GRAPE. 241 



buds each on two arms, one going each way along the lower 

 wire, from where the ascending vine first touches the wire. 

 After the vines are thus pruned, the outer end of each arm is 

 firmly tied to the lower wire, along which it is gently coiled. 

 These two ties hold the vine firmly in place. The buds on the 

 arms push and ascend, passing over the lateral wires, clinging 

 thereto with their tendrils and hang over like a beautiful green 

 drapery, shading the fruit and body of the vine according to its 

 natural habit. Buds that push on the body of the vine are rub- 

 bed off as they appear, and after blooming the tips of all the 

 bearing shoots are clipped off with a quick stroke of a sharp 

 knife. This causes the growth to concentrate in the fruit, great- 

 ly increasing the size of the berries. The four or five shoots 

 pushing nearest the crotch of the vine should not be tipped, but 

 the flower clusters, if any, on them picked off and the shoots 

 allowed to grow in freedom along the trellis above the bearing 

 shoots, to better shade the fruit and develop themselves ready 

 for cropping the next year. This is known as the 'long arm re- 

 newal system,' in contradiction to the spur system of pruning 

 and gives much better results. 



"At the second year's pruning and others following, the old 

 arms with all the bearing shoots on them are cut off down to the 

 new arm and the new arms cut back to lengths they can fill with 

 fruit and mature well. In this, critical judgment and knowledge 

 of capabilities of different varieties are more required in the 

 pruner than in any other part of the training work. Some vari- 

 eties, such as Delaware, cannot carry more than three to four 

 arms, while Herbemont can more easily carry four arms, each 

 eight feet long. Hence the Delaware should be planted eight 

 feet or less apart, while Herbemont and most of the Post Oak 

 hybrids should be twelve to sixteen feet apart. In other words, 

 each variety should be set far enough apart so that it will fill 

 the trellis with fruit from end to end and mature it well so as 

 to better economize space and not be crowded. 



"By the third year, the vines should come to full bearing 

 and be pruned with four bearing arms, two to go each way along 

 the lower wire of the trellis, gently coiling around the wire, one 

 arm in one direction, the other in opposite direction, and should 

 be of about equal lengths, so that one firm tie with jute yarn, 



