450 



GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS 



trellis towards the roof of the vinery. At the third winter pruning 

 leave this leading shoot 2 or 3 feet longer than it was at the 

 beginning of the year; it will now therefore be about 7 feet in 

 length. The horizontal shoots are to form permanent fruit spurs. 

 Shorten them back to within one or two buds of the base ; to one, if 

 the basal bud is well developed and hard, and to two if the lowest is 

 not a good one. The same principle applies here as when the young 

 Vine was cut down at the end of the first year after planting. If the 

 shoot under consideration were left at full length it would be weak and 

 useless. By pruning the shoots that have grown from the spurs 

 during summer to the one or two lowest buds every winter the Vine is 

 kept within proper bounds, and may be cultivated for many years in a 



FIG. 48. Development of laterals. Stop at dotted lines. 



comparatively small space. Do not leave more than two buds at the 

 annual December pruning, and two only when the last one is not well 

 developed. If the shoot is left an inch or more in length every winter, 

 the spur soon becomes long, unsightly, and weak. Until the leading 

 shoot reaches the top of the vinery, it may be cut back at the end of 

 each season to within about 3 feet of where it commenced to grow 

 the previous spring. 



Watering. Watering must not be overlooked. From the time the 

 berries commence to swell until the Grapes are ripe, an abundance of 

 water is necessary. The border should never be allowed to become 

 dry. After the first mentioned period give stimulants occasionally, 

 either in the form of artificial manure, sprinkled in the border, and 

 slightly forked in before watering, or of liquid farmyard manure. It is 

 important not to allow the Vines to suffer from want of water after the 

 fruit is cut, for then the buds are being matured for another season's 



