120 FRUIT BOOK. 



larly in dry weather, with soap suds. These 

 stones retain the heat, which they received from 

 the sun's rays during the day, a great part of the 

 night. We know of no fruit which will, with 

 such certainty, annually produce a crop, as this 

 variety of grape. The vine is so luxuriant in its 

 growth, and the immense quantity of wood which 

 it annually produces, requires frequent use of the 

 pruning knife, as it will always set more fruit than 

 it can bring to maturity, which but serves to weak- 

 en and exhaust the plant. The importance at- 

 tached to this point of culture, in reference to the 

 capability of the vine for fruiting in foreign coun- 

 tries, as stated by Miller, is " that, when gentle- 

 men let out vineyards, there is always a clause 

 inserted in their leases, to direct how many shoots 

 shall be left upon each vine, and the number of 

 eyes to which the branches must be shortened!." 

 This is done to prevent the exhausting of the 

 roots, and rendering them so weak as not to re- 

 cover their wonted strength for several years. 

 The pruning of the Isabella grape here is gene- 

 rally done in the fall, which should be done at or 

 soon after the gathering of the fruit ; for, by this 

 early pruning, the buds are said to push earlier in 

 the following spring. We have generally defer- 

 red this pruning until early in March. This sea- 

 son is often objected to, from the fear of their 

 bleeding : this, however, rarely takes place, pro- 

 vided it is performed early, and the section which 

 is laid bare be presented to the sun's rays, which 

 will almost invariably close up the sap vessels. 

 They should, therefore, be cut from the outside, 

 inward, in an oblique direction. 



The Isabella vine will grow most luxuriantly in 



