74 One Thousand Questions in Agriculture 



The dried currants of commerce are made in Greece and in 

 California (to a slight extent) from the grape known as the grape of 

 Corinth. They are not made from the bush currant which is gen- 

 erally grown in the United States, and the two plants are not in 

 any way related. 



Grape Vines for an Arbor. 



Hozv shall I prune grape vines, viz: Tokay, Black Cornichon, Mus- 

 cat, Thompson Seedless, Rose of Peru, planted for a grape arbor? 



You can grow all the vines you mention with high stumps 

 reaching part way or to the top of the arbor as you desire side or 

 top shade or both. You can also grow them with permanent side 

 branches on the side slats of the arbor if you desire. Each winter 

 pruning would consist in cutting back all the previous summer's 

 growth to a few buds from which new canes will grow for shade or 

 fruiting, or you can work on the renewal system, keeping some of 

 these canes long for quick foliage and more fruit perhaps and cut- 

 ting some of them short to grow new wood for the following year's 

 service, as they often do in growing Eastern grapes. 



Pruning Old Vines. 



/ have some Muscat grape vines 30 years old. Can I chop off 

 most of the old wood with a hatchet and thereby bring them back to 

 proper bearing? 



Not with a hatchet. If the vines are worth keeping at all, they 

 are worth careful cutting with a saw and a painting of all cuts in 

 large old wood. If the vines have been neglected, you can saw 

 away surplus prongs or spurs, reserving four or five of the best 

 placed and most vigorous, and cut back the canes of last summer's 

 growth to one, two or three buds, according to the strength of the 

 canes — the thicker the canes, the more buds to be kept. It is not 

 desirable to cut away an old vine to get a new start from the ground, 

 unless you wish to graft. Shape the top of the vine as well as you 

 can by saving the best of the old growth. 



Topping Grape Vines. 



Is topping grape Z'iiics desirable!'' 



Topping of vines is in all cases more or less weakening. The 

 more foliage that is removed, the more weakening it is. Vines, 

 therefore, which are making a weak growth from any cause whatever 

 can only be injured by topping. If the vines are exceptionally 

 vigorous, the weakening due to topping may be an advantage by 

 making them more fruitful. The topping, however, must be done 

 with discretion. Early topping in May is much more effective and 

 less weakening than later topping in June. Very early topping be- 

 fore blossoming helps the setting of the blossoms. Topping in 

 general increases the size of the berries. 



