GRAPES 199 



ting them off at the ground in the hope that a 

 new start might be made and that it might be 

 directed into some semblance of symmetrical 

 growth. My advice was followed. The first 

 year, of course, the fruit was absent, but on the 

 year following my friend had so many grapes 

 that he did not know what to do with them. 

 (And that was before the drought too.) 



There is no great secret about the pruning 

 of grapes. Any so-called ' ' secret ' ' rite owes its 

 existence to the itinerant gentleman who goes 

 about in the spring of the year shearing vines 

 at a fancy price and charging for his expert 

 services. One should bear in mind just one 

 thing when he attacks a vine with a view of 

 pruning it. That thing is that the fruit is pro- 

 duced on shoots which spring from the canes of 

 last year 's growth. Fix that fact firmly in your 

 mind and you can safely prune any one's vines 

 and feel sure that you will do no damage, for 

 on it is based all modern and ancient systems 

 of grape pruning. It is easy enough even for 

 a child to determine the canes of last year's 

 growth. These are thinned out if they are too 

 thick and the remaining ones are shortened in. 

 In this way the number of bunches that the 

 vine might produce is reduced, but the individ- 

 ual bunches will be increased in size, owing to 

 the reduced drain on the vines. Such is grape 

 pruning. 



