66 American Grape Training. 



shoots from the upper cane soon cling to the lower 

 wire, and the shoots from both tiers of canes pro- 

 tect each other below the lower wire. There are 

 three serious disadvantages to this holding up of 

 the shoots, it makes unnecessary labor, the canes 

 are likely to make wood or "bull canes" (see 

 page 50) at the expense of fruit, and the fruit is 

 bunched together on the vines. 



Another common modification of the four-cane 

 Kniffin is that shown in fig. 24, in which a crotch or Y 

 is made in the trunk. This crotch is used in the belief 

 that the necessary sap supply is thereby more readily 

 deflected into the lower arms than by the system 

 of side spurring on a straight or continuous trunk. 

 This is probably a fallacy, and may have arisen 

 from the attempt to grow as heavy canes on the 

 lower wire as on the upper one. Nevertheless, this 

 modification is in common use in western New 

 York and elsewhere. 



If it is desired to leave an equal number of buds 

 on both wires, the Double Kniffin will probably be 

 found most satisfactory. Two distinct trunks are 

 brought from the root, each supplying a single wire 

 only. The trunks are tied together to hold them in 

 place. This system, under the name of Improved 

 Kniffin, is just coming into notice in restricted por- 

 tions of the Hudson valley. 



The Two- Cane Kniffin, or Umbrella System. In- 

 asmuch as the greater part of the fruit in the Four- 

 Cane Kniffin is born upon the upper wire, the ques- 



