VINE. 



necessarily vary under different situ- 

 ations and circumstances. Mr. Hoare 

 states that in un.slieltcred situations 

 and exposed aspects lie has never 

 seen tine grapes produced much IiIkIi- 

 er than eight feet from the ground ; 

 but in favourable situations height 

 is of no consequence. If built for the 

 express purpose of rearing grapes, 

 low walls of not more than six feet 

 are to be [ireferred, as more conveni- 

 ent fur pruning and training the vines. 

 Brick walls are undoubtedly the best, 

 the surface being smooth and even. 

 A considerable heat is obtained by 

 blackening the walls. 



" Propuiiation. — Vines are propa- 

 gated in the open ground by layers 

 and by cuttings. The former is the 

 most expeditious mode, provided the 

 shoots be laid down in pots and 

 planted out the same summer. The 

 latter mode is much the best. To 

 provide cuttings to be planted at the 

 proper season, select, at the autum- 

 nal pruning, a sufficient number of 

 shoots of the preceding summer's 

 growth. Choose such as are well 

 ripened, of a medium size, and mod- 

 erately short jointed. Cut them into 

 convenient lengths of six or eight 

 buds each, leaving at the ends not 

 less than a couple of inches of the 

 blank wood for the protection of the 

 terminal buds. Stick these tempo- 

 rary cuttings about nine inches in 

 the ground, in a warm and sheltered 

 situation, where they will be effectu- 

 ally protected from the seventy of 

 the winter. The best lime to plant 

 them out is about the middle of 

 March, but any time from the 1st of 

 that month to the 10th of April will 

 do very well. 



" Pru.nincr and training are so close- 

 ly connected together, and so mutual- 

 ly dependant on each other, that they 

 almost constitute one operation. The 

 judicious pruning of a vine is one of 

 the most important points of culture 

 throughout the whole routine of its 

 management. The object is to get 

 rid of all the useless and superabun- 

 dant wood ; for those shoots of a 

 vine which bear fruit one year never 

 bear anv afterward. There are three 



methods of pruning vines in practice 

 among gardeners, namely, the long 

 pruning, spur pl■unilu,^ and tiie fan or 

 fruit-tree method. Tlie first is con- 

 sidered to be the most eligible meth 

 od, and is that which is practised and 

 recominended by Mr. Hoare. As the 

 sole object in view in pruning a vino 

 is to increase its fertility, the best 

 method to accomplish this is to leave 

 a sufficient supply of bearing shoots 

 on the least possible proportionate 

 quantity of old wood. 



" Long pruning appears to recom- 

 mend 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 appearance 

 of the vine ; and by the great ease 

 with which it is managed, in conse- 

 quence of its occupying but a small 

 portion of the surface of the wall. 



" 1st. In pruning, always cut up- 

 ward, and in a sloping direction. 



" 2d. Always leave an inch of blank 

 wood beyond the terminal bud, and 

 let the cut be on the opposite side of 

 the bud. 



" 3d. Prune so as to leave as (e\v 

 wounds as possible, and let the sur- 

 face of every cut be perfectly smooth. 



" 4th. In cutting out an old branch, 

 prune it even with the parent limb, 

 that the wound may quickly heal. 



" 5ih. Prune so as to obtain the 

 quantity of fruit desired on the small- 

 est number of shoots possible. 



'• 6th. Never prune in frosty weath- 

 er, nor when a frost is expected. 



" 7th. Never prune in the months 

 of March, April, or Muy. Pruning in 

 either of these months causes bleed- 

 ing, and occasions thereby a waste- 

 ful and an injurious e.xpenditure of 

 sap. 



" 8th. Let the general autumnal 

 pruning take place as soon after the 

 1st of October as the gathering of the 

 fruit will permit. 



" Lastly, use a pruning knife of the 

 best description, and let it be, if pos- 

 sible, as sharp as a razor. 



" Training. — To train a vine on the 

 surface of a wall is to regulate the 

 position of its branches, the principal 



827 



