CULTIVATION OP THE VINE. 133 



the establishment requires care and attention; 

 as it is all important to the success of the 

 vineyard, that a strong healthy plantation should 

 form the groundwork of the operations. It is 

 the creed of many of our vine dressers, that the 

 young plants should not be weeded, (faire la 

 feuille) which is to divest them of their super- 

 fluous leaves, and young branches, the first year. 

 I am quite of a different opinion, and from ex- 

 perience, do not hesitate to say, that, on the con- 

 trary, the stripping should not be omitted where 

 the young plants shoot freely, and show a vigo- 

 rous vegetation. In this operation, my opinion 

 is, that not more than two shoots, or bunches, 

 should be left, instead of feur or five, as is the 

 practice among some ignorant cultivators, sur- 

 charging thereby the plant with a vegetation, to 

 the support of which its powers are inadequate, 

 and exhausting the life blood of the young vine, 

 by a premature tax on the functions of the young 

 plant. In autumn we should divest the vines of 

 the small shoots that have put forth between the 

 main branches, which are to form the heading of 

 the plants the succeeding year. Even after the 

 leaf has fallen, this measure contributes to mature 

 and harden the young wood, which is essential 

 to success, because the young shoots would not 

 be sufficiently advanced, and the new wood ma- 

 tured and ripened before the severe frosts of 

 winter, many of the branches that appear to 

 possess a vigorous maturity, will perish, from 

 inability to resist the rigors of the season.* 



* From my observation on the effect of pruning, I incline to 

 the belief, that in Pennsylvania it will be judicious that this 



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