VINES. 



540 



VINES. 



ging the best bunches in gauze or paper 

 bags. In October the bunches are ripe to 

 bursting, and ready to gather, preparatory 

 to a new year of growth and decay. Bear 

 in mind that success depends on well- 

 ripened wood a short-jointed branch, 

 ripened under an August sun, being a fruit- 

 ful bearer of highly flavoured fruit, and for 

 this purpose a light porous earth is prefer- 

 able to more tenacious clay soils. When 

 the bunches of grapes are formed, pinch off 

 the leading point of the growing shoot one 

 joint above that from which the bunch 

 proceeds. This is done to check the ten- 

 dency of shoots to overlap one another. 

 After the young points have been stopped, 

 each joint below the stopping will put forth 

 a side-shoot. These are termed lateral 

 shoots. While this close stopping limits 

 the extension of the tree, the size of the 

 berry is much increased. This stopping is 

 continued till the stoning period com- 

 mences. This process occupies six or eight 

 weeks, during which the growth of the fruit 

 remains stationary, and the leading shoots 

 may be suffered to push wherever they 

 may. 



Influence of Leaves on Fruit. During 

 the swelling of the berry, the fruit begins to 

 acquire flavour, and the buds plumpness 

 and firmness. Henceforth they must have 

 all the sunlight possible. To obtain this, 

 all the lateral sprays and others which shade 

 the larger leaves must be stripped away, leav- 

 ing the larger leaves exposed to the sun ; 

 for the fruit receives its flavour through the 

 agency of the leaves. 



Spur Pruning. Pruning varies with the 

 fancies of the operator. Spur-pruning con- 

 sists of carrying up one leading shoot to 

 the whole extent of the house or wall, 

 either at one year's growth, or two or three, 

 leaving spurs or lateral shoots to develop 

 themselves at regular intervals on the stem. 

 This is usually the result of three years' 

 growth, the cane being allowed to make a 



third of the length the first year, a second 

 third the second year, and the remaining 

 third during the third year. There will 

 thus be five branches the first year, ten the 

 second year, and fifteen the third year. The 

 subsequent pruning is confined to pruning 

 each of the laterals back to the last eye at 

 the base of the shoot. 



Long-rod Pruning. This consists in 

 establishing a stump with three strong 

 branches or collars, from each of which, in 

 its turn, a shoot springs, which, by a regular 

 system of pruning, is worked in successive 

 lengths, the one running the whole length 

 of the rafter, the second half the length, and 

 the third, recently pruned back, is to pro- 

 duce the renewal shoot. 



Covering Wall or House. Where the 

 object is to cover a wall or house, the lead- 

 ing shoots are carried almost at random, the 

 pruner selecting those which suit him, with- 

 out heeding much, so long as they are 

 short-jointed and strong, shortening back 

 the renewal shoots, according to the space 

 they are to occupy, from three to six or 

 eight eyes. 



Sorts. Black Cluster ripens in July, in 

 situations where the Black Hamburg fails. 

 Miller's Burgundy, known by its white 

 downy leaf, is very early and hardy. White 

 Sweetwater is an early sort, with a fine 

 large berry, but sets badly. White Musca- 

 dine is excellent for all purposes. In addi- 

 tion to the above sorts, which are useful 

 for culture out of doors, may be named 

 Esperione, Ferdinand de Lesseps, and 

 Leicester. For indoor planting in a cool 

 house may be named Black Hamburg, 

 Foster's Seedling, Buckland's White Sweet- 

 water, Meredith's Black Alicante, and Mr. 

 Price's Black Muscat, of which the last is 

 a late grape. 



Black Hamburg ripens out of doors in 

 fine seasons, but is very capricious in colour. 

 White Frontignan is a fine early grape, 

 sweet but insipid. Muscat of Alexandria 



