128 FRUIT BOOK. 



where they start, taking off the whole branch, 

 fruit, and leaves. The remaining branches and 

 leaves will then be able to provide nutriment for 

 themselves. It should, however, be remarked, 

 that if the winter pruning and the spring disbud- 

 ding have been properly done, no summer prun- 

 ing whatever will be necessary. < But/ says 

 some person accustomed to cutting off half a 

 cart-load of foliage from his hardy vines every 

 July, * what am I to do with the mass of foliage, 

 running into a wild wilderness, that I find upon 

 my vines every midsummer ? It would smother 

 the grapes.' We answer, Provide against it by 

 pruning back the side spurs or shoots, close to 

 the leading stems every winter. And when 

 several buds start out from the same place to 

 make the current season's wood, rub off all but 

 two. In this way you will prevent the vine 

 from producing too much wood, or more fruit 

 than it can properly carry ; and you will also 

 allow the shoots that form the current year's 

 growth, to produce and retain all the foliage 

 which it is possible for them to do, in order that 

 the grapes which they bear may have the ut- 

 most supply of nutriment. We cannot better 

 conclude these remarks than by the following 

 paragraph from Dr. Lindley's article. It relates 

 to autumn pruning, and is as much to the point 

 here as in England." 



"When, however, the branches have grown 

 for many weeks, and are in the autumn beginning 

 to slacken in their power of lengthening, theory 

 says it is then right to stop the shoots by pinch- 

 ing off their ends, because after that season, 

 newly formed leaves have little time to do more 



