GRAPE CULTURE AND WINE MAKING. 581 



Four canes are allowed to grow from*tliis four foot layer ; they 

 should be staked, and pinched as described for other plants, and 

 no fruit allowed to grow the first year. Cut these canes back 

 to three buds, and allow two canes to grow the next year, one 

 of which may bear a few bunches of fruit ; subsequent pruning 

 is the same as described for horizontal arms. The reader will 

 see that the object of this treatment is to get strong roots 

 before allowing the plant to bear. More time, and double the 

 number of plants are required to obtain the same amount of 

 fruit, which will not be so good ; it is only recommended there- 

 fore for very poor soils, where the compost cannot be secured 

 to begin with. \ 



Gathering, packing, marketing, and keeping are important 

 matters in grape culture. The grape will only ripen on the 

 vine ; and as the public taste becomes educated on this subject, 

 they will insist on having ripe fruit. When ripe, the stem will 

 shrivel, and soon the grape will begin to shrivel about the stem. 

 The bloom on the grape is a token of its ripeness. In the de- 

 scriptions of varieties we shall give the tokens of each variety. 

 The grape will increase in weight, beauty, and flavor by being 

 allowed to ripen perfectly on the vine, and, even if one or two 

 weeks later in the market, will bring a higher price than the 

 unripe grape. For wine, they should be left on as long as the 

 frosts will permit. Nearly all the grapes now in cultivation 

 color at least two weeks before they ripen. 



When gathered it should be done as carefully as possible. 

 They can be gathered quickest and best by means of scissors 

 which hold them after they are cut. Cut the stems as long as 

 possible and lay them in a shallow basket. They are packed 

 for market in shallow boxes; the method being to cut out with 

 small sharp scissors imperfect grapes, and spread the bunches 

 out on a table. Turn the box bottom upwards, take off the 



