Summer Pruning the Vine. 



Ill 



Among those he calls new, and ad- 

 vises to touch lightly, Ave find Eureka, 

 3Iartha, Christine, Black Hawk, etc. 

 AYe thought the Eureka was an old 

 grape — so old that it was dead and 

 buried long ago. AVe confess we have 

 heard nothing of it since that memor- 

 able show at Xew York, some eight 

 years ago, where it was recognized, 

 not as that " heavon-born grape, from 

 the planet .Juno," of its originator, 

 but simply as the Diana. If Ozark 

 lives where he can be reached b}" it 

 j-et as a neio grape, we really pity him. 



The Martha has been pretty well 

 tested all over the countr}^, and can 

 hardly be called a Aery new grape. 

 We can onl}- say that we have fruited 

 it five years, have found it very pro- 

 ductive, alwaj's healthy, of good qual- 

 ity, have made excellent wine of it 

 twice, and consider it in ever}^ respect 

 an improvement on the Concord. All 

 who have tried it — and they can be 

 counted hy hundreds-^seem to con- 

 cur in this. The Christine — if identical 

 with the Telegrapli, as we believe — 



can also be confidently recommended. 

 Black Hawk we have not so fully tried, 

 but from what we have seen of it, it 

 also deserves to be planted. 



All in all, we can not help but think 

 that "Ozark" lives in a poor grape re- 

 gion ; that he is unwilling, or unable, 

 to take the slightest additional trouble 

 with a superior variet}', and that he 

 was hardl}^ cut out for a grape grower. 

 He has been exasperated because all 

 the vines under his care have not been 

 content with the same rough treatment 

 as the Concord, and therefore' would 

 have people only plant that as the 

 " universal grape." 



We prefer to steer a middle course. 

 We mean to try every thing new, 

 which comes well recommended by re- 

 liable men. We would urge our read- 

 ers on to progress, but not advise them ■ 

 to rush blindfold and lai'gely into every 

 thing new which is presented to them, 

 and, above all, send in the results of 

 their experience, describing soil and 

 location, to the readers of the (iRAPE 

 CuLTUKisT. Editor. 



SUMMEll PEUNIXG THE VIXE.— No. 1. 



Of all the or)erations in grape cul- 

 ture, this is one of the most important, 

 and yet it is most imperfectly per- 

 formed and understood b}- the major- 

 ity of our vintners. ^Mau}^ think that 

 if they have only performed fall prun- 

 ing properly, it is of very little mo- 

 ment h<jw summer pruning is per- 

 formed. Y'et, the two operations' arc 

 intimately connected, in fact, one 

 is but a continuation of the other. 

 Without proper and judicious summer 

 pruning, it is impossible to prune judi- 



ciously in the fall. If 3'ou have al- 

 lowed six to eight canes to grow in 

 summer, Avhere you need but two or 

 three, none of them will be fit to bear 

 a full cr(jp ; none be properly devel- 

 oped. B}' pruning somewhat longer in 

 fall; earl}^ summer pruning, rubbing- 

 out all imp<^rfect and weak shoots, Avill 

 enable you to have onl}^ Avell devel- 

 oped, strong shoots and bunches, and 

 take away all the weak, imperfect 

 ones. We therefore prune longer in 

 fall than the majority of our vintners, 



