GRAPE-PRUNING ON THE PACIFIC SLOPE 161 



With cuttings and with both rooted vines and grafts where 

 the growth will be moderate, staking the first year is unneces- 

 sary, though it has some slight advantages. In these cases, no 

 pruning of any kind is necessary until the winter following the 

 planting, except in the case of bench grafts. The pruning in 

 the last case is confined to the removal of the suckers from the 

 stock and roots from the cion. If the stocks have been well 

 disbudded by the nurseryman, few suckers will develop. In 

 moist soil, the cion roots may develop vigorously and must be 

 removed before they grow too large, or they may prevent the 

 proper development of the resistant roots. 



The removal of roots should usually be done some time in 

 July. For this purpose the hill of soil is scraped away from the 

 union and after the cion roots and suckers are removed it is 

 replaced. In this second hilling up, the union should be just 

 barely covered so that the soil round the union will be dry and 

 unfavorable to a second growth of roots. Later in the season, 

 about September, the soil should be removed entirely from 

 around the union and any new roots that may have formed 

 removed. The union is then left exposed to harden and mature, 

 so that it will pass the winter without injury. 



First winter pruning. 



At the end of the first growing season, an average good 

 vine will have produced from three to five canes, the longest of 

 which will be from two to three feet long. 



Soon after the leaves have fallen in December or early in 

 January the vines should be pruned. The method is precisely 

 similar to that used for rooted vines before planting except 

 that the main roots are not touched. All the canes are re- 

 moved entirely except one. This one should be well matured, 

 at least at the base, and should have well-formed eyes. It is 

 shortened to two eyes. It is well also to cut off all shallow 

 roots within three or four inches of the surface. This is neces- 



