66 AMERICAN GRAPE GROWING 



trellis five years upon ten acres of mixed vines, and I am 

 more pleased with it every year." 



I give all these methods for what they are claimed to 

 be worth, and for the consideration and trial of my read- 

 ers. Each of them may be adapted to certain varieties 

 and localities, and are worthy of a trial, as well as are 

 Mr. Cashin's methods of spiral and zigzag training. 



On one point, however, I take issue with Professor 

 Bailey, and this is summer pruning, which he seems 

 to think of very little consequence. I think it very 

 important, especially in growing grapes for wine. I 

 have always found, where summer pruning was neg- 

 lected or done late, that the crop ripened very irreg- 

 ularly, the first bunch on the shoot ripening first, 

 the second somewhat after it, and the third or fourth 

 much later. 



In growing grapes for market, several pickings may 

 be admissible, or even profitable, but to use them for 

 wine we want a uniformly ripened product, and this 

 we can obtain only by very early summer pruning, as 

 fully described in a former chapter. By late summer 

 pruning we accomplish just the reverse, unevenly 

 ripened fruit, and unevenly ripened wood. Better not 

 summer prune at all, and follow the lazy man's method 

 of allowing the vine to take care of itself after pruning 

 and tying, than to denude it of half its foliage and 

 wood by the barbarous use of the sickle or knife late in 

 the season. 



Summer pruning must be a gentle checking early in 

 the season, to lead the abundant sap which flows 

 then, into other channels, developing laterals and 

 leaves to shade the young fruit, not lopping off the 

 tops at the most critical period, when all the foliage 

 is needed to perfect the fruit. Summer pruning early 

 in the season is beneficial ; late in the season it ruins the 

 crop and the vine. 



