CULTIVATION OF FRUIT 



295 



veloped and hard, and to two if the lowest is not a good one. The 

 same principle applies here as when the young Vine was cut down at the 

 end of the first year after plant- 

 ing. If the shoot under considera- 

 tion were left at full length it 

 would be weak and useless. .By 

 pruning the shoots that have 

 grown from the spurs during 

 summer to the one or two lowest 

 buds every winter the Vine is 

 kept within proper bounds, and 

 may be cultivated for many years 

 in a comparatively small space. 

 Do not leave more than two buds 

 at the annual December pruning, 

 and two only when the last one is 

 not well developed. If the shoot 

 is left an inch or more in length 

 every winter, the spur soon be- 

 comes long, unsightly, and weak. 

 Until the leading shoot reaches 

 the top of the vinery, it may be 

 cut back at the end of each season 

 to within about three feet of 

 where it commenced to grow the 

 previous spring. 



Watering. Watering must not be overlooked. From the time the 

 berries commence to swell until the Grapes are ripe, an abundance of 



VINE. WINTER PRUNING 

 Dotted lines = where to cut back to. 



SHOWING WHERE TO STOP PRIMARY SHOOT 

 Two or three leaves beyond the bunch. Dotted lines denote where to cut. 



water is necessary. The border should never be allowed to become dry. 

 After the first mentioned period give stimulants occasionally, either in 

 the form of artificial manure, sprinkled in the border, and slightly forked 

 in before watering, or of liquid farmyard manure. It is important not 

 to allow the Vines to suffer from want of water after the fruit is cut, for 

 then the buds are being matured for another season's growth. Water 



