52 



on each, and the shoot stopped at one or two joints 

 above it. No sides shoots are allowed to proceed 

 from the spur, the leading shoot from which is to be- 

 come the bearing wood for the next year. Thus, in 

 the autumn of the third season the lower part of the 

 house is furnished with a crop of grapes from shoots 

 proceeding from wood of the preceding year, and 

 parallel to this bearing shoot on each vine is the young 

 shoot for the next year's crop. 



In winter, the shoot from the extremity of the 

 bearing branch is cut off at the top of the roof, or 

 within twelve or fifteen inches of it, and the shoot 

 from the spur is cut down to the middle of the roof, 

 and all the spurs which had borne the grapes are now 

 cut out. Each vine is now furnished with two shoots 

 of bearing wood, a part of eld barren wood, and a 

 spur for producing a young shoot the following year. 

 In the fourth summer a full crop is produced, both in 

 the upper and lower half of the house. The longer 

 shoots bearing on the upper half of its length, and 

 the shorter on its whole length ; a leading shoot is 

 produced from the short shoot, and another from the 

 spur. In the pruning season of the fourth year, the 

 centre shoot is entirely removed, and replaced by the 

 side shoot, now the whole length of the roof, and this 

 side shoot is in its turn supplanted by the shoot from 

 the spur, while a spur is prepared to succeed it. 



It is sometimes necessary, observes Mr. Main, to 

 lay in shoots of great length, as is the general practice 



