232 THE CHIEF SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL CROPS 



allows the vines to fall over on the ground will not 

 answer at the South on account of the summer rains, 

 but it is necessary to tie the vines either to stakes or 

 to some form of wire trellis. Everything considered, 

 the horizontal three-wire trellis is to be preferred, 

 since the fruit hangs under the shelter of the leaves 

 and is more protected from sun and dew. 



Most kinds of grapes require heavy annual prun- 

 ing in order to produce profitable crops. A number 

 of different systems of pruning are in vogue, but the 

 so-called long-arm renewal system is best adapted 

 to Southern conditions. During the first season all 

 laterals are pinched out, and the vine is trained to a 

 single stem. When this reaches the height of the 

 trellis, the terminal bud is pinched out to force 

 branching. No further attention is required till the 

 winter pruning, when all but the two best branches 

 are cut away. These are tied down to the central 

 wire of the trellis and are cut back to three or four 

 buds in order to prevent overbearing. Each of 

 these buds will push a strong new shoot in the spring, 

 which in most cases falls over the side wires and 

 supports itself without the necessity of tying. The 

 fruit is borne on these new shoots, each one producing 

 an average of three bunches. All shoots starting 

 from the lower part of the main stem should be 

 pinched off. The next winter the two best shoots are 

 again selected, preference being given to those start- 

 ing farthest back near the old cane, and all others 

 are cut away. This time the bearing canes may be 

 left longer than the first year and by the third year 

 they may be left long enough to meet with those of 



