PRUNING AND TRAINING THE VINE. 457 



branches at the fifth or sixth leaf, while the permanent shoots will be 

 allowed to grow to their fall length, or, at any rate, the length of the 

 rafter, and may then be stopped, though if they go a yard or two 

 beyond the length of the rafter there will be no harm in it, but rather 

 an advantage. Through the growing season, the laterals upon these 

 main shoots will be stopped weekly at the first leaf; and, beyond 

 keeping the plants perfectly free from insects, with a moist, growing 

 temperature, and a free admission of air upon all favourable occasions, 

 no further care will be necessary. 



It is August, the vines have made fine rods, and it is important 

 that they should be ripened thoroughly. Upon this point too much 

 cannot be said, for it is the point upon which success in grape 

 cultivation hinges. If the wood is not thoroughly ripened in the 

 autumn, it is impossible that it can produce first-class fruit in the follow- 

 ing season. To that end it will be necessary to withdraw the moisture 

 from the atmosphere that is, no more syringing or sprinkling of the 

 house must be indulged, but, on the contrary, a fair amount of heat 

 must be maintained in the house (say 60 by night and 70 during the 

 day) by artificial means, at the same time admitting a free circulation 

 of air through the house both day and night. When the wood is 

 thoroughly ripe the bark will be of a reddish-brown, varying accord- 

 ing to the vines grown, and the leaves should ripen off a golden yellow. 

 If the wood is thoroughly ripened which may be told by the almost 

 entire absence of pith in the centre the leaves should be allowed to 

 hang on as long as they will, and it is a sign of complete maturity to 

 see them drop from the leaf-stalk ; and a short time after, the latter 

 will fall from the vine. Far too little importance is paid to the 

 maturing of the wood, and frequently the crop of the following season 

 is lost from the want of a little extra fire and trouble in the autumn. 

 This is especially the case in late vineries and greenhouses, particularly 

 in the latter, where the vines form a secondary object compared with 

 the regular plants. 



Well, the growth has been completed, the leaves have fallen, and 

 the vines are ready to be pruned ; so before we leave them we will 

 perform that operation. 



If all has gone well, the fruiting vines will be removed entirely 

 that is, they will be cut out at the root and the permanent vines will 

 occupy the entire space. The rods at the end of the third season 

 should be in every respect perfect in their growth, and, presuming 

 that they are so, each may be cut back to half its length, while the 

 leading horizontal shoot may be shortened to three or four eyes, and 

 the secondary shoots cut out altogether. Trim off the laterals in a 

 neat and workmanlike manner, always cutting close to the bud, and 

 making the wound quite smooth. 



For the purpose of pruning, we prefer good clean-cutting shears to 

 the knife the spring shears that make the draw cut being the best. 

 These do not bruise, but the common ones, unless very sharp, gene- 

 rally do. From the fact that we have provided four main shoots to 

 each vine, it will be perceived that we do not approve the restriction 



