64 THE CULTURE OP THE GRAPE. 



coloring of grapes, it is not given as the sole cause, for, at 

 the time I am now writing, I have Hamburgh, Muscat, and 

 other vines, carrying forty, fifty, and even sixty pounds 

 weight of noble and good colored fruit, and have never had a 

 shanked berry on them, though the vines were only planted 

 three years in April last. 



" Pruning. It is my intention, in laying my practice before 

 the public, to show that single rod and spur-pruning, in pref- 

 erence to long rod, will bring a vine the soonest to bear a 

 permanent crop of fruit. We will presume your vines ready 

 for the pruning knife ; the foliage having shown indications of 

 dropping, you may cut back your lead to within one foot of 

 the top of the house, it will give ycu a little more cane ; 

 having disbudded it some time ago, you will only have left 

 two eyes for spurs, and the leading one proceed to prune 

 downwards on the vine, pruning your spurs to two, three, or 

 four eyes, choosing a bold, prominent eye, or bud, (many may 

 say they look unsightly, but you will be repaid with noble 

 bunches on that head,) leaving the uppermost eye for fruit, 

 cutting clean out the others with the exception of the one at 

 the base, which is to be retained, but on no account to bear 

 fruit, as it is intended to prune back to it the following year, 

 so as to bring the spur nearer home. I must not omit to 

 mention, that I have generally my bud singled out on each 

 spur at the time I recommend for disbudding the lead, that 

 is, taking off every bud above and below, (not injuring the 

 leaf,) with the exception of the one intended to bear fruit, 

 and the one above mentioned for wood, the following year. 

 As soon as the wounds are healed after pruning, cover every 

 cut you have made with a little mild paint. 



" You will have removed the dung from the roots at the 

 time mentioned for last season. You will bear in mind the 

 renovation of the border, and the protection, if required, from 

 frost." 



Chapter 6th. " Presuming the season is again approach- 

 ing for the development of your young vines, provided you 



