110 OPEN AIR GKAPE CULTURE. 



which show fruit, at the same time removing all the 

 blossoms except two or three clusters on each shoot. 

 This will not only serve to keep the vine within 

 bounds, but it will cause the fruit to set much better 

 than it would do if this course were not pursued. In 

 a former section, we alluded to stopping with a view 

 to the ripening of the wood and the training of the 

 vine, and the directions there given apply equally to 

 our action as regards the shoots from the short spurs 

 they being designed to furnish the bearing canes 

 for next year, to replace those which are now fruiting 

 and which will be entirely cut away at the next winter 

 pruning. But other reasons also induce us to stop the 

 fruit-bearing shoots, and as the whole subject of stop- 

 ping, and its detrimental substitute, summer prun- 

 ing, is one of vital importance to the grape vine, we 

 cannot do better than preface our remarks by quoting 

 the physiological laws upon which it is based, from 

 Lindley's " Theory and Practice of Horticulture." 



"Nature has given plants leaves, not merely to 

 decorate them or to shade us, but as a part of a won- 

 drous system of life quite as perfect as that of the ani- 

 mal kingdom. It would be of no use for a plant to 

 suck food out of the earth by its roots, unless there 

 was some place provided in which such/foo4, consist- 

 ing principally of water and mucilage; could be 

 digested and so converted into the matter which 



