GRAPE THINNING 



CHAPTER IX 



GRAPE THINNING 



THE operation of thinning the Grapes is one requiring experience and 

 good judgment. Before starting this operation it is advisable to take 

 into consideration the number of bunches it is desired to carry on each 

 rod, as the vine will, in general, produce many more bunches than it should be 

 allowed to carry. \\ hiie a vine in full vigor, would, if untouched, produce enor- 

 mous crops for a few years, its life would be of short duration, and its strength 

 would become exhausted beyond the hope of recuperation. So it becomes 

 expensive, in the long run, to leave on too heavy a crop. It is better <ind decid- 

 edly more economical to carry a fair average crop each year. 



It is impossible to state exactly how many bunches would constitute such 

 a crop, for what would be a fair crop for one grapery would be an over-crop for 

 another. It all depends on the conditions. A grapery in full \'igor is in con- 

 dition to carry a heavier crop than one of medium \igor. The bunches, also, 

 often vary considerably in size, and this factor must also be taken into account. 

 I realize full well that it takes nerve and knowledge to go into a grapery, before 

 commencing to thin the berries, and to cut away all the surplus bunches, but 

 it is imperative that this should be done before the thinning is started, it is 

 very hard to estimate the weight of the Grapes, too, as the bunches do not show 

 up to advantage. I admit that it has the appearance of making a great sacrifice 

 to cut down to the proper weight, especially if we have to prune away promising 

 bunches, but it is not safe to leave more Grapes on the cane than can be properly 

 finished, and this ()\erl6ad is not apt to be detected b\ the uninitiated until 

 they begin to color. 



Many a promising house has shown up well until the coloring period, and 

 has then fallen off because the grower had not had sufficient experience and 

 decision to cut away his surplus bunches. It is too late to do this after the 

 Grapes have reached the coloring stage, for then the mischief has been done. 

 Overcropping is not always the cause for Grapes not coloring; neglect in many 

 another way will bring about the same result. But overcropping is a serious 

 cause and we cannot expect highly finished fruit under those conditions. 



I will state that, in a general way, the crop in a span roof house about 25 

 feet wide, with the vines in a thrifty, healthy condition and the rods fully grown, 

 if running from 25 to 30 pounds to the rod, would constitute a good average. 

 While this may seem to some a low ratio, yet, for private use, one perfectly 

 finished bunch will count more than two poor ones. 



