No. 4.] FEUIT CULTURE. 131 



increased market value and in sufficient quantity. Another 

 advance was made in removing the old arm, with its three 

 or four bearing shoots with three or four buds on each, and 

 leaving in its place one single bearing cane, starting from 

 near the head of the vine with ten or twelve buds upon it. 

 This system distributes the new growth along the vine, and 

 when properly summer pruned gives the best possible chance 

 for the growth of large, perfect clusters of fruit. There are 

 other advantages resulting from this system, such as ease of 

 pruning and spraying and of gathering the fruit ; also, the 

 free circulation of the air under the vines is conducive to 

 healthy growth and freedom from mildew and rot. 



My manner of fertilizing the vineyard is to grow crimson 

 clover to provide humus and nitrogen, and to apply about 

 eight hundred pounds of potash and bone per acre, in the 

 proportion of one of the former to two of the latter. I 

 believe the application of such fertilizers produces a sweeter 

 and better quality of fruit than where stable manures are 

 used. 



Experiments in girdling the vine have been conducted in 

 my vineyard for two years past, at the request of the New 

 York State Experiment Station at Geneva. It is practised 

 quite extensively in many vineyards in the Hudson valley ; 

 but I have always in my State institute work condemned 

 the practice as a fraud upon the consumer and a damage to 

 the vine. Our experiments confirm these opinions. Two 

 Niagara vines girdled back to the renewal arm were killed 

 by the operation. The grapes from girdled vines are larger 

 and color earlier, but ore not ripe, but, being colored, are 

 sent to market to disgust the consumer and demoralize the 

 trade. 



Besides the insect enemies and fungous growths common 

 to the vine, we have been beset by the larva of the saw-fly, 

 which has proved very destructive, eating the leaves and 

 denuding the vine as rapidly as the currant worm does the 

 currant bush, and no remedy has been found to destroy it 

 that did not also destroy the leaves. 



Before passing from the small fruits, I want to say a word 

 for the gooseberry. I have the Industry, Red Jacket and 

 Whitesmith. I believe the time is comino; when we Yan- 



