PRUNING AND TRAINING. 129 



beyond that point. And as this rule is applicable to all the 

 varieties and species in cultivation, it renders it an easy 

 matter to regulate the quantity of fruit upon the vine at 

 the annual pruning, by simply leaving a certain number of 

 well-developed buds, estimating each one at so many 

 bunches of fruit. Not only is the fruit produced near the 

 base of the young canes, but the best buds for producing 

 fruiting canes are found there also ; for as these lower buds 

 are formed early in the season, they become more fully de- 

 veloped than those formed later. Hence the necessity for 

 cutting off the upper portions of every cane in pruning, 

 instead of leaving a part of them at full length, and cutting 

 others entirely away. 



The foregoing are the main principles to be observed in 

 pruning and training ; but there are minor points also to 

 be considered, because they are not only important, but 

 are facts that have been proven to be well founded by long 

 and careful experiments. These points will be noticed 

 when I reach that part of the subject where they are par- 

 ticularly applicable. 



The following system of pruning and training I believe 

 to be one that may be applied to all the different varieties 

 in cultivation with the best results. It harmou.zes with 

 the general development of the vine, and does not unneces- 

 sarily dwarf it, but keeps it perfectly under the control of 

 the vineyardist, so that he can develop the fruit-bearing 

 powers, and check the excess in the growth of wood, and 

 so distribute the fruit that no one part of the vine pro- 

 duces more than another. It is not a new. system, but its 

 nain features, which are the horizontal arms, and pruning 

 the young wood to short spurs, have been in uninterrupted 

 practice for more than a hundred years. 



The following method of low training is especially rec- 

 ommended for vineyards, particularly where strong winds 

 prevail and render it difficult to grow vines on high trel- 

 lises. Plant the vines in rows, six feet apart, and the vines 



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