156 THE VINEYARD. [FEB. 



which will bear an abundance of fruit ; but the others must be headed 

 down to two or three buds each, in order that they may produce good 

 wood for the ensuing year's bearing and not too much fruit ; for those 

 which you headed so high must be effectually cut out close to where 

 they were produced in the next pruning. 



Having finished your pruning, see that each plant has a good firm 

 stake to support the young shoots when produced and advancing in 

 growth, and if it be vigorous and of many shoots, a second, or even a 

 third, would be more eligible. 



Some inconsiderate persons may think that eight are too few for 

 a full grown vine ; but if they consider that the eight shoots so 

 pruned may produce, on an average, twenty-four, and each of these 

 bear three bunches of grapes, making in all seventy-two, they will 

 probably view the matter in a different point, especially when they 

 consider that the ground, occupied by this plant, is no more than 

 about six feet square. However fond people may be to see their 

 vines bear great quantities of fruit, the over-bearing of them, espe- 

 cially while young, and indeed at any period, is allowed on all hands 

 to injure them materially. 



You are particularly to observe that the young shoots of last sum- 

 mer's growth are the only bearing wood ; that is, they produce new 

 shoots which bear fruit the same season ; therefore if you expect a 

 regular supply of grapes, you must manage your plants so as to have 

 an annual succession of new wood, which you cannot expect if the 

 vines are suffered to overbear. 



The above being the method of managing vines in vineyards, the 

 heads being formed near the ground, which is the present practice 

 in most of the vine countries, I shall now proceed to give some di- 

 rections for the pruning of such as are trained against walls, trellises 

 or espaliers. 



PRUNING OF VINES AGAINST WALLS, TRELLISES, AND ESPALIERS. 



In order to have well formed espaliers and wall- vines, &c., you 

 must train the two first good shoots, produced by the plant, horizon- 

 tally, one to each side, within a foot or a little better of the ground, 

 and continue them in that direction, from year to year, to whatever 

 extent you may think desirable. 



The first year these must be deprived only of the decayed wood 

 on the extremities, and of any secondary shoots proceeding from the 

 axillas of the leaves, unless they have run to the desired extent : the 

 second year they will produce shoots from the joints, which are to 

 be trained either upright, serpentine form, or fan-fashion, according 

 to fancy, at the distance of about twelve inches from each other ; the 

 third year head each of these down to one good bud, and train 

 them up as before directed ; the fourth, and every succeeding year, 

 make choice of the strongest shoots, say every third one, and head 

 them down to from ten to twenty buds each, more or less, according 

 to the strength of the mother plant, goodness of the ground, and 

 roundness of the wood, but never leave wood that is not round, for 

 such seldom bears fruit. The other shoots are to be headed down 



