GRAPE. 237 



sist of cutting away all but from three to six buds of the other 

 shoots that have grown from the main cane. In pruning do not 

 cut nearer than within one inch of any bud, to avoid winter kill- 

 ing. Bury as directed. 



The following spring each of the buds left will start shoots; 

 two vigorous ones should be selected from those nearest the main 

 cane and the others rubbed off. The pruning in after years will 

 be a repetition of this cutting of the canes back to several buds 

 in autumn and allowing two shoots to start from each spur each 

 spring. 



The Kniffen Method of Training. 



The Kniffen method of training the grape is a form of the 

 drooping system. This is a method of training which originated 

 in the Hudson valley, perhaps fifty years ago, and which is now 

 widely used since it gives good results and requires less expense, 

 in the items of support and tying, than any others. It is especial- 

 ly adapted to strong growing varieties of grapes and to those of 

 drooping habits. In this method a trellis with two wires is com- 

 monly used and these are respectively 314 and 5i^ feet from the 

 ground. It is especially important to have the end posts set sol- 

 id in the ground and well braced. The intermediate posts are 

 generally driven and they usually stand about twenty feet apart, 

 which allows for a post between every other vine, if they are 

 set ten feet apart — the common distance between them. Vine- 

 yardists often grow their vines two years on stakes before put- 

 ting up the trellis when following this method. 



Four-cane Kniffen system. — In this method a single cane is 

 carried up the trellis to the top wire and two canes are trained 

 outward from side spurs at each wire. The vine has then four 

 horizontal canes tied to two wires. These are far enough from 

 the ground so that the drooping new growth is pretty well out 

 of the way in cultivation. The pruning of vines on the Kniffen 

 system is much the same as in the case of the High Renewal 

 system. Each year all the tops are cut away except the four 

 best canes nearest to the trunk and these are cut back to sound, 

 firm wood, extended on the wires and tied the following spring. 

 In case the canes nearest the trunk are not strong enough for 

 main canes, these may be cut back to one or two buds (i. e., to 



