364 



CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



spurs. This method can be used successfully only by skilful 

 hands. 



The other method requires some form of trellis. The most 

 practicable trellis is a wire stretched along the rows at about 

 l l /2 or 2 feet above the surface of the soil. For very vigorous 

 vines in rich soil as second wire 12 inches above the first is 

 advisable. 



The pruning is the same as for the method just described. 

 The fruit canes, however, instead of being bent in a circle and 

 tied to the stake, are placed in a horizontal position and tied to 

 the wire. The horizontal position has the same effect as curv- 

 ing in promoting the starting of more shoots on the fruit canes 

 and the consequent production of more bundles of grapes. At 

 the same time the buds on the wood spurs are forced to start. 

 and not being shaded they tend to grow vigorously. It is best 

 to tie the shoots from the wood spurs in a vertical position to 

 the stake, and they should not be topped. This system of prun- 

 ing is not only theoretically correct, but is easy to explain to 

 pruners, and can be carried out much more perfectly than the 

 first method with ordinary labor. 



Whatever system of winter pruning is adopted with the Sul- 

 tanina, careful summer pruning, suckering, sprouting and top- 

 ping are necessary for the best results. This variety has a ten- 

 dency to send out large numbers of suckers from below ground 

 and watersprouts from the old wood. These shoots are usually 

 sterile, grow vigorously, and unless removed in time divert the 

 energies of the vine from the fruit and fruit shoots. Two or 

 three times during the spring the vineyard should be gone over 

 carefully ; and all sterile shoots which are not needed to balance 

 the vine or to replace weak or missing arms should be removed. 

 This removal of shoots should be done in such a way that no 

 shoot longer than 12 inches is ever removed. If the watersprouts, 

 are allowed to grow large their removal weakens the vine. The 

 shoots which are to give fruit canes for the following year should 

 not be topped. The shoots from the horizontal fruit canes on 

 the trellises, however, will set their fruit better and are less likely 

 to be broken by the wind if they are pinched or topped early. 



SUMMER PRUNING AND SUCKERING 



Summer pruning or topping of bearing vines is usually prac- 

 tised. Some follow the pinching process, by which the terminal 

 of the growing cane is nipped off with the thumb and finger when 

 it has grown out about two feet. Others wait longer and then 

 slash off the ends of the canes with a sickle. The tendency is to 

 leave summer pruning until too late and to slash off wood indis- 

 criminately, to the injury of the vine. Summer pruning, if done 



