AND WIXE MAKING. • 95 



If we tliink that a vine sets more fruit than it is able 

 to bear and rij^en perfectly, we have it in our j^ower to 

 thin it, by taking away all imperfect bunches and feeble 

 shoots. We should allow no more canes to grow for next 

 season's bearing than we need, if we allow three canes to 

 grow where only two are needed, we waste the energies 

 of the vine, which should all be concentrated upon ripen- 

 ing its fruit in the most perfect manner, and producing 

 enough wood for next season's bearing, and of the best 

 and most vigorous kind, but no more. If we prune the 

 vine too long, we overtax its energies, making it bear 

 more fruit than it can well mature, and the result will be 

 poor, badly-ri23ened fruit, and imperfect wood. If we 

 prune the vine too short, we will have a rank, excessive 

 gi'owth of wood and leaves, and encourage rot and mil- 

 dew. Only practice and experience will teach the true 

 medium, and the observing and thinking vine-dresser 

 will soon learn where the true medium is, better than 

 lie can be taught by volumes of advice. Different va- 

 rieties will, of course, require different treatment, and 

 it would be folly to prune them all alike. A compact, 

 slow grower, like the Delaware, will require different 

 treatment from a rank grower like Concard, and much 

 shorter pruning. The Delaware and Catawba fruit 

 well upon single canes, while the Concord, Martha, and 

 others, fruit better on spurs upon laterals, while most of 

 the cestivalis and cordifolia classes, especially the Norton's, 

 Cynthiana, and Taylor, will fruit better if pruned to 

 spurs of two or three buds, on the old arms, than on 

 young canes. With these latter, the old arms should, 

 therefore, be retained as long as they are sound and 

 vigorous, pruning all the healthy, good sized shoots to two 

 or three buds ; always, however, growing a young cane 

 to fall back upon, should the old one become diseased. 

 It is because so few of our common laborers will take the 

 pains to study the habits and nature of their vines, and 



