STEM APPENDAGES. 103 



vice versa. But it should be borne in mind that simply 

 taking off a portion of leaves will not always actually 

 diminish the strength of the vine ; for instance, if they 

 are much crowded, one portion may shade the other, and 

 all may be small, feeble, and of little use. If a part of 

 these are removed, those remaining expand, and one 

 leaf may become of more importance to the vine than a 

 dozen when crowded. 



This is why we pinch off, thin out, etc. ; for the 

 results of these operations show that, when under culti- 

 vation, vines will produce a larger number of leaves than 

 are necessary to secure the proper development and 

 health of the plant. 



Although the general appearance and structure of 

 vine leaves are very similar, yet there is a great differ- 

 ence in the relative power of leaves of different varieties 

 to withstand the various changes of climate, disease, 

 etc. ; and it is of the utmost importance that their full 

 development should be attained in all cases, so that they 

 shall not be affected by the ordinary changes of the tem- 

 perature during the period of growth. 



Forms of Leaves. To mention even a hundredth 

 part of the various forms of vine leaves would occupy 

 too much of our space. But I have given the following 

 illustrations for the purpose of showing the different 

 characteristics of the leaves of some of the different spe- 

 cies, and at the same time convey a better idea of the 

 meaning of some of the terms commonly employed in 

 describing the leaves of the different kinds, than could 

 be done without engravings. 



- The leaves are necessarily shown much smaller than 

 the natural size, but in doing so I have endeavored to 

 preserve their most prominent features. In making the 

 selections for the engravings from my sketch-book, I 

 intended merely to choose those which were quite dis- 

 tinct ; but since they were engraved I have found that, 



