FOURTH YEAR'S PRUNING. 289 



business of tying. Laterals will start out on these upright 

 shoots during the season, and they must be pinched at all 

 times as laterals were the first year, leaving one leaf every 

 time. At the time I pinch off the tops, I also pinch out the 

 surplus grapes. This is one of the difficult things to learn ; 

 and here, perhaps, is as good a time as any to say what a 

 vine can do. You remember that I told you that we were 

 away up at the northern limit of successful grape-culture. 

 We have to fight against adverse influences all the time. 

 We should be exceedingly careful not to ask our vine to do 

 any more than it can do well. If we were further south, we 

 might perhaps ask it to do more than we can here, but we do 

 not want to attempt to grow any more grapes than we can be 

 sure of growing to perfection. I may as well say at once, 

 that vines having this amount of ground, in a good soil in 

 this locality, are able to carry, in my judgment, about six 

 pounds each, and not more ; I have had them carry twenty 

 pounds, but I never had them carry twenty pounds two years 

 in succession, nor ten. You can carry about six pounds per 

 vine, and continue it successfully, and r^ake it sure. To get 

 the six pounds you proceed in this way. You will have, 

 ordinarily, about twelve upright shoots that are bearing, on 

 an arm six feet long. Now, if your clusters weigh a quarter 

 of a pound apiece, it takes twenty-four of them to weigh six 

 pounds. If they weigh half a pound apiece, it takes twelve ; 

 if they weigh three-quarters of a pound, it takes eight. 

 Now, we have about twelve shoots that will show from two 

 to four clusters each, — how many shall we leave? That de- 

 pends upon your experience. I attempt to grow clusters 

 that weigh three-quarters of a pound each; I do not always 

 succeed. Upon an average, it is very difficult to get clusters 

 that will weigh half a pound. I get ordinarily a few clusters 

 that will weigh a pound ; I get hundreds that will weigh three- 

 quarters of a pound, and thousands, I think, that weigh more 

 than half a pound each. I do not like to get a cluster that 

 weighs less than half a pound, although I do get a great 

 many such. Then, if I raise twelve clusters on my twelve 

 upright shoots, and each one weighs half a pound, I have got 

 my six pounds. I am talking of the Concord grape all the 

 time. I will tell you why by and by. Then I cannot let 

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