SUMMER PRUNING. 249 



twenty-four inches from the ground. The vine is thin always within 

 reach and control." 



The practice of many vine dressers in Missouri, is a medium 

 course, between severe or close pruning, and long straggling culture. 

 Mr. Geo. Husman, of Herman, has written a capital work on this 

 subject, to which we invite all who desire to grow the Grape exten- 

 sively. We give on previous page cuts descriptive of manner now 

 regarded best for training. 



Summer Pruning " Consists in removing suckers, and pinching 

 off all lateral shoots, leaving but two stalks or canes to be trained 

 for bearing wood the ensuing year, and pinching off the nds of the 

 bearing branches, about the time of blossoming, some two or three 

 joints beyond, or above the last blossom bunch ; pull no leaves off 

 the bearing branches, and but very few from any other. As the 

 vines grow, tie them neatly to the stakes, with rye straw (some use 

 grass), and when they reach the top, train them from one stake to 

 the other, until the fruit has nearly matured ; the green ends may 

 then be broken off. If this is done too early, there is danger of forc- 

 ing out the fruit-bearing buds for the next year, and of injuring the 

 grapes in ripening. 



Some cultivators are averse to removing any lateral branches from 

 the fruit-bearing wood, merely pinching off their ends. Others adopt 

 close pruning, in Summer, and even taking off some of the leaves of 

 the bearing branches. Both these extremes are wrong. The ex- 

 perience of the writer is in favor of removing such lateral shoots as 

 appear unnecessary to the growth or ripening of the fruit to pinch 

 off the ends of the bearing branches two, three, or four joints beyond 

 the upper bunch of grapes according to the number it bears to 

 take off all laterals from the bearing wood intended for the ensuing 

 year ; and not to break off' the ends of these branches at all (as has 

 heretofore been done about the time the grapes began to color). The 

 leaves are the lungs of the plant, and while it is necessary to remove 

 suckers and laterals, to throw strength into the fruit and the bearing 

 branches for next year, a liberal supply of leaves should be left for 

 the maturity of both." 



Grapes are often injured in the Summer by cutting off too much 

 young wood. Shoots not intended to grow, should be stopped by 

 pinching off the ends ; but, if by neglect, they have been permitted 

 to grow long, stop all, or nearly all, their ends, and let remain the 

 part that has matured leaves. 



It is well in the Winter pruning, to leave plenty of wood, and if 

 too much fruit sets for the vine to mature, thin it out when small. 



Trellises made by setting posts, well braced, at either end of the 

 row, and running coarse wire through standards intermediate from 

 post to post, we have seen much practiced elsewhere than at Cincin- 

 nati, and with great success. The vines are trained horizontally, as 

 represented in the accompanying figure : 

 11* 



