ON THE PKUMNG OF VINES. 87 



Such spurs, therefore, need not be more than from half 

 an inch to an inch in length, and they may with ease 

 be retained for several successive years without be- 

 coming much longer. The results of spur pruning, 

 under such circumstances, are very different from those 

 which follow that method, when practised on vines 

 trained on open walls in this country. 



Long Pruning. This method consists in obtaining 

 all the fruit of a vine from a few shoots, trained at full 

 length, instead of from a great number of spurs or 

 short shoots. To provide these shoots, the former 

 bearers are cut down to very short spurs at the autum- 

 nal pruning, and, at the same time, a sufficient number 

 of shoots are left at whole length to produce fruit in 

 the following year ; at the succeeding autumn these 

 latter are cut down to very short spurs, and the long 

 shoote that have pushed from the spurs, are trained at 

 whole length as before, and so on annually in alternate 

 succession. This method recommends itself by its 

 simplicity ; by the old wood of the vine being annually 

 got rid of ; by the small number of wounds inflicted 

 in the pruning; by the clean and handsome appear- 

 ance of the vine ; and by the great ease with which it 

 is managed, in consequence of its occupying but a 

 small portion of the surface of the wall. These char- 

 acteristics of long pruning are sufficient to make that 

 method superior to every other. As the details of it 

 are given more fully in the two following chapters, it 

 is not necessary to describe it further here. Before 

 entering on the subject of Training, a few general rules 

 may be advantageously laid down for the guidance of 

 the primer. 



1st. In pruning, always cut upwards, and in a 

 sloping direction. 



2d. Always leave an inch of blank wood beyond 



