78 SUMMER PRUNING HARVESTING. 



place the old canes or to furnish fruit spurs are preserved, and 

 the others rubbed off before they have made much growth. At 

 the end of the first season, or at least of the second, the vine will 

 consist of new wood, and any of the various systems may be car- 

 ried out with it. In the case of such old vines, unless canes 

 of one year's growth can be found for arms, no fruit will be pro- 

 duced the year after the first pruning. No fear need be had that 

 the vine will be injured, as winter pruning generally tends to in- 

 crease growth rather than diminish it. This is just the oppo- 

 site of summer pruning. 



Summer Pruning. — In order to force the growth into the canes 

 that are to produce the fruit and the canes for renewal, summer 

 pruning is resorted to. This consists in pinching out the end bud 

 of the fruiting cane when it has reached two or three feet beyond 

 the last bunch of fruit; and pinching back the renewal cane 

 when it has reached the length required for the kind of support 

 used. 



A large amount of foliage should never be removed from tree, 

 vine or plant, unless to check its growth, for it is certain to re- 

 sult in injury. The maturity and perfection of the fruit, and in 

 fact that of the whole plant, depend upon the amount and vigor 

 of the foliage ; and the common idea that removing the foliage 

 to let in the sun hastens the ripening process, is wholly ^vrong. 

 The best fruit is always found under the foliage shielded from 

 the hot, scorching sun. 



Gathering the Fruit. — Unlike some other fruits, the Grape 

 does not improve in quality after removal from the vine, and 

 consequently must be allowed to remain upon the vine until ripe. 

 A very certain indication of the maturity of the Grape is when 

 about one-half inch of the stem where it joins the cane has turned 

 brown like the bark of the cane. Light frosts will injure par- 

 tially ripened fruit, but when fully mature, it takes a freeze to 

 seriously injure it. 



To retain the beauty of the fruit, that is, not to injure the 

 bloom, the bunches must be removed by taking hold of the stems 

 and breaking them off or by cutting with a knife or scissors. 

 Where large quantities are to be gathered, large shallow trays 

 are used upon which a single layer of bunches is placed ; then the 

 trays are carried upon a rack to the packing or -storing room. 

 Small quantities may be picked in the field, trimmed and packed 

 in baskets or trays ready for market. 



Packing and Shipping. — For a distant market, only thick- 

 skinned kinds can be successfully shipped. These are sorted, 

 all the imperfect berries cut out ; the bunches are then packed 

 closely in small baskets holding from five to ten pounds. For 

 local markets, they are taken to the dealer in trays or shallow 

 baskets, in a single layer, so that the bloom will not be injured. 



Preserving. — The Grape is a fruit that may be easily kept 

 much beyond its season. The most perfect conditions for pres- 



