No. 5. 



Culture of the Vine. 



155 



the old wood, resembling together a little 

 mallet. These are set in the soil, prepared 

 to sufficient depth, either in a sort of nurser}' 

 or where the future vine is wanted. If where 

 the vine is to be trained, two or three cut- 

 tinos are put down near together, and the 

 strongest selected after they have taken root, 

 and the others removed. Each cutting may 

 be set in a position nearly vertical, and cover- 

 ed within lialf an inch of the top. A strong 

 stake should be driven into the ground to sup- 

 port the young shoot, and the soil worked 

 frequently with the hoe and kept clear from 

 weeds. 



Vines rarely need watering, and it should 

 be done only occasionally in time of drought. 



Training. — Various methods have been 

 adopted by vine-dressers. In France, the 

 main stalk is permitted to grow only a few 

 feet in height, and the branches are carried 

 off laterally and fastened to upright stakes 

 set in rows for the purpose. The separate 

 vines are placed at the distance of 16 or 18 

 feet apart, and the vineyard appears in con- 

 tinuous rows, somewhat like a New England 

 corn-field, with wider intervals for pruning 

 and gathering the fruit. The branches here 

 shoot out near the ground, which gives a 

 more acid flavour to the grape, a "desirable 

 quality for the manufacture of wine. In Italy 

 the vine is more frequently trained upon ar- 

 bours, or trees that produce scanty foliage. 

 No branches are allowed to grow upon the 

 main stock or trunk, until it has ascended 8 

 or 10 feet to the top of the arbour, or it may 

 be a much greater height to the limbs of the 

 tree. It then expands itself and roofs the 

 rude arbour with a gorgeous covering, and 

 suspends its clusters beneath, or adorns the 

 lofty tree with its pendant branches and 

 tempting fruit. Arbours of lattice or trellis 

 work are often used in our own country, or 

 what is more convenient, a simple trellis, 

 either perpendicular or sloping. This may 

 be put up at small expense, with upright posts 

 at proper intervals, with horizontal slats or 

 bars, 6 inches asunder. These need not come 

 within 2 or 3 feet of the ground, and may ex- 

 tend as high as necessary, perhaps 6 or 8 feet. 

 The vines are planted at intervals of 8 or 10 

 feet near the trellis. They may then be con- 

 veniently taken down to be protected from 

 the winter and secured again to the trellis at 

 the proper time in the spring. A single trunk 

 should come from tlie root, and no shoot or 

 branch be allowed to grow within 2 or 3 feet 

 of the ground. Above that distance, the vine 

 may be trained at the pleasure of the culti- 

 vator. It may cover the whole trellis, but 

 one shoot should not overlap another, which 

 would shut out the sun and check the growth 

 of those beneath. 



Pruning. — A careful and judicious prun- 



ing is an indispensable requisite to a good 

 harvest from the vineyard. If the vine is 

 produced from a cutting, one shoot will be 

 sent out the first year. This should be cut 

 down to two joints in October. The second 

 year, one shoot from one of the joints only 

 siiould be allowed to grow, which must in 

 like manner be cut down to two or three 

 joints in the fall. The third year, two branches 

 may be preserved and cut down at the fall 

 pruning, so as to leave from two to five joints, 

 as they may appear thrifty or otherwise. All 

 shoots that appear at parts of the vine where 

 they are not wanted must be rubbed out, and 

 the main body of the stalk kept naked. The 

 fall is the best time for pruning, perhaps in 

 October, after the fruit is gathered. As many 

 branches of last growth may be left as the 

 cultivator may think the parent stalk will 

 sustain for the next year's fruit, and each 

 branch cut down to a proper number of joints. 

 The wounds occasioned by the fall pruning 

 are closed before the ascent of sap in the 

 spring. Any considerable pruning at that 

 time would cause an exudation of sap to the 

 injury of the vine. It is a common fault to 

 allow too great an extension of the vine, and 

 the object in pruning should be to reduce it 

 to just what the vigour of the root will sus- 

 tain for the perfection of the fruit, and what 

 can be presented to the rays of the sun. 



Ripening. — In July, after the clusters 

 have appeared, a portion may be cut from all 

 the branches where they are found. The su- 

 perabundant nourishment is then taken up by 

 the fruit, which attains a greater perfection 

 and becomes suitable for gathering many days 

 earlier. Any black surface in rear of the 

 vines, as a painted fence, or wall, is said to 

 answer a good purpose. If the branches be 

 taken off with the clusters and suspended in 

 a warm room, they will be preserved fresh, 

 and continue to ripen for some time. The 

 leaves seem necessary to the perfection of 

 the fruit, and should never be removed. The 

 most successful practice which has been 

 adopted is, to take from the last year's wood 

 of the bearing branches a ring of bark about 

 I of an inch in width, that is, to perform what 

 is called girdling. This is done the first of 

 July, and the bark is soon renewed, and may 

 sometimes require a second removal. When 

 this girdling is employed, the ends of the 

 branches should not be cut off. The branches 

 treated by this latter method wilt ripen much 

 sooner than others, and an earlier and later 

 crop may be had from the same vine. 



Hanover, N. H. T. T. 



Far. Mon. Vis. 



Excellent Ointment for Cattle. — Equal 

 parts Venice turpentine and hog's lard, well 

 beaten together. 



