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to their full length in summer, training them lay in ihc wood very thin in the summer season,, 

 wherever there was a vacancy between the old that the sim and air may be freely admitted to 

 irecs; where there was none, he ran them along ripen it well, as by these means it will grow very 

 the top of the wall, without topping them. In strong. Great care should also be taken to keep- 

 winter he trained them in a serpentine manner the shoots nailed to the wall, which will prevent 

 so as to fiU the wall as regularly as possible; their being broken by high winds; picking off 

 thev were, he says, as productive as those in the all the side-shoots every time they are nailed, 

 former year. And after a three vears' trial, he which should be done several times during the 

 thovif'ht he was warranted to follow the same summer months, according to the quickness of 

 j)racticc with the whole ; when in the year 1793 their growth. In fine weather thev grow so very 

 he sent, he says, for the use of his majesty and rapidly that it is necessary to look them over 

 the royal family, three hundred and seventy- once every fortnight or three weeks to have them- 

 eioht baskets of grapes, each weighing about in good order. The vines should never be suf- 

 threc pounds, without planting a single vine fered to run together in a cluster,, and mat, as 

 more than there were the preceding year, in it infallibly ruins them for bearing the succeeding 

 which he was able to send only fii'ty-six baskets year. The shoots tha-t have been trained in a 

 of the same weight; and those so bad and ill- serpentine manner, are advised by Mr. For.syth 

 ripened that he was ashamed of them, as they to be topped, as soon as the grapes come to tins 

 were not fit to be sent to the table." size of very small green peas, at a joint or tv\o 



This, he thinks, sufficiently proves the great above the fruit ; but neither the leading shoot, 

 advantage that the serpentine method of training nor that which is intended to bea? fruit the 

 possesses over the common method. He ad- next year, should ever be topped. 

 vises that the shoots should be brought as near In, the second year Mr. Forsyth never recom- 

 as possible from the bottom of the vine, that the mends "the prunino; of vines to be performed till 

 wall niay be well covered. When the walls are the beginning of February, except in such sea- 

 hitrh, and the shoots from the serpentine sons as are very forward. It is, however, the 

 branches strong, they are sometimes let remain ; common practice with some to begin pruning 

 but if the walls are low, and the serpentine soon after the fall of the leaf, before the wood 

 branches produce weak shoots, they are cut out becomes hard ; but if a frost sets in before the 

 in the autumnal pruning, and the strongest of wood is hard, in particular after wet summers 

 the young wood trained up in their room. and autumns, it is apt to be very much injured ; 



As the" size and fineness of the bunches of he has frequently seen it almost killed after 

 grapes depend in a great measure on the bearmg autumnal pruning. And he observes that there 

 wood beinsi' strona; and well ripened, great at- is often fine weather in the months of October, 

 tention should be paid to these circumstances. November, and December, with sun and drying 

 Where the vines produce small bunches, they winds, which helps to ripen the wood after wet 

 should be cut down to two or three eyes, in order autumns." 



to have strorg.wood for the ensuing year. And It is advised, " when the vine leaves begin 

 as it has been seen that vines bear their fruit on to fall, to take a soft broom and sweep them 

 the wood that was produced the preceding year, off upwards in a gentle manner, which will be 

 when there is a great deal of old naked wood on of great srrvice m assisting to harden the wood." 

 them, as £i;enerally is the case, with some small In beginrung to prune in February, it is recom- 

 weak shoots at the extremities, they should al- 

 ways be cut down as near to the ground as pos- 

 ^ible, in which ease there will Be no fruit for 

 that year. But another mode is sometimes prac- 

 tised, which is to cut every other shoot, leaving thev become flat, as in that case they seldom 

 the old ones to produce some small grapes; when bear fruit; and if they do, it will be very small. 

 in the followino' vear there will be plenty of fine Mr. Forsyth never lays in any that has less than 

 wood, provideiJ care be taken to nail in the fifteen, and from that to thirty good eyes, ac- 

 strono-est shoots, and pick ofi' all the side-shoots cording to the strength of the shoot, which wiH 

 that arc produced from the eyes, pinching them produce two bunches from every good eye^ lie 

 oft" with the finger and thumb, or cutting them has had seventy bunches of grapes from one 

 out with a sharp penknife close to the bud or shoot. The shoots that have borne fruit in the 

 eye; but never twisting ihein ; as by twisting preceding year should be cut out the net year, 

 iliem the bud that produces the grapes the except where the wall is to he filled and the 

 next year is hurt; being always attentive to cut shoots are very strong. Plenty of fine healthy 

 as near to a bud as possible, and taking care to young wood is easily provided, if care be taken 



mended alwavs to make choice of the strongest 

 and longest shoots, leaving them as long as the 

 eyes are found good and plump, and the wood 

 round ; but by no means to leave them when 



