PRUNING THE GRAPE. 103 



I did not see on any other variety. It had spots of black, bitter 

 rot, and my Hartfords did not more than half ripen their fruit 

 this year. These Hartfords were on stiff, gravelly soil, well 

 drained — a poor soil, and yet a soil that I regard as favorable 

 to the grape — and a year ago, I had a magnificent crop. There 

 were bunches weighing a pound on my vines, and I found that 

 the grapes averaged about fifteen pounds to the vine. The 

 vines were four years old — three years planted. That was 

 excessive cropping, and may account, in part, for the failure 

 this year. 



One word in regard to summer pruning. I plant my vines 

 six feet apart, and you see I cannot allow a great deal of space 

 to each plant. I have therefore been in the habit of pinching 

 back to the first bud beyond the last bunch. I do that, usually, 

 two or three times during the summer. This year, I thought I 

 would adopt a different plan, and allow the vines to make more 

 wood. They made laterals six feet long, and ran into each 

 other. I have failed this year ; whether owing to that or not, 

 I cannot say ; I think not. My object was to strengthen the 

 vine and let it make more wood, and not confine it and cramp 

 it, as some caution us against doing. 



I have tried some experiments in regard to manuring grapes, 

 and 1 think we should manure very sparingly indeed. You 

 cannot get any Diana fruit, if you manure it at all. I took the 

 waste bristles from a brush factory and used them as a mulch — 

 I did not dare to plough them in, because, as you know, they 

 are very rich in nitrogen. I used them as a mulch, but after 

 they had been there one year, I became satisfied that they were 

 injurious, and raked them ofi". I would not apply coarse 

 manures, but bone-dust, ashes, and old, thoroughly decomposed 

 stable manure can be used with good eflfect. 



I am satisfied that it is not best to work the soil frequently 

 during the summer in the vineyard. I am satisfied that I 

 injured my grapes last year by cultivating the soil frequently 

 among the vines during the time of the growth of the berry. 

 It is necessary, of course, to keep down the weeds ; but I do 

 not believe that it is well to go through the vineyard in the 

 summer, when the roots are near the surface, even with the cul- 

 tivator, which runs only two or three inches deep, for it will 

 tear up the roots. I believe it is better to give them a thorough 



