CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 



175 



season, is bearing fruit, the spur b is allowed to grow, 

 and form the cane of the succeding year. The cane 

 a is cut away in the fall, and forms 

 a new spur for the succeeding year. 

 Thus they alternate from year to year, 

 keeping up an endless succession of new 

 wood. The Ohio bow-system adopts 

 this renewal-principle. But such an 

 annual growth of new wood is objec- 

 tionable. The new shoot is a constant 

 drain from the fruiting-cane. Magni- 

 ficent specimens of fruit have been 

 produced by this method upon the 

 luxuriant young wood ; but it must 

 be a waste of energy to grow so much wood only to be 

 thrown away the succeeding year. Certainly it would 

 be better if more of the sap which went to form this 

 growth could be diverted into fruit. We cannot, there- 

 fore, regard the system in any of its various forms as 

 specially desirable; and there will be no need to make 

 further explanations. It should be stated, however, that 

 it is frequently desirable to renew a cane after it has be- 

 come old and blind by fruiting a series of years. In such 

 a case, we bring up a new shoot from the base of the 



Fisr. 35. 



