NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



269 



For the New England Farmer. 

 SUMMER PRUNING OF GRAPES. 



Mr. Cole: — Dear Sir, — My attention was 

 drawn to an article in your last week's N. E. 

 Fanner, upon the practice of trimming grape vines 

 in the summer, and knowing that your columns 

 are always open to fair discussion, and dilTering 

 somewhat from the opinion there expressed, I will 

 lay before you my idea of the subject. 



You there make strenuous objection to cutting 

 back to the fruit, and whilst you do not distinctly 

 say so, still the reader would natuially infer that 

 you disapprove entirely of all summer pruning. 

 Having cultivated the grape, for several years, my 

 own experience and observation incline me to ad- 

 vocate summer shortening for at least two reasons : 

 first, to improve the fruit of the present year, and 

 second, to make the vines capable of a better crop 

 the season ensuing. 



All must have observed that after the primary 

 has run a few eyes, beyond the bunches of fruit, a 

 tendency developes itself to burst into laterals. 

 Now if we leave these laterals on, the length of the 

 primary is much decreased and the cane much 

 diminished in size. After these secondaries have 

 grown three eyes, they should be shortened back to 

 the second. First, in order not to divert the flow 

 of sap from the main branch ; and second, should 

 we desire to leave a long runner, for shade or 

 otherwise at the winter pruning, the wood may be 

 thoroughl}' matured so as to bear a good crop 

 without injury to the vine. Besides, the eyes be- 

 coming more matured the trouble and expense of 

 training is much diminished. 



The same holds good with regard to shortening 

 back all fruit-bearing branches not desirable for 

 shade, ornament, or to cover the espalier. Whilst 

 I would most vehemently oppose the practice of 

 cutting back to the fruit, I advocate very strongly 

 cutting within 2 eyes of it, for in the interval, 

 whilst the then terminal eye is getting underweigh 

 for a fresh start, more sap is forced into the fruit, 

 giving it thereby better size and shape, and second, 

 the terminal alone starting, the second is more tho- 

 roughly matured for the next season, thus reducing 

 the amount to be taken off in the winter. After 

 the new shoot has grown a short distance, cut it 

 back in the same manner, when it will give no 

 more trouble that season, as before it gets well 

 growing a second time the summer is so far ad- 

 vanced as to prevent its attaining any great size. 

 The same course may be pursued with the main 

 branches after they have attained the length desi- 

 rable for the next year's start. One of the most 

 prominent arguments for severe winter pruning is 

 that during the summer the vines do not sufficiently 

 ripen the whole of the wood, and therefore the 

 upper buds, being more or less winter killed, grow 

 but poorly, reducing at the same time the strength 

 of the vine by a superabundance of leaves and 

 wood. 



If, however, after suffering them to attain a mod- 

 erate length, about the middle of July, we stop 

 their progress by snipping off their ends, and con- 

 tinue through the season cutting the lateral and 

 terminal shoots within two eyes of the base, we 

 shall have in the winter a greater number of 

 healthy and fruit-bearimr buds, well matured and 

 better proportioned to the strength of the vine, than 

 by any other system. 



So far from considering judicious summer pruning 



injurious, my own experience leads rne to prefer it 

 to winter. No doubt you may have observed vines 

 bleeding in the spring which were pruned in the 

 winter, and have wondered accordingly, but with- 

 out reason. 



I5y cutting off the end of the shoot we leave ex- 

 posed the sap vessels ; no new formation of tissue 

 going on at this season, they can only be covered 

 by the death of the end of the branch, or by an 

 application or exudation of gum, and therefore 

 when strong vines are well trimmed in the winter, 

 the spring flow of sap, finding no sufficient outlet 

 in the growing buds, must escape somewhere, and 

 finding less obstruction terminally than laterally, 

 bursts out at the end, thus weakening the vine to a 

 very great extent. 



In the summer, on the contrary, the tissues evej 

 forming and be cut smooth or rough, the wood 

 heals readily and no bleeding follows. This view 

 of the case is countenanced by analogy ; all now 

 prune their apple trees in the summer, and doubt- 

 less the same reasoning would apply to trees of all 

 descriptions. 



If the vines are cut back to the fruit then an in- 

 jurious result will follow ; the bud next below the 

 branch will start, and appropriate a large portion 

 of the sap intended for the fruit, leaving it to a 

 miserable dwindling existence. No plant needs 

 greater care or higher culture than the vine, and 

 none will so surely or quickly show it ; and unless, 

 in the instance you mentioned, the vines were cut 

 back to the fruit, I should be more inclined to at- 

 tribute their miserable condition to lack of manure 

 or water than to the summer pruning. 



Hoping, if my views are erroneous, you will cor- 

 rect them, I remain in haste, Rustichs. 



Pembroke. 



Remarks. — We are pleased in having an oppor- 

 tunity to lay before our readers the interesting 

 views of our correspondent, and am much obliged 

 to him for the detailed manner in which he has 

 given his mode of management. Our remarks refer 

 to native vines and out-door culture, which differs 

 materially from the management of foreign grapes 

 in hot-houses. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 CONCENTRATED MANURES. 



Mr. Cole: — A great and increasing fondness' 

 for agricultural pursuits induced me to subscribe to 

 your excellent journal, from which I continue to 

 receive valuable hints and excellent practical infor- 

 mation. As I observe that you very patiently at- 

 tend to and cheerfully answer such queries as from 

 time to time appear in your paper, I beg the favor 

 of receiving through the same source answers to 

 the following questions on farming matters. 



Bone Dust. — I find the need of this rich fertili- 

 zer. I could procure horns (would they answer!) 

 and bones, and suppose that my readier means will 

 be to dissolve them in sulphuric acid. What quan- 

 tity is necessary, and what is the ordinary cost? 



Could you conveniently inform your readers 

 whether the following is likely to be an economical 

 receipt for artificial guano? I have seen it highly 

 recommended as being one-fifth of the cost of guano. 



Nitrate of Soda 20 lbs 00 peril*. 



Sulphate of Soda 8 lb.s 2 cts. pel lb. 



Sulphate of Magnesia 5 lbs 4 cts. per Hi. 



