I2i 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



the morning tlian wlien set north and south. 

 Where tlirco Ptivkcs are nscd, tliey are set as repro- 

 «t'nted in lig. 10 ; wlicre four are used, as in fig. 17. 



West, o 



North. 



Vine. 



O 



North. 



o Ea»t 



West 



Vine. 



o 



o East 



South. 

 Fio. 16. 



fionth. 

 Fio. 17. 



Where one stake is used, only two canes must he 

 nUowed to grow this (the third) summer, which 

 •will, at the end of tlio season, h^ok like lig. 14; it 

 two stakes he adopted, like lig. 15. 



The summer ]iruning will consi.st in rubhing out 

 ftU supertliious shoots, ])inehing in the laterals, as in 

 lig. 12, and keeping tlie ciiiies carefully tied to the 

 stakes. It is a good practice to pinch in the lead- 

 ing cane when it has grown four feet in length, or 

 when it begins to turn brown at the bottom. This 

 throws b.'ick the sap into the lower buds, and 

 *;trengthens and assists their swelling and ripening 

 for hearing fruit the next year. Keep the vineyard 

 nicely cultivated and all clear of weeds, and avoid 

 %ill unnecessary walking and trampling about. 



TREATMENT OF THE VINES THE FOURTH YEAR. 



This season the vines will be in good bearing 

 condition, and must Oe pruned accordingly. It is 

 best, however, not to train them to bows until the 

 tiftli year, as they would be likely to show more 

 fruit than the vine could sustain without exhaust- 

 ing it too much for the year following. In Febru- 

 ary of this season, cane a, in fig. 14, is cut back to 

 the small line drawn across it, leaving it about four 

 or live buds, or twelve to fifteen inches, in length. 

 From the buds on this s})ur, the fruit-beaj-ing 

 shoots will be produced. Cane h is cut down to 

 the lowest good bud ; the small line drawn across 

 it indicates the place where it is to be cut. 



During the ]>resent summer, while the spur a is 

 bearing fruit, a spur from cane b is trained up for 

 fruiting in the year following — say in 1850, for 

 fruiting in 1860. In fig. 15, the canes c and d are 

 cut down to three or four buds, or eight or ten 

 inches, in length, that the two together may not 

 bear much more fruit this season than the longer 

 one in fig. 14. 



During tiiis summer, two canes are taken up 

 from each spur, in fig. 15, and allowed to hear fruit. 

 The cane starting from the upper bud is to form 

 the bow for fruiting in the fifth season ; and the 

 other is to cut back to form a spur, from which a 

 cane is taken during the fifth season to form the 

 bow for fruiting during the sixth season. This is 

 called the renewal system, and is the one generally 

 ap])roved of. Tiie bearing cane is cut down annu- 

 ally after having borne fruit, and its place is annu- 

 ally supplied with a now cane. 



In the fall of the fourth year, the vine will have 

 the appearance of fig. 18 ; and in the spring of the 

 fifth year, after being trimmed and tied to the 

 stakes, that of fig. 10. The two small branches, a, 

 a, below the spurs in fig. 18, must bo pruned back 

 to where the lino indicates; but a new shoot must 

 be carefully preserved from year to year, in case 

 of accident to either of the other canes. The bow 



should be from five to eight buds in length, aocf 

 ing to the strength of the vine. Great care 

 nice judgment are required in bending the be 



Fio. 18. 



Fio. 19. 



They should be made in the mornings, an 

 cloudy, moist weather ; for when the wood is 

 dry it is more brittle. The bows should I 

 round as possible, and all sharp bends care 

 avoided, to prevent fracturing the canes, as, i 

 out this caution, much injury may be done, 

 object of making the bows is to equalize the 

 of sap in all the buds, that the lower buds 

 start witli ccpial vigor with the upper ones ; o 

 wise, if the canes were left straight, the wliole 

 of the sap would be driven into the upper hue 

 the great detriment of those upon the lower 

 of the cane. 



Summer Treatment. — The summer treatme 

 the vines will consist in carefully securing the y 

 shoots when they arc about a foot in length, 

 junction of the young and old wood is so 

 weak just at this time, that, if not secured, 

 sudden storm may cause great injury, by bre; 

 them otf. AVherever more than one shoot i 

 from one bud, all sui)erfluous shoots inu; 

 rubbed olf, leaving but one shoot, and tha 

 best. When the shoots are all carefully sec 

 they must be i)inched back to two leaves .' 

 the highest bunch of grapes; and all the 

 laterals i)roduced upon these shoots, as well as 

 the future cane, for fruiting next year, nui 

 pinched in to one leaf; and this future fruiting 

 m.ay be stopped, by ])inehing out its leader, 

 it has grown four feet in length, or when it b 

 to turn brown at the bottom. 



This summer pinching, if judiciously perfoi 

 is of great benefit to the vines. It throws ba( 

 sap into the young and swelling fruit and the 

 part of the vine, instead of its being expeii! 

 weak and straggling liranches. There isstii 

 age enough left to shade the fruit, and to elal 

 the sap round about the bunches, keep the v- 

 health, and thoroughly ripen its wood. My 

 tice is to leave two leaves above the bunch, ^ 

 the leaves are large and healthy ; and three oi 

 where small and weak : for I have always obsi 

 that one good, broad, and healthy leaf, is i 

 more in ripening up a cluster of grapes than 

 a dozen small and weakly ones. 



^d 



