METHODS OF PRUNING THE VINE 51 



Colman. The finest bunches of this variety I have ever seen were produced 

 by the long rod method. Any other variety which is shy in producing 

 bunches may be treated in the same way. 



In the long rod system the principle is to employ one long cane as the 

 fruiting vine, allowing another strong shoot to come away from the base, train- 

 ing it up for the following year's fruiting cane. The cane that produced the crop 

 of fruit is cut away in the Fall and the new one takes its place. Thus all the 

 two-year-old wood is dispensed with. This method is much better suited for a 

 short span house than for a large one. Many years ago this style of treatment 

 was much in vogue, but experience has shown that the spur treatment of prun- 

 ing is the most simple and will yield a much heavier weight of Grapes, although 

 the bunches may not be as large individually as those obtained by the long rod 

 system of pruning. And, moreover, so much is lost as to number of bunches 

 that the odds are considerably in favor of the system now used. Still, if you have 

 a variety which is not satisfactory under the spur system, by all means try the 

 long rod. 



TYING THE VINES 



Young vines should not be tied into position before a house is started, as 

 the sap is liable to rush away too freely toward the terminal buds. They may be 

 tied loosely along the side of trellises, or they may be tied half way up in posi- 

 tion and the tops bent over and secured to a stake in the border, the object of 

 this being to check the sap somewhat, so that all the eyes will break even. After 

 these difficulties have been surmounted the canes should be tied up in their per- 

 manent position for, if the top shoots are allowed to take the lead, they will do 

 so at the expense of the bottom. It is not necessary to bend the canes down as 

 the vines get larger, especially if they are given a fair amount of time; in other 

 words, do not rush them with too high a temperature. 



ADVENTITIOUS OR AERIAL ROOTS 



Much has been said and written from time to time with regard to aerial 

 roots and their cause, that is, roots produced all the way up the vine stem. 

 This has been attributed variously to the make up of the border,' to imperfect 

 root action, to cold, and to poor drainage, which I have not the least doubt 

 would bring about these aerial roots. I have also seen them along the stems 

 of vines that were started early in the season, w-hile a later house would be 

 entirely free of them. The make up of the border and the drainage were the 

 same in both houses, proving clearly that close atmospheric conditions are 

 favorable to the growth of air roots. When more ventilation is used in late 

 Spring they perish and no harm is seemingly done by their appearance when 

 they have been brought on by too close an atmosphere. 



In general, it is impossible to give much air during January and February. 

 But should air roots appear to any extent in the late graperies where there is 

 plenty of ventilation, then there surely is something quite wrong. There is 

 either poor root action, or the roots are down in a cold bottom, or both of these 



