VARIOUS SPECIES OF FRUITS 143 



to develop arms, as the main branches are generally called. Weak 

 growing varieties may have four such arms 24 to 30 inches long; very 

 strong ones four, six or eight feet long, two of these being gently braided 

 with the lower wire in each direction and tied loosely in two or three 

 places. Here we see the reason for the varying distances between 

 vines: small growing varieties may be planted as close as six, but better 

 eight-feet; large ones 10 to 15. 



Cultivation is the same as for other fruit crops, except that it must 

 be no deeper than for Currants, Gooseberries and other shallow-rooted 

 plants. The surface should be kept loose and open at least during the 

 first two years, when a mulch of straw, leaves anything deep enough 

 to prevent weed growth may be applied. If a liberal bucketful of 



Fig. 102. Munson system of Grape training. Vine Pruned 



bones has been placed beneath the roots of each vine no further fer- 

 tilizer will be needed until the third or fourth year, when bone meal may 

 be applied at any convenient time. Other good fertilizers to apply 

 are unleached wood ashes, phosphate rock and, in case of yellowish 

 foliage and short growths, some nitrogenous fertilizer this always in 

 Spring. Such fertilizers as manure of any kind and nitrate of soda 

 are best. 



GRAPE VARIETIES 



The growing of American Grapes is a development compassed by 

 the memory of men still living. Though countless attempts had been 

 made since colonization days to grow European varieties they had 

 failed, mainly because the vines fell victim to disease or to a plant 



