3IO IRRIGATION FARMING. 



needed in the vineyard before and after the bunches or 

 clusters are formed, pulling out the suckers and pinch- 

 ing back the vines, which draw heavily on the sap that 

 should go to the wood-bearing fruit. 



As a general resume of this entire grape subje<5l, the 

 author would like to repeat a few cautionary remarks. 

 If two-year-old vines of domestic or foreign varieties 

 are well irrigated at the time of planting and once 

 every two weeks afterward it is quite sufficient the 

 first season. The next year once in three weeks is 

 ordinarily quite enough, but keep up cultivation, as it 

 is better than an irrigatioji. After this three good irri- 

 gations during a season is usually quite enough, and 

 vines will do much better than if irrigated every week. 

 Very frequently vines seem to become stunted and the 

 leaves will fall off prematurely. Some people think 

 the vines are then diseased, but the trouble is too much 

 water. Do not let the water stand around the vines 

 more than half an hour during irrigation. If this is 

 neglecfted there will very likely be trouble, especially 

 with some varieties. In all the irrigation operations it 

 is advisable to diredl the water as deeply into the soil 

 as possible in order to create the downward tendency 

 of the roots, especially in the earlier growth of the 

 plants. The deep-trenching system described in the 

 orchard chapter will prove invaluable, but caution 

 must be taken to observe that the underground has 

 perfe(5l drainage. 



Raspberries. — Any land that will produce good 

 crops of corn or wheat is suitable for raspberries, and, 

 unlike strawberries, they are benefited by a good deal 

 of shade. Prepare the ground thoroughly and manure 



