Pruning. 



GRAPE MANUAL. 



Pruning. 49 



operation, if performed at all, should be made 

 as the clusters, intended for experiment or 

 exhibition, have formed and the berries got 

 to be the size of buckshot. 



There is no doubt that it causes the fruit of 

 the varieties of grape to mature earlier and 

 to magnify its clusters and berries ; but the 

 question is whether or not girdling is detri- 

 mental to the health of the vine. 



It is said that in the island of Xante 

 (Greece) the growers of the grape-currant 

 made a regular practice of girdling the canes 

 of their vines, and we cannot see that it will 

 seriously affect the vigor of the entire plant if 

 used moderately, on but few of its arms, 

 which are anyhow to be removed in pruning, 

 while the advantages of it doubtless makes it 

 profitable in some cases. 



FALL OR WINTER PRUNING 



May be performed at any time, during mild 

 days, while the vine is in a dormant state, 

 generally from November to March, but 

 should be done at least a week before vege- 

 tation is likely to commence. Tender va- 

 rieties should not be allowed to pass through 

 our sometimes severe winters without the 

 protection afforded by a mulch of litter, 

 leaves, earth, or other covering, to prevent 

 injury from alternate freezing and thawing; 

 the vines which are not hardy must therefore 

 be pruned in November, when they are simply 

 laid down on the ground and mulched lightly, 

 to be uncovered again in spring, just before 

 they are ready to put forth new growth from 

 their swelhng buds. Farther north, the prac- 

 tice of covering up tlie vines, both top and 

 roots, is recommeudable also with the hardy 

 varieties. 



Different varieties will require somewhat 

 different treatment; some varieties (strong 

 growers) will fruit better if pruned to spurs 

 on old wood than on young canes, retaining 

 the old canes and pruning the heaJthf/, strong 

 shoots or laterals they have to two buds, 

 whereas others (only moderate growers) will 

 flourish and bear best when pruned short and 

 to a cane of last year's growth. 



The observing vintner will find some hints 

 in our descriptive catalogue, but only by 

 practice and experience can he learn the best 

 method for each variety. 



Some varieties will bear more readilv and 

 larger bunches upon the laterals of the young 

 canes, some upon the spurs of a few eyes on 

 old bearing branches, and some will fruit 

 readily upon the principal canes. This should 

 govern you in pruning. 



Most of the strong groirers of the Labrusca 

 species (Concord, Hartford, Ives, Martha, 



Perkins, etc.), as well as some of its more 

 vigorous hybrids (Goethe, Wilder, etc.), and 

 especially some Southern iEstivalis (Herbe- 

 mont, Cunningham, Louisiana, Rulander), 

 loill fruit best on the laterals of the young canes 

 of last summer's growth, provided they are 

 strong enough, which they will be if they 

 have been pinched according to our direc- 

 tions ; the fruit-bnds at base of the principal 

 canes are seldom well developed and will not 

 bring much fruit. We therefore grow the 

 fruit on the laterals, which can be shortened 

 in to from two to six eyes each, according to 

 their strength. All these rank growers should 

 have plenty to do — that is, they should be 

 pruned long, much longer than is generally 

 done. Should too many bunches appear, you 

 can easily reduce the number at the first 

 pinching. All the Riparia and some of the 

 JEstivalis class (Cynthiana and Norton's Vir- 

 ginia), produce best on spurs on tioo- or three- 

 year-old canes; they will also bear better on 

 spurs on laterals than on main canes, but may 

 not produce their best fruit until they can be 

 "spurred in" on old arms. For this purpose, 

 select for your spurs strong, well-ripened 

 shoots ; cut them back two to three eyes each, 

 and cut out all the small and imperfect ones. 

 You may leave from thirty to fifty buds, ac- 

 cording to the strength of your vine, and 

 always bear in mind that you can reduce the 

 number of bunches when summer-prunino-. 



A third class produces readily and abund- 

 antly from the main canes. This comprises 

 the varieties which do not grow very strono- 

 the more tender Labrusca, and all of more or 

 less Vinifera characteristics, viz. : the Alvey, 

 Catawba, Delaware, lona, Rebecca. These 

 will produce best on short canes of say six 

 eyes ; short pruning and the old renewal plan 

 may be as good as any for them. There is 

 also much more danger of overtasking this 

 class than both of the others. 

 ^ Different methods apply to different va- 

 rieties, and we may add that they ought also 

 to be modified according to other circum- 

 stances. Those, therefore, who have recom- 

 mended various and contradictory systems of 

 training and pruning may each have been 

 right ; but were wrong in believing their pre- 

 ferred method the only correct method in all 

 cases, or equally well adapted for all species 

 and varieties of grapes. Bearing this in mind, 

 the intelligent vintner will soon learn how far 

 one or the other system is best applicable in 

 his case. 



To bring this new edition of our Grape- 

 Manual up to date, in this respect, we should 

 mention, however, the unique system of train- 

 ing lately devised by our friend T. V. Mun- 

 son of Texas : Two posts are set in the same 



