WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER. 113 



bnnch of frnit, be pulled off, the ripening of the latter 

 will not only be tliereby actiiall)^ retarded, instead of 

 being hastened, but the berries will, in consequence, 

 never attain their proper size or flavor. 



Bloom on the berries will begin to appear about 

 this time, in consequence of which the bunches must 

 be hereafter handled as lightly as possible, that no 

 more of it may be rnbbed off than can well be 

 avoided. 



Continue to use the scissors freely in thinning the 

 berries, which must on no account be neglected, as, 

 in a few days, the operation will be of no use. Do 

 not suppose, that, by thus continually reducing the 

 number of the berries, the weight of the bunches will 

 be lessened, for quite the reverse will be the case ; if 

 the thinning be judiciously performed, every bunch 

 will ultimately weigh more than it otherwise would 

 do, were the whole of the berries suffered to remain. 



The grapes are now, what is technically called 

 "stoning;" that is, the seeds or stones enclosed in 

 the berries, being in the last stage of their growth, 

 are in the act of being perfected; which when com- 

 pleted is immediately followed by a change of the pulp 

 from a state of acidity to one of a sugary sweetness. 

 During this process of stoning, which lasts, in gen- 

 eral, about twenty-eight days, the berries appear to be 

 at a stand in their growth, and do not perceptibly in- 

 crease in size. 



September 2d. Now pinch off the extremity of 

 every future bearing -shoot, about an inch beyond the 

 last joint, and nail the shoot firmly directly below 

 that joint. This operation, by stopping the sap, 

 causes it to accumulate in the buds, and thereby 

 hastens the maturation of the wood. The sooner, 

 indeed, the future bearers are thus stopped in their 

 growth, the better; but if done before this time, there 

 is danger that the buds will prematurely inirst. 



As the berries are now about to make their last 

 swell, the thinning of them must be completed. Ex- 

 amine the bunches, therefore, very carefully, and if 

 10* 



