60 THE AMERICAN VINE-DRESSER'S GUIDE. 



days before it blossoms. The incision is made 

 on the growth of the preceding year, and 

 below the shoots bearing fruit. A ring of 

 bark from two to six lines in width is taken 

 off, penetrating through to the alburnum 

 (which appellation is given to the soft, whitish 

 wood between the bark and the heart of the 

 shrub), and taking great care not to injure it. 

 The more vigorous the vine is, the wider the 

 incision ought to be. It should not be made 

 on the same branches oftener than every sec- 

 ond or third year, and then only after a long 

 period of cold and rainy weather, which is 

 rather unfavorable to the vine. In good 

 years, it might enfeeble the plant. Be care- 

 ful every year to make the incision on only 

 one-half of the fruit-bearing branches. Your 

 vine should have a superabundance of sap; 

 and. even then it would be better to resort to 

 long pruning, which moderates and weakens 

 the sap by rendering the vine more fructifer- 

 ous. This operation must never be performed 



