THE FRUIT-GARDEN. 



with small compact bunches of blackish-coloured 

 berries and downy leaves. 



A sound turfy loam, to the depth of eighteen 

 inches, rendered open by small fragments of old 

 lime-rubbish and a portion of crushed bones, will 

 support any vine, and promote its fertility ; and 

 these materials can be introduced by degrees, first 

 near the roots, then at a greater distance, to 

 replace a corresponding quantity of old soil ; thus 

 little expense will be incurred, and still less labour. 

 But if a new border be contemplated, and outlay 

 be not considered, it will, of course, be best to 

 complete the work in the first instance. 



Vines are propagated by single eyes, by cuttings, 

 and by layers, placed in pots when it is intended 

 to remove the plants to borders or vineries. The 

 soil should be a light, rich, sandy earth, or per- 

 fectly decayed manure and sand in equal parts ; 

 but those who wish to raise vines without loss of 

 time, should plant cuttings taken from vines of 

 known fertility, and of the yearling shoots which 

 are themselves actually fruitful. Each should 

 have three bold eyes on the young wood, and 

 each should retain at its base a small piece of 

 the previous year's wood. The season for plant- 

 ing is the month of March, and the method very 

 simple. Dibble a hole from four to six inches in 

 front of the wall or fence deep enough to receive 

 the entire cutting. Mix together equal parts of 

 black leaf-mould and white sand ; put in the hole 

 enough of this to raise the bottom one inch, and 

 ram it hard with a blunt stick ; then insert the 

 cutting, and hold it firm in the centre of the hole, 

 while that is filled brimful with the compost, which 

 is brought into still closer contact with the shoot 

 by watering. Make the ground quite even, and 

 its surface level with the uppermost bud, then 

 cover the cutting with a small hand-glass. If the 

 ground is kept moderately moist, not two cuttings 

 in a dozen will fail. If more than one shoot break, 

 and attain the height of five or six inches, the 

 stronger only should be retained, slipping the 

 other off below ground. This shoot must grow 

 till its point become spindling, when it should be 

 nipped back ; and all future growth should be 

 thus stopped above its lowest leaf, as also the 

 laterals that appear during the growth of the 

 main shoot. Great care must be taken to keep 

 the vine regularly nailed and secured by soft and 

 roomy ties, to prevent accident, and the danger 

 of being snapped by the wind. 



As the aspects suitable to the vine are confined 

 between south-east and south-west, the cuttings, 

 if not duly supplied with water, may be droughted ; 

 and perish before they become completely fur- : 

 nished with roots ; but when once established, the 

 main shoot will grow rapidly, and ripen their 

 wood early. In the end of September, let each be 

 cut down to an inch above the three lowest buds ; 

 mulch the ground around the stems and over the ; 

 roots as winter approaches, and watch the spring 

 progress of the eyes. If possible, obtain and 

 secure two equal shoots ; and if the wall or fence 

 be from eight to ten feet high, or more, lead these j 

 shoots horizontally right and left about six inches | 

 above the soil, and secure them by shreds and : 

 nails. If the wall be six feet or under, retain but ; 

 one strong shoot, and train it perpendicularly. I 

 In September, cut back according to the strength : 

 thus, if the wood of the single rod last mentioned 

 measure from one-third to half an inch in thick- 



ness, and the eyes be full, and from four to six 

 inches apart, cut the shoot at the top of the fence, 

 removing also the remains of all laterals and 

 tendrils. The two horizontals will perhaps be 

 rather slighter, yet if they be fully ripe, and fur- 

 nished with bold eyes, they may be left three or 

 four feet long on each side of the short main stem, 

 but all the buds on the under side of each must 

 be cut away; mulch the ground as before, and in 

 March following, carefully fork in the manure. 



Bearing Condition of the Vine.1\& fourth 

 spring will find the vines in a fruitful state ; but, 

 previously, the trees prepared for a dwarf-fence 

 should be so pruned as to retain but three hori- 

 zontal branches on each side of the main stems, 

 about eighteen inches asunder, the intermediate 

 branches being cut back to their lowest bold eye 

 beyond the stem. This eye is designed to produce 

 a new shoot, to take the place of the bearing- 

 shoot, which, after the fruit is taken, must be cut 

 away. Thus the vine will henceforward produce, 

 year by year, two systems of branches, one of 

 which will comprise year-old bearing-wood, the 

 other a corresponding series of green wood, which 

 will produce the fruit of the following year. This 

 description would almost suffice to elucidate the 

 habits of the vine; yet to leave no doubt on a 

 subject which involves the entire theory of prun- 

 ing, it will be understood that this tree bears its 

 fruit solely upon the green shoots of the present 

 year, which spring from the eyes of the pale-brown 

 wood of the previous year. When, therefore, a 

 vine is of age, and has acquired sufficient strength 

 to support a crop of fruit, it will generally be wise 

 to provide a new series of bearing-wood every 

 year, because the fruit of new wood in the white 

 varieties particularly is always superior. In this 

 horizontal alternate system for low fences, each 

 new branch may safely be permitted to extend 

 itself at least two joints beyond its predecessor, 

 always remembering to cut back, early in the 

 autumn, to a short distance above a bold eye 

 seated on perfectly ripe wood; for thus the tree 

 will acquire strength and extent at the same time ; 

 and experience proves that, in ordinary circum- 

 stances, the fertility of a tree should be moderated, 

 and kept below the supporting power. 



The trees on the second system of training for 

 high walls must be pruned in a similar manner, 

 and upon corresponding principles. In the autumn 

 of the third year, three out of four branches will 

 be cut down to the lowest bold eye, and a few verti- 

 cal shoots, from thirty inches to a yard apart, will 

 remain ; and these also must be pruned to a strong 

 eye situated on mature wood. This system wiU 

 furnish new bearing-wood every year, increasing 

 in length as the power of the tree augments ; 

 while also the low horizontal stems will extend 

 gradually in due proportion. At first, one, or at 

 most two bunches must be permitted to remain 

 upon each upright branch. In. the fifth season, a 

 greater crop may be taken, always, however, 

 remembering to restrict the fertility of the vine ; 

 for, by so doing, its vegetating power will keep in 

 the advance, till, in the end, the entire fence will 

 be filled with vigorous branches, annually renewed, 

 from which a very heavy crop may be gathered 

 without tasking the vine in any degree that shall 

 produce debility. 



The spur-system of pruning back the bearing- 

 shoot annually may occasionally be adopted with 



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