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vine is forced back into the bunches, helping them to set 

 large clusters. The pinching back should be done so as to 

 leave about five leaves on the cane beyond the bunch of fruit. 

 Side shoots will start, which may be cut back two or three 

 times during the season. The new leaves, being of a light 

 color, are easily seen, and only the stronger growth needs 

 cutting back. Where the new shoots hang down from the 

 wire it tends to check their growth. Where the new shoot is 

 upright, the circulation I suppose, is stronger, as it is in the 

 heater in one's house. 



GIRDLING. 



Ringing or girdling the vine may sometimes be used to 

 advantage. This is done by taking off the bark about an 

 inch wide around the vine, the theory being that the sap 

 goes up in the wood and down in the bark. By cutting the 

 bark the sap is forced into the growth above the part girdled 

 and by keeping the vine cut back the fruit is usually in- 

 creased in size and ripens from a week to ten days earlier. 

 The girdling should be done the first or middle of July. The 

 part of the vine girdled dies in winter. Only one half of the 

 vine should be girdled, as about that proportion Is needed to 

 keep up the vigor of the vine. If too much of the vine Ip! 

 girdled the fruit does not ripen well, and the vine is weak- 

 ened. 



THINNING THE FRUIT. 



Soon after the fruit is set, the vines should be gone over 

 and where there are more bunches than are needed, the 

 smaller ones should be taken off, so the fruit the vine is able 

 to carry will be in as few bunches as possible. 



SPRAYING. 



For fungus diseases spraying is a preventive rather than 

 a cure, as after the fungus diseases are well started spraying 

 has little effect in checking them. A good spraying with a 

 strong solution of copper sulphate before the buds start, 



