Notes and Gleanings. 379 



in diameter, which are large enough, and not too large, for holding sufficient soil 

 for a good and yet not ungainly specimen. The pots should be well drained by 

 placing a good-sized crock over the hole, and about half a dozen of less size 

 above it ; then one-third fill the pot (including the space occupied by the crocks 

 at bottom) with pieces of charcoal the size of a hazel-nut, the small dust being 

 sifted out, which may be mixed with the soil, and turf cut thin, and chopped into 

 pieces from half an inch to an inch square. A drainage of this kind seldom 

 clogs, and supplies food to the roots. — English yoiirnal of Horticitltitre. 



Spiral-Training and Summer-Pruning of Grapes. — There is great 

 difterence of opinion among good grape-growers as to the best mode of training 

 the grape. Much has been written to prove this system or that to be the best. 

 It is not claimed that the spiral system is better than all others, but that it 

 works well, and that it is a cheap mode of training the grape. Some, perhaps, 

 do not understand what is meant by the term, and may not have seen this style 

 of training practised. It is really the spur system, for the fall-pruning of the 

 vine is on that principle ; and then the \-ine is trained around a single stake or 

 post, just as a hop or bean vine runs around a pole. Some of the advantages to 

 be derived from this method are, that the vine is nearly self-supporting when so 

 trained, needing only a good strong rope-yarn tied about it near the top to secure 

 it to the post ; that the ground is easily kept free of weeds, and in good con- 

 dition, by running the cultivator both ways, or four ways, between the vines, 

 which cannot be done when a trellis is used ; it is less work to tie up, to trim, 

 and to gather the fruit, while, at the same time, the plant gets more sun and 

 air. 



If the plants are set to stakes six feet apart each way (which is rather near), 

 or six feet by ten (which latter distance will allow of the driving of a cart or wagon 

 through the rows to take the fruit or to carry in the manure), it will be 

 seen that there will be no difficulty in doing most of the work in the vineyard 

 by horse-power ; which is an important item in these days of high prices for labor. 

 It has been urged by one writer, of late, that the vine should be so trained that 

 its branches will droop, as they do from the top of a tree when they are allowed 

 to run wild. Now, if this be desirable, the object is certainly gained by this 

 spiral method of training ; for after the vine has reached the top of the stake, say 

 seven feet high, the branches then spread like an umbrella, drooping like the 

 branches of a weeping-willow. 



The summer-pruning of vines so planted is very easily accomplished. After 

 the laterals have made a growth of two or three feet, and the young fruit is about 

 setting, or has set, then pinch in the ends of the laterals, or branches, one or two 

 joints beyond the outermost bunch of fruit. If they start again, as they will be 

 likely to, especially if they are strong-growing sorts, pinch in again at the next 

 joint; and so on. 



The most rampant growers, such as Rogers's No. 15, will not bear such close 

 pruning, and, when so treated, fail to give the best results ; while, on the other 

 hand, the slow-growing Delaware seems to do very well under such treatment, 

 and even the long-jointed Concord succeeds very well. There is one objection 



