36 FRUIT-BEARING POWERS OF THE VINE. 



enabled to mature a greater weight of fruit in the 

 ensuing season, than it otherwise could do, from the 

 sap generated in the current year. 



The manner in which it is intended that this scale 

 should be practically applied, is to measure the stem 

 of a vine at the autumnal pruning, and to retain no 

 more good well-ripened fruit-buds than is supposed 

 necessary to produce the given Aveight of fruit that 

 corresponds to its girt. And if there should be any 

 excess above that quantity in the ensuing summer, 

 the crop must be reduced to the given weight, by 

 cutting oft' a sufficient number of bunches, as soon as 

 the blossoming is over and the fruit set, as the 

 weight of it when ripened may then be easily esti- 

 mated. 



With respect to the number of buds that are neces- 

 sary to be left at the autumnal pruning to produce 

 any given weight of fruit, I have found it to be a 

 good general rule, and applicable to all those sorts of 

 grapes usually cultivated on open walls, to consider 

 every bud (rejecting the two bottom ones on each 

 shoot) as equal to the production of half a pound 

 weight of fruit; — that is, if the stem of a vine 

 measure five inches in girt, its capability is equal to 

 the maturation of twenty-five pounds' weight of 

 grapes, and, therefore, the number of buds to remain 

 after pruning will be fifty. This proportion would, 

 in general, be too great, even in the shyest-bearing 

 sorts: but as accidents frequently happen to the 

 bunches during their early growth, and as there will, 

 in general, be some buds that will not burst, provision 

 must be made against these casualties, by reserving a 

 greater number of buds than would otherwise be re- 

 quired. The proportionate number, therefore, above- 

 mentioned, I have found to answer well, and to be 

 sufficient to meet all contingencies. 



It is necessary to observe, that all the experiments 

 on which the scale is foimded were made on vines 

 growing in 5U° 46' north latitude. 



