MISCELLANEOUS. 181 



erly thinned, and there is none more worthless if an op- 

 posite course is pursued. 



The compactness of the bunch is often variable with the 

 same variety in different localities ; in one the berries may 

 be very much crowded, and in another comparatively loose. 

 In the former case the berries will not only be much small- 

 er, but they will often burst open, especially if they have a 

 very thin skin. 



Those varieties that produce very compact bunches are 

 always benefited (in appearance at least) by thinning the 

 berries, and those who are growing such with the expect- 

 ation of making show bunches, should not neglect this 

 operation. 



Sometimes it may be beneficial to remove whole bunches, 

 but when the vines are properly pruned and trained, this 

 will seldom be necessary. 



GATHERING THE FRUIT. 



Grapes are usually gathered long before they are really 

 ripe. Sometimes this is done for the purpose of getting 

 them into market early ; in other cases it may be because 

 they appear to be ripe, when, in fact, the ripening process 

 has only commenced. Nearly all varieties change their 

 color fifteen to twenty days before they are fully matured ; 

 and as the grape is one of those fruits that must ripen be- 

 fore being gathered, or not at all, it must be apparent that 

 too much care is not likely to be given upon this point. 



It is natural to be impatient for the harvest, particularly 

 when we have waited so long, and watched with so much 

 care and anxiety for the ripening of our fruit; still, a little 

 haste may be more fatal than considerable delay ; for grapes 

 that are over-ripe keep much better than those that are not 

 fully ripe. The stem of the bunch will usually turn brown 

 and become somewhat shriveled when the fruit is fully 

 matured. 



