THE GRAPE. 287 



sists in yearly cutting away all the wood of two years 

 old or more. The vine is taken, say at the close of the 

 second summer, with, as supposed, three good strong 

 canes grown from a point near the ground ; two of these 

 canes are cut back to from four to six feet, according to 

 the strength of the vine, and are tied to the lower wire 

 in a bowed shape (see fig. 140), while the third cane is 

 cut back to three or five buds, according to the age and 

 vigor of the vine. The long bent canes are for fruiting, 

 while on the shoots that grow from the centre cane all 

 the fruit is rubbed off. The next season the bearing canes 



Fig. 140. BOW TRAINING. 



are cut away, two or three new canes are laid in for fruit, 

 the centre cane cut back as before, for new shoots, and so 

 from year to year the practice repeated. Some vignerons 

 practise training and fruiting by leaving very long canes, 

 with more or less of the laterals, these latter being pruned 

 to one or two buds, from which, it is claimed, some of the 

 best fruit is grown. Such varieties as the Clinton, Nor- 

 ton's Virginia, Concord, etc., are by some considered best 

 when grown in this way. 



Training upon stakes is a practice esteemed by many 

 as giving better circulation of air among the vines. Some 

 use two stakes, on one of which two canes of the previ- 



