196 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Terms defined. 

 Before going further we must define several terms. The 

 trunh is the body of the vine when two or more years old. 

 An arm is a branch from the trunk, two or more years old. 

 A cane is a one-year-old branch of the arm or trunk. A s'pur 

 is a very short but annually lengthening arm from which 

 cane renewals are made. A slioot is the growing, leafy 

 branch of the current season. 



Systems of Pruning. 



Grape growers designate distinct methods of pruning as 

 " systems," of which there are a score or more, only a few 

 of which need be described in this article. Before taking 

 up the several systems it must be said that pruning to main- 

 tain vigor and promote fruitfulness is more essential than 

 training in any particular way, though there necessarily 

 exists a close relationship between pruning and training. 

 Usually, it is true, a vineyard should be pruned and trained 

 in accordance with one of the named systems, but very often 

 lack of vigor in the vine will not permit the pruning neces- 

 sary to train all vines in the vineyard in the desired way. 

 Thus, in pruning and training the operator must be able to 

 exercise good judgment. The vineyardist must decide how 

 much pruning each individual vine in his vineyard is to 

 receive, and according to what system his whole vineyard 

 can be trained to the best advantage. When the vines are 

 vigorous the system of training is largely optional with the 

 grower, but if they lack vigor one is often forced to adopt 

 a system which he might not otherwise choose. For ex- 

 ample, strong-growing varieties, like Concord and Niagara, 

 do best trained with the shoots drooping ; whereas weak-grow- 

 ing sorts, as Delaware, are usually best trained with shoots 

 upright. 



Drooping System. 



We come now to the discussion of the several systems, and 

 may as well take up first those in which the shoots are 

 allowed to droop and hang free, the drooping systems, which 



