SYSTEMS OF PRUNING AND TRAINING. 185 



Of course, thinning out of superfluous canes and buds 

 has always been attended to, but beyond this the vines 

 have been allowed to ramble freely, forming a rather 

 intricate network of bearing canes direct from an old 

 stump, through which the sap seems to flow just as 

 freely as it does through the younger wood above, or as 

 it will through an arm of the same age. 



Single Arm System. This mode of training the 

 vine appears to be of German origin, and is founded on 

 Professor Munson's idea that the extension of the head, 

 or arm of a vine, should be renewed every alternate year, 

 as shown in Fig. 66. In this system the vines are set 

 about four feet apart, and are trained in the same man- 

 ner as in the two arm system, until the time of forming 

 the arms; then only one cane is laid down, and the 

 others cut to three buds. When the buds push, four ta 

 six are selected upon the arms for upright canes, and the 

 others rubbed off. The three buds left upon the other 

 cane, or head of the vine, are allowed to grow, and if 

 the vine is a strong one, all the buds will produce fruit, 

 as shown in the illustration. 



The bearing canes on the arms are stopped at the 

 usual height, while those on the main spur, or stem, are 

 allowed to grow on above the others, in order to secure 

 a good, strong, and long one to lay down for an arm the 

 next season ; but, unfortunately, this does not work 

 well in practice, because the sap will flow into these 

 upright canes growing directly over the main stem far 

 more freely than into those on the arms, and this diver- 

 sion of the sap usually occurs just at the time the fruit 

 on the arm needs it most. 



If all the upright bearing canes are stopped at the 

 same height, the forces of the vine are evenly distributed, 

 no one or more of the canes having an advantage ; but 

 this would simply reduce the system to one of permanent 

 arm and spur, and there would be no reasonable excuse 



