BOOK XVII. XXXV. 205-208 



ground, so that it may not shoot from the place where 

 it was cut off. As for a quickset, it should be removed 

 immediately after the vintage. 



A plan has recently been invented of planting a 

 snake-branch near the tree — that is our name for 

 a veteran main branch that has grown hard with 

 manv years' service. The quickcst plan in the case 

 of a vine is to cut this old branch off as long as pos- 

 sible and scrape the bark off three-quarters of its 

 length, down to the point to which it is to be buried 

 in the ground — for this reason it is also called a 

 ' scraped ' shoot — and then to press it down in the 

 furrow, with the remaiiiing part standing straight up 

 against the tree. If the vine be meagre or the soil 

 thin, it is customary to cut down the plant as ck)se 

 to the ground as possible, until the root gets strong, 

 and likewise not to plant it when there is dew on it, 

 nor in a place exposed to a north wind ; the vines 

 themselves ought to face north-east, but their young 

 shoots should have a southerly aspect. 



There must be no hurry to prune a young vine, but Ppming 

 at first the growth shoukl bc collected together into ,Vf"l 

 circular shapes, and no pruning should be appHed 

 except to a strong plant, a vine trained on a trce being 

 about a year later in bearing fruit than one trained 

 on a cross-bar. Some people forbid pruning al- 

 together until the vine equals the tree in height. 

 At the first pruning it should be cut back six feet 

 from the ground, a shoot being left below and en- 

 couraged to grow by bending over the wood. It 

 should have three buds and not more left when it 

 has been pruned. In the foUowing year the branches 

 sent out from these should be spread out on the 

 lowest stages of the trees and allowed to chmb to 



143 



