MY VINEYARD. 67 



stake and the other end at the top of the next stake. To 

 these slats the growing canes were fastened during the 

 next year, one to each, while the two fruitirig canes were 

 fastened to the upright stake. By this means the pruning 

 became an easy task, and could be performed with the ut- 

 most rapidity, while there was an abundant exposure to 

 sun and light of all the leaves, both on fruiting and grow- 

 ing canes. The system of pruning, already described, 

 was not changed — the use of the slats simply obviating 

 the difficulty already mentioned, the crowding of too 

 many canes upon one stake. * 



THE FIFTH YEAR. 



During the fifth year the vineyard had come into full 

 bearing. Many of the canes produced twenty-five bunches 

 of grapes, some of the upper branches bearing three 

 bunches each. This gave fifty bunches to the vine. Of 

 course, all of the vines did not produce this number. I 

 did not keep an exact account of the j^roduct of the vine- 

 yard, as other vines, subsequently planted, had com- 

 menced to bear, and no separate account of the fruit was 

 kept. There must have been, however, a clean profit of 

 at least two hundred and fifty dollars, on this one acre 

 of vine. The yield of fruit did not fall short of nine thous- 

 and pounds ; but all of it was not suitable for packing, as 



* A cut, showing the appearance of vines trained on this method, is elsewhere 

 given and explained. 



