238 THE GRAPE. 



Summer pruning, or pinching in, should be cautiously and care- 

 fully done. Every leaf acts as a lung to the plant, and, unless one 

 has experience, the safest plan is to avoid any summer pruning ex- 

 cept just pinching the extreme ends of shoots after the fruit has 

 acquired the size of large shot, and taking away of all suckers. Dr. 

 S. Mosher writes as follows upon this part of pruning : 



" Soon after the grapes are set and about the size of common shot, 

 my rule is to pinch off the ends of the bearing branches leaving 

 four good leaves for the first bunch of grapes, and two additional 

 leaves for every other bunch on the same branch so that if there 

 are three bunches there will be eight leaves to supply their wants. 

 I have tried leaving these bearing branches to grow their full length 

 without pinching them off, but I tind they encumber the ground too 

 much, without any perceptible improvement of the fruit. After 

 these bearing shoots have been pinched off, especially if done too 

 early, the buds in the axils of their leaves will push out. These I 

 pinch off also when quite young, sometimes permitting one or two 

 leaves to remain on them. The leaves on these laterals do not seem 

 to subserve the wants of the fruit, like the original leaves on the 

 bearing wood, which should be carefully preserved. At the fifth 

 spring pruning, the vines will have the two good canes, as in the pre- 

 vious spring, with the addition of the old hoop or circle that bore 

 fruit. This I cut off as close down as possible to the uppermost 

 cane, and the other two canes are managed exactly in the same 

 manner as in the preceding year. I never allow the old stock to 

 rise more than six to ten inches above the ground ; the lower they are 

 kept the more healthy they will remain and be much more easily 

 managed. Pruning the vine for wine requires a bold hand an'd 

 much firmness of purpose, otherwise the old stock will get too high 

 and become encumbered with too many shoots. It must be borne 

 constantly in mind that one single bearing shoot or cane, having 

 from six to ten eyes, will throw out as many bearing branches. 

 From these ten bearing branches it will be easy to select from ten 

 to fifteen bunches. These bunches, in any ordinary favorable season, 

 may be made to yield one quart of good grapes, which will make, 

 at least, a pint of wine. One acre of ground planted three feet by 

 five will contain 2904 vines. If each vine, then, yields one pint of 

 wine only, there will be 2904 pints, or 363 gallons, from each acre. 

 This is more than the average yield per acre and for the reason 

 only that we are too greedy ; "by overloading the vines, we fail 

 to obtain a reasonable quantity, as well as a good quality of 

 wine." 



Dr. Lindley, good authority in England, has the following, rela- 



