CULTURAL CARE. 129 



D. CULTURE. 



CHAPTER IX. 



CULTURAL CARE. 



Vines require the following cultural operations : 1st, 

 pruning ; 2nd, digging ; 3rd, manuring or fertilizing ; 

 4th, ploughing. We will study these and indicate how 

 they should be carried out in hot districts, pointing out 

 alterations resulting from the cultivation of American vines. 



IST. PRUNING. 



Pruning has such a predominate action on the yield of a 

 vine that everything connected with it deserves to be studied 

 carefully. We will study the following items : #, produc- 

 tion of fruit-bearing shoots ; , establishment of vines ; c, 

 height of vine ; d, time most favorable for pruning ; e, 

 pruning tools. 



(A.) PRODUCTION OF FRUIT-BEARING SHOOTS. 



The vine bears its fruit on shoots of the year resulting 

 from the development of the eyes of the canes of the previous 

 year ; therefore, a certain number of these canes must be 

 preserved every year and pruned to a certain length 

 according to circumstances. When two or three eyes only 

 are preserved on the cane the pruning is termed short, or spur 

 pruning, if, on the contrary, a greater number of eyes are 

 left it is termed long, or rod pruning. 



The choice of either of these systems depends on the 

 special aptitudes of the variety which is to be pruned. 

 Those having their fruit-bearing buds near the base of the 

 cane should be pruned short; those having their fruit- 

 bearing buds at the extremity of the cane should be pruned 

 long ; finally, those which possess fruit-bearing buds all 

 along the cane may be pruned by either of these methods. 

 However, we must not forget that wherever long pruning is 

 possible it always gives the best results. 



10890. I 



