-De- 



a large crop. The best cane to leave for fruit then is one of 

 medium size, with well-formed eyes. 



PROPER METHOD OF MAKING CUTS. It is by no 

 means a matter of indifference just 

 where the cut is made in removing 

 a cane or arm. This will be made 

 clearer by referring to Eig. III. 

 The upper part of the spur is rep- 

 resented as split in two longitudi- 

 nally in order to show the internal 

 structure of the cane. It will be 

 noted that at each bud there is a 

 slight swelling of the cane. This 

 is called a node, and the space be- 

 tween an internode. The inter- 

 nodes are filled with soft pith, but 

 at each node there is a growth of 

 hard wood extending through the 

 cane. Now, if the cane be cut oft 

 at C i, in the middle of an internode, 

 the pith will shrink away and leave 

 a little hollow in which the rain 

 collects. This is an excellent breed- 

 ing place for fungi and bacteria, 

 which cause rotting of the pith and 

 frequently kill the bud. If, on the contrary, the cane be cut at C2, 

 through a node, a protecting cover of hard wood is left, which is an 

 effectual barrier against decay organisms. If a spur projects too 

 far from the vine and it is desirable to make it as short as possible 

 in order not to interfere with cultivation, it should be cut at C and 

 the cut made as nearly vertical as possible. This allows the water 

 to run off, and leaves less pith to foster the growth of the fungi. At 

 the base of the cane there is a slight enlargement (E). In removing 

 a cane completely the cut should be made just above this enlarge- 

 ment. This is the most favorable place for healing, as it makes the 

 smallest possible wound and does not leave a projecting stump of 

 dead wood to prevent the healing tissues from closing over the 

 wound. In removing a piece of older wood, as at K and Ti, Fig. 

 II, it is advisable not to cut too close for fear of injuring the spur 

 by the drying out of the wood. The projecting pieces of dead 

 wood left in this way should be carefully removed the next year in 

 order to allow the wound to heal over. The large cuts which are 

 thus occasionally necessary are most easily performed by means of a 

 well-made and well-sharpened pair of two-hand pruning shears. These 

 shears are often to be preferred to the ordinary one-hand shears be- 

 cause they render the cutting through the nodes easier and do away 

 almost entirely with the necessity of a saw. Of course, a careless 

 workman may split and injure vines seriously by using long-han- 

 dled shears clumsily, but the bending of arms to facilitate cutting 

 with the one-hand shears often results in the same evil. The one- 

 hand shears, however, are more convenient when many long fruit- 



