THE GRAPE. 



53 



considerably larger than from vines not girdled and of just as good 

 quality. But on the other hand, some very careful experiments 

 made by Dr. Jabez Fisher, of Fitchburg, Mass., seem, in his words, 

 to show that "whenever a grape will ripen fairly well by natural 

 processes girdling is a complete draft upon the future without 

 prospect of means to pay it through the gains of the present " The 

 operation consists in taking out a ring of bark one- fourth inch or 

 more in width, at any time during the growing season, but gener- 

 ally soon after the berries are well set. For this purpose a special 

 tool is often used, which makes two cuts and takes out the bark 

 with one movement (Fig. 38). If the whole vine is girdled at the 



FIG. 38. 

 Girdling knife, 

 made of two 

 thin steel 

 blades with 

 cleaner at a. 



FIG. 39 . Girdled 

 Cane. A, ivht.re ring 

 of bark has been re- 

 moved. Band E, 

 where the vine is to 

 be pruned in the 

 fall, thus cutting 

 off the gird' ed wood 

 entirely. C and J), 

 growth from re- 

 maining buds infol- 

 lowing year, when 

 D should be girdled 



surface of the ground it will soon show great weakness, so when 

 practiced at all it should be done by girdling the lateral canes ; 

 those that are to be cut away entirely when the vine is pruned 

 (Fig. 39). In sections where early autumn frosts are common it is 

 frequently desirable to try this method of advancing the period of 

 ripening. 



Diseases. There are many diseases which may at times 

 attack the grape, but only two are commonly met with in the 

 northwestern states, where on account of the dryness of the air 

 there is less trouble from fubgus diseases than where the climate 

 is more humid. 



