ON THE PRUNING OF VINES. 7-5 



and thereby the increase of its capacity to mature 

 fruit; and in the extension and multiphcation of its 

 roots. Naked branches, therefore, are consumers, 

 but not producers; or, in other words, drones in the 

 hive. If the vine were cuhivated for the sake of its 

 wood, the case would be different. The growth and 

 extension of large branches, and the increase of their 

 diameters, would then be the legitimate object in 

 view; but when fruit only is sought, and the opera- 

 tion of pruning resorted to, in order to obtain the 

 largest quantity within the smallest possible extent of 

 a given surface of walling, it is obvious that no des- 

 cription of wood should be suffered to remain in a 

 vine but such as directly contributes in some way or 

 other to the production of fruit. 



It follows, therefore, that as the sole object in view 

 in pruning a vine, is to increase its fertility, the best 

 method to accomjplish this must be that which leaves a 

 sufficient supply of bearing-shoots on the least pos- 

 sible proportionate quantity of old wood. 



It will be necessary now to examine, which of the 

 three methods of pruning before mentioned, agrees 

 best with the principle here laid down. First, there- 

 fore, of 



The fan method. Vines pruned according to this 

 method have their branches trained in from their 

 stems in a similar manner to the spokes of a fan. To 

 this method there are several objections, the two prin- 

 cipal of which dixe, first, the shoots in the vicinity of 

 the stem are too near each other to admit of either 

 the wood or fruit being properly matured, and too far 

 distant from each other at their extremities to allow 

 of the fruit being judiciously shaded and protected 

 by the foliage of the adjacent shoots. And, secondly, 

 a vine pruned to be trained in this manner, must of 

 necessity possess several branches radiating as it were 

 from a common centre. These branches cannot con- 

 veniently be trained otherwise than in straight lines, 

 and betwixt a horizontal and a vertical position, 

 which is the most objectionable position that the 



