AND WINE MAKING. 51 



CHAPTER XII. 



TREATMENT OF THE VINE THE THIRD SUMMER. 



At the beginning of the third season we find our vine 

 pruned to three spurs, of two buds each, and six short 

 lateral arms of four to six buds each. These are tied 

 firmly to the trellis, as shown in figure 8, for which pur- 

 pose small twigs of the Golden Willow, of which every 

 grape-grower should plant a supply, are the most con- 

 venient. In their absence, twigs of some of the wild 

 willows, or good strong twine, may be substituted, though 

 iiot near so convenient. The ground should be plowed 

 and hoed as before, taking care, however, not to plow 

 60 deeply as to cut or tear the roots of the vines. 



The vines, being plowed and hoed, and, as we hope, 

 pushing young shoots vigorously, we come to one of the 

 most important and delicate operations to be performed 

 ori the vine, one of as great, or even greater, importance 

 tlian pruning. This is summer-pruning, or pinching, 

 i. s., thumb and finger pruning. Fall pruning, or cutting 

 back, is but the first step in the discipline to which the 

 vine is to bo subjected ; summer pruning is the second ; 

 and one is useless and cannot be systematically followed 

 without the other. Look at the vine well before you 

 commence, and begin near the ground. 



The time to commence is when the young shoots 

 are 6 to 8 inches long, and as soon as you can see all the 

 young bunches or buds, the embryo fruit. We com- 

 mence on the lower spur, having two shoots ; rubbing 

 off, at the same time, all suckers or wild shoots that may 

 have started from the ci*own of the vine below. From 

 the two buds two shoots have started. One of them 

 may serve as a bearins: cane or reserve next summer, we, 

 therefore, leave it unchecked for the present. The other, 



