246 HORTICULTURAL MANUAL. 



In starting young plantations on this plan, the cane is 

 trained upright on a small stake, the second year to the 

 lower wire, where it is caused to divide by pinching. 



When the vines are fully established the arms or stubs 

 are renewed or shortened every two or three years by start- 

 ing new shoots direct from the old head. If this is not 

 done the arms or stubs would soon get too long. 



235. The Pacific Slope System. Fifteen years ago when 

 the writer made his first study of the fruits of the west 

 coast, nearly all the vineyards of the raisin, wine, and 

 table grapes of the vinifera class were grown on the self- 

 supporting dwarf-tree, like form shown in Fig. 74. At 



FIG. 74. Self-supporting vine. 



that time the writer expressed the opinion that the system 

 was faulty, for the reasons that it exposed much of the 

 fruit to the hot sun and that the sap pressure early in the 

 season was too great for the few growing points and that 

 sooner or later it would result in diseased conditions. 

 Visits to the west co.ast since that time have not changed 

 this opinion. Disease has ruined hundreds of vineyards 

 with this system of short pruning, while those who have 

 practised longer pruning, with wire or stake support, have, 

 so far as known to the writer, grown more perfect fruit, 

 have had less rot, and the vines have retained health and 



