THE MAGAZINE 



HORTICULTURE 



DECEMBER, 1843. 

 MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



Art. I. General Notices. 



Summer Pruning of Grape Vines. — It is a mistake to imagine that the 

 sun must shine on the bunches of grapes, in order to ripen them. Nature 

 intended no such thing, where heavy clusters were caused to grow on 

 slender stalks, and to hang below the foliage of branches, attached to trees 

 by their strong and numerous tendrils. On the contrary, it is evident that 

 vines naturally bear their fruit in such a way as to screen it from the sun ; 

 and man is most unwise when he rashly interferes with this intention. 

 What is wanted is a full exposure of the leaves to the sun ; they will 

 prepare the nutriment of the grape — they will feed it, and nurse it, and 

 eventually rear it up into succulence and lusciousness. We therefore 

 submit to our horticultural readers, that vigorous summer pruning is 

 wrong. 



Let us not, however, be misunderstood. We do not suggest that the 

 vine should form all the wood it likes ; that should be provided against by 

 good winter pruning, and by rubbing off such buds as are not to grow 

 with shoots. What we contend is, that those shoots which are selected to 

 remain, should be permitted to produce as much foliage as possible ; and 

 that, as the destruction of laterals is the diminution of foliage, that de- 

 struction should be discontinued. 



When, however, branches have grown for many weeks, and are in au- 

 tumn beginning to slacken in their power of lengthening, theory says it is 

 then right to stop the shoots by pinching off their ends ; because after that 

 season newly-formed leaves have little time to do more than organize 

 themselves, which must take place at the expense of matter forming in 

 the other leaves. Autumn stopping of the vine shoots should be not only 

 unobjectionable, but advantageous; for the leaves which remain after that 

 operation will then direct all their energy to the perfection of the grapes. 

 {Gard. Chron. 1843, p. 443.) [This is the true theory of pruning the 

 grape. How many cultivators, however, pursue just the opposite course, 

 and not only cut away all shoots, but even strip off the leaves, that the 

 sun may ripen the fruit ! — Ed.] 



Potting and Shifting Plants. — When we place plants in pots we give 

 them an artificial habitation, and they then require of us artificial treat- 

 VOL. IX. NO. XII. 56 



