330 THE GRAPE. 



fruit in perfection, without some attention to their habits and 

 wants. The soil should be dry, deeply worked, and well en- 

 riched, always bearing in mind that it is an essential point tc 

 secure a perfectly open, sunny exposure, as it may always be 

 assumed that with us no atmosphere can be too warm or bright 

 for the grape ; for although it will make the most vigorous 

 shoots in the shade of trees or buildings, yet the crops will be 

 small, the fruit poor and uncertain, and the vines likely to fall a 

 prey to mildew. 



In the second place the vines should be kept within moderate 

 bounds, and trained to an upright trellis. The Isabella and 

 Catawba are so rampant in their growth, when young, that the 

 indulgent and gratified cultivator is but too apt to allow them 

 to overbear ; the border should always be given to the exclusive 

 occupancy of the vines, and the roots should be allowed space 

 proportional to the branches they are to carry. By observing 

 these directions, and not suffering the vines to overbear, they may 

 be continued a long time in full vigour and productiveness. 



The system of pruning and training these grapes generally 

 pursued is the upright mode, with the spur mode of training. 

 The first season's growth of a newly planted vine is cut back 

 to two buds the ensuing fall or spring. These two buds are 

 allowed to form two upright shoots the next summer, which at 

 the end of the season are brought down to a horizontal position, 

 and fastened each way to the lower horizontal rail of the trellis, 

 being shortened at the distance of three or four feet from the 

 root or as far each side as the plant is wished to extend. The 

 next season, upright shoots are allowed to grow one foot apart, 

 and these, as soon as they reach the top of the trellis, are also 

 stopped. The next year the trellis being filled with the vines, 

 a set of lateral shoots will be produced from the upright leaders 

 with from one to three bunches upon each, which will be the 

 first crop. The vine is now perfect, and, in the spur mode of 

 pruning, it is only necessary at the close of every season, that 

 is, at the autumnal or winter pruning, to cut back these lateral 

 shoots, or fruit spurs, to within an inch of the upright shoot 

 from which they sprung, and a new lateral producing fruit will 

 annually supply its place, to be again cut out at the winter prnuing. 



After several years' bearing, if it is found that the grapes fail 

 in size or flavour, the vines should be cut down to the main 

 horizontal shoots at the bottom of the trellis. They will then 

 speedily make a new set of upright shoots which will produce 

 very abundantly, as at first. 



It cannot be denied that the renewal system of training (see 

 page 305), is certain of yielding always the largest and finest 

 fruit, though not so large a crop as half the surface of the vine 

 is every year occupied with young wood, to take the place of 

 that annually cut out. 



