496 ['THE VINE. 



etc (Italian sistema a capitozza), the vine is trained on 

 a single stem to a height of about 25 to 40 c m. and 

 afterwards the fruiting canes situated on wood of the 

 preceding year's growth are shortened t > one bud, and 

 sometimes to two buds. If only one bud has been re- 

 tained, or if only one cane has developed from the spur, 

 the cane is again shortened to one or two buds in the 

 following winter, but if two canes have developed from 

 the same. spur the upper one is cut off altogether, and 

 the lower one is shortened to one or. two buds, and so 

 on, so that when pruned the vine has the appearance of 

 a pollarded willow. The number of spurs allowed to 

 each vine varies with its strength, from one to as many 

 as six or more. 



B. A variation or rather an improvement of this 

 short pruning is tiie so called shrub training (It. sistema 

 ad alberello, or ceppo basso. Fr. =gobelet), which in 

 its turn offers the following subdivisions. 



a) The single-spurred method which is largely 

 followed in France, Italy, Sicily, Sardegna and also in 

 Spain '1 he vine is trained to a height of 20 to 40 c.m. 

 or more, and is then allowed to bear only one spur of 

 two to four buds. Sometimes two spurs of the same 

 length are retained, both spurs being fruit-bearers or 

 moiher-bearers, and no special spur is allowed for the 

 production of wood for the next year's crop. This 

 method is suitable for soils of poor quality, where the 

 vine must be restricted to the smallest possible develop- 

 ment, and cannot be permitted an alternate growth of 



1 ^> 



wood, but the lowest cane which has developed on the 

 spur or mother-bearer is retained as the spur for the 

 following year. 



b). The double-sourred method, which obtains 

 in certain districts of Southern Italy. According to this 

 method the vine in the 3rd year is allowed to develop 

 two canes, w: ich in the following \\inter are headed back 



