154 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



year's growth. To obtain such, various methods are used. Probably 

 the best way is to have one cane on the trelhs run from that vine to 

 the next, so that when the vines are in place on the trellis there will be 

 on one of the wires a continuous line of bearing wood, and on a wire 

 underneath this two canes for the next year's bearing may be grown, 

 the best one of them to be used for the next year's fruiting. 



Another good method is to have two or four arms on the vines, so 

 placed that on the second and fourth wires there will be a continuous 

 line of bearing wood. Where this method is used a number of the 

 poorer shoots may be broken off when young. 



Another way, practiced considerably in New York, is to have the 

 vine along the lower wire, the other shoots being grown vertically and 

 tied to the other wires. Another way is to let the vine grow pretty 

 much as it will, cutting away all but two or three buds on the stronger 

 last year's shoots. 



Summer Pruning. 



If the vines have wintered favorably a number of the smaller buds 

 may be rubbed off soon after they start, and all those on wood more 

 than one j^car old, unless wanted for next year's bearing. About the 

 time the blossoms open, by pinching back the ends of the new growth 

 the life of the vine is forced back into the bunches, helping them to set 

 large clusters. The pinching back should be done so as to leave about 

 five leaves on the cane beyond the bunch of fruit. Side shoots will 

 start, which may be cut back two or three times during the season. 

 The new leaves, being of a light color, are easily seen, and only the 

 stronger growth needs cutting back. 



Girdling. 

 Ringing or girdling the vine may sometimes be used to advantage. 

 This is done by taking off the bark about an inch wide around the 

 vine, the theory being that the sap goes up in the wood and down in 

 the bark. By cutting the bark the sap is forced into the growth above 

 the part girdled, and by keeping the vine cut back the fruit is usually 

 increased in size, and r-ipens from a week to ten days earlier. The 

 girdling should be done about the middle of July. The part of the 

 vine girdled dies in the winter. Only one-half of the vine should be 

 girdled, as about that proportion is needed to keep up the vigor of the 

 vine. If too much of the vine is girdled the fruit does not ripen well, 

 and the vine is weakened. I have practiced girdling more or less for 

 fifteen years, and see no injury to my vineyard from it. 



Thinning the Fruit. 

 Soon after the fruit is set the vines should be gone over, and where 

 there are more bunches than are needed the smaller ones should be 

 taken off, so that the fruit the vine is able to carry will be in as few 

 bunches as possible. 



