TIME TO PRUNE VINES. 141 



"When the vine becomes old and very strong, the 

 amount of fruit may be increased by pruning, so as to 

 leave three buds upon the spurs, as is shown in Fig. 49 ; 

 this will increase the crop one-third. But there is dan- 

 ger of losing the lower bud if we increase the number 

 beyond this, as we find that the tendency of the sap is 

 continually to the upper bud ; and when there are sev- 

 eral left on the spur, the lower one is apt to be robbed 

 by those above it, and more likely to remain dormant 

 than when we prune back to two or three. 



If the lower bud fails to grow, then we have to 

 depend upon the first growing one above it for the fruit- 

 ing cane for next year ; this will add very materially to 

 the length of the main spur, besides injuring the general 

 appearance of the vine. In the above figure the dotted 

 lines (b) show the position of the young cane that should 

 grow from the lower bud, and a similar cane will be pro- 

 duced from each of the other buds. 



The cross line at a shows where the old spur, with 

 the two upper shoots, which are now only buds in the 

 engraving, will be cut away at the next year's pruning, 

 and the three buds now on the cane, #, will be left. Too 

 much care cannot be given to the preservation of these 

 spurs on the arms, for if one is broken off or destroyed 

 by injudicious pruning, there is no certainty of replacing 

 it, although buds will sometimes start from the arm 

 near its base, and from this a new spur may be formed ; 

 but it is better to preserve the original spurs than to 

 endeavor to replace them with new ones. 



Should the spurs ever become so long as to be un- 

 sightly or inconvenient, new arms may be readily formed 

 by allowing the two center spurs to produce but one cane 

 each, and these may grow four or five feet long ; at the 

 next pruning cut away the old arms, and bend down 

 these two canes to form new ones. But if the plan 

 which I have given is strictly followed, the arms need 



