The Grajpe. 131 



-ficieutly steep to require surface drainage, an occasional 

 row should be omitted to give room for drains. The vines 

 may be planted in spring or autumn, but in the latter 

 case the tops should be covered with earth until spring. 

 The canes should be cut back to 2 or 3 buds at planting, 

 and by whatever method the vines are to be trained, the 

 strongest shoots should be tied upright to a stake the first 

 season, all other shoots being rubbed off as they appear. 



190. Fruiting habit. The grape vine fruits chiefly on 

 shoots from the preceding season's growth. Blossoms ap- 

 pear at a few of the more proximal buds of such shoots 

 soon after growth starts in spring. Other blossoms often 

 appear later, farther out on the shoots, but these later flow- 



-ers are probably formed in spring, and seldom mature 

 fruit. Shoots from wood two or more years old may also 

 blossom, but these seldom mature good bunches. The 

 grape, unlike the tree fruits, produces no distinguishable 

 flower buds, but the embryo leaves and flowers are enclosed 

 within the same bud scales. 



The vine commonly begins bearing at three years after 

 planting, and should produce one or two bunches on each 

 shoot that is permitted to grow. 



191. Pruning and training. The grape vine is a rampant 

 grower and in its wild state climbs upon trees, fruiting on 

 its outermost branches. In culture, we are compelled to 

 restrict this rampant growth; hence severe cutting back is 

 necessary, and some method of pruning must be employed 

 that produces annually a number of vigorous canes near the 

 base of the vine. The European grape fruits freely in many 

 countries when the new growth is permitted to spread upon 

 the ground, but the American species are satisfactory only 

 when the young shoots are supported upon a suitable trellis. 



