34 FRUIT-EEAllING POWERS 



portunity of selecting a sufficient number of vines to 

 enable me to carry the experiments further in a satis- 

 factory manner. I have, however, at various times, 

 examined a great many vines about that size, and 

 have estimated the weight of their respective crops 

 at the vintage, and when the whole crop borne by 

 any vine has been perfectly matured, and a good 

 supply of fine vigorous shoots for future bearing-wood 

 produced simultaneously in the current year, the 

 result has uniformly been that the weight of fruit has 

 not exceeded the proportion mentioned in the scale. 

 I think it not unreasonable, therefore, to conclude, 

 that the same proportionate quantity will apply to 

 every vine, whatever may be the girt of its stem. 



No vine is taken cognizance of, until its stem meas- 

 ures three inches in girt, as, under that size, vines 

 ought never to be suffered to ripen any fruit. This 

 is a rule that should be strictly adhered to in the 

 management of young vines, for it may be safely as- 

 serted, that for every pound weight of grapes ex- 

 tracted from a vine before it has grown to that size, 

 ten pounds will be lost during the next five years, 

 independently of the very severe check which is 

 given to its growth by premature bearing. But by 

 husbanding its strength, till its roots have multiplied 

 sufficiently to provide a full supply of nourishment 

 without suffering from exhaustion, the plant com- 

 mences its fruit-bearing life with a degree of vigor 

 which lays a sure foundation for its future pros- 

 perity. 



It may be remarked, tliat, in general, vines are 

 suffered to bear a much greater quantity of grapes 

 than the above scale represents, but in all such cases 

 it will be found, that they are not jyerjecily ripened, 

 the grand desideratum in grapes, when used as table 

 fruit, is flavor^ and this is entirely regulated by the 

 circumstances under which they are ripened. One of 

 those circumstances is the quantity of grapes suffered 

 to remain and ripen, as compared with the strength of 

 the vine. The respective quantities mentioned in the 



