nine] tons of grapes 



I shall not undertake to expound the systems of 

 trimming grapes, because for the most part these 

 systems are puzzles. Experts quarrel over their 

 favorite methods. I will refer you to Bailey's Cy- 

 clopedia of Horticulture for a description of the 

 systems most in favor. A still better way will be 

 to visit a good vineyard — in the Chautauqua sec- 

 tion, or Hudson valley section, or in Northern Ohio, 

 or in Missouri, and see the work in operation. 

 There is, however, nothing more important in grape 

 growing than thorough trimming. This should be 

 done in late autumn, or winter, or very early in the 

 spring, before the sap starts. All vines, of all 

 varieties, will be better for being laid down in the 

 winter. This is all that I do with my varieties, ex- 

 cept the Duchess, lona, Goethe, and Delaware, 

 which are carefully covered. Concords and Dela- 

 wares are too poor for the time spent on them. 

 If you grow them at all in the North, you will get 

 the sweetest from vines that climb hand over hand, 

 in a wild way, up the trees. A few of the late- 

 ripening grapes, such as Jefferson and lona and 

 Goethe and Pocklington, may be grown on the 

 south side of the barn, in a glass house, but the 

 vines carried up through the roof and trained on 



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