26 THE FORCING GARDEN. 



the wood will not mature itself, as I have before re- 

 marked, and then, let the winter pruning be what it may, 

 and let it be done ever so well, the results will be 

 either a partial or an entire failure in what might have 

 been a prime crop of well-grown fruit. 



As soon as the fruit shows itself sufficiently to 

 select the bunches for ripening, divest the vine of all 

 the laterals, and stop such as are left on for fruiting, 

 at one eye above the bunch ; but never stop the 

 leaders till they have advanced to the limits of the 

 house, nor even then if it can be possibly avoided. It 

 is bad policy in Grape growing to stop the young wood 

 too soon, and also to allow it to grow too thick. A vine 

 should be one leaf thick above the fruit and no more. 

 This is all that is required for a shade to the fruit, and 

 no more must be allowed if you want well matured 

 wood for fruiting next year. 



All laterals arising after the first stopping should 

 be frequently removed, and no young wood allowed to 

 remain but what is absolutely useful for the ensuing 

 season for fruiting. It is far better to remove old 

 leaders after the third season than to let them remain, 

 and to substitute a new leader. In cases where the 

 vines are strong a new leader can be well trained inter- 

 mediately, in two seasons, the whole length of a roof 

 sixteen or twenty feet upwards. A leader will do this 

 in one season if the vine is strong ; it is not how- 

 ever advisable to allow it to remain the whole length 

 made in one season, but to cut it back one half at 

 least, and the next season it may remain the whole 

 length of the roof, when the old leader may be cut 

 out clean to the bottom. 



