10 



Odds and Ends of Pruning. 



Grapes are best pruned with small, light, specially made 

 pruning shears. Usually the canes are allowed to remain 

 tied to the wires or stakes until the pruning is done, though 

 in the Kniffen systems the strings may be cut. The work 

 of pruning is best done by a skilled man who only makes 

 the cuts or " blocks out." After the vineyard is " blocked 

 out " the wires must be stripped. Stripping is usually done 

 by unskilled labor. The prunings are hauled from the vine- 

 yard by a horse attached to any one of several devices, prob- 

 ably the best of which is a pole a little smaller than the 

 pole used to bind a load of hay. A horse is hitched to the 

 pole by means of a rope dra^vn through a hole about 4 feet 

 from the large end of the pole. The small end is held in 

 the hand as the butt is pulled along the ground. After the 

 first vines are caught, the rest of the brush clings to the 

 wood until a load is secured. Stripping and hauling must 

 be done before the buds swell in the spring, otherwise many 

 young buds will be broken off by pruned vines. 



The Trellis. 



Posts for the trellis are best made of chestnut or locust. 

 They should be from 6 to 8 feet in length, reserving the 

 heaviest for end posts. One post to every three vines is suffi- 

 cient. The end posts are driven to a depth of from 22 to 

 23 inches and braced by a 2 by 4 or 4 by 4, notched to fit 

 the post half-way from the gi'ound to the top and standing 

 obliquely to the ground where it is held by a 4 by 4 stake. 

 Posts other than those at the end can if properly sharpened 

 be driven into holes made with a crowbar. The best wire 

 for the trellis is No. 9 or No. 10, the number and height 

 of Vi^ires depending upon the vigor of the vines and the sys- 

 tem of training. The wire is best secured to the end post 

 by winding it once around the post and then around itself 

 several times. Ordinary fence staples suffice to hold the 

 wires on the posts, enough space being left in the staple to 

 permit loosening and tightening. 



