel- 

 ties for others to test. 



Black grapes. Concord, Early Victor, Hart- 

 ford Prolific, Herbert, Telegraph, Worden. Red 

 GRAPES. Agawam, Brighton, Delaware, Diana, 

 Jefferson, Lindley, Rogers No. 30,Walter. WnrrE 

 GRAPES. Em. State, Lady, Niagara, Pocklington. 



THE MULBEURY. 



This hardy fruit is but little cultivated in 

 our country, but if it were introduced into 

 gardens to the extent of one or several f rees 

 each, the fruit would doubtless find some 

 use. Its season is soon after that of the 

 Cherry, and the fruit needs no picking for 

 it drops as it ripens. The tree is of the 

 easiest culture, requiring little or no pnin- 

 ing. The soil best suited to it is a light, rich 



of a six year old vine in excellent 

 dark parts showing old growth. 



Fig. 52. A well-managed six-yearold Vine. Heainer parts show 

 old irood ; lighter parts, this year's wood. 



loam of good depth. 



^'arieties. The Black Mulberry long 

 known to the old world, is a large, delicious 

 fruit, hut the tree is scarcely hardy north of 

 New York. Downing's Everbearing Mul- 

 berry is a vigorous, and in dry ground a 

 hardy sort, the fruit of which is quite rich, 

 sweet, and juicy. In size it is half an inch 

 in diameter, and of more than twice this 

 length. The Red Mulberry is a native 

 species that l)ears fruit about an inch long, 

 ihape, the and which is palatable. 



the light [To be Continued.) 



