306 CALIFORNIA FRUITS : HOW TO GROW THEM 



tied up to the stake (see Fig. 1 c). If this tying is neglected or 

 deferred too long, a heavy wind is very liable to break off the whole 

 shoot. A piece of string tied rather loosely about the middle of the 

 shoot is all that is needed. If the vines are to be headed high (18 

 inches) another tie near the top of the stake may be necessary. 



For vines which are making only moderate growth this is all the 

 treatment needed during the summer. Strong-growing vines in rich 

 soil, however, should be topped. 



Topping. The object of this is to force the shoot to send out 

 laterals at the right height above the surface of the soil, to be used as 

 spurs during the following year. This topping is an operation which 

 requires a good deal of judgment. If the topping is done too soon, 

 laterals will not start, but a new terminal shoot will be formed. This is 

 not a serious defect, however, but simply necessitates a second topping 

 two or three weeks later. Neither will the laterals start if the topping 

 is done too late, or if they start they will not mature, and the vine is 

 weakened by the removal of foliage without any compensating 

 advantage. 



Until experience has shown the proper time for the variety and 

 locality, it is best to top when the shoot has grown to from 8 to 12 

 inches above the top of the stake, and if necessary top again 

 later. 



The shoot should be topped within 1 or 2 inches of the top of the 

 stake, if the stakes have been chosen and driven as advised above (see 

 Fig. 1 , c). This will insure the growth of laterals just where they are 

 needed for the next winter pruning. 



The vines on which a cane has been left and tied up during the 

 preceding winter must be treated a little differently. The removal of 

 underground shoots or suckers is the same. Instead of thinning out 

 the shoots to a sirfgle one, as for the vines just described, all the shoots 

 should be left to grow, except those too near the ground (see Fig. 2, 



b). 



As a rule, all shoots between the ground and the middle of the 

 stakes should be taken off. It is even more important that this should 

 be done early than in the case described above. If the lower shoots are 

 allowed to become large and then removed, not only is the vine weak- 

 ened by the removal of mature leaves, but the stem of the vine is 

 suddenly exposed to the direct rays of the hot sun and is very liable to 

 injury. This injury does not show by the peeling off of the bark as 

 with fruit trees, but by a general weakening and dwarfing of the vine. 



The shoots coming from the upper half of the cane are to form the 

 spurs for the following winter pruning, and can often be left to grow 

 without further treatment. 



If the growth is very rapid and succulent, however, it is necessary to 

 pinch them, or the first heavy wind may break them off (see Fig. 2, C.) 



Pinching consists in the removal of 1 or 2 inches of growth at the 

 extreme tip of the shoot. This delays the growth in length temporarily 

 and gives the shoot time to strengthen its tissues before its length gives 

 too much leverage to the wind. This pinching usually has to be 

 repeated at least once. 



