GRAPE PRUNING AND TRAINING 



311 



acknowledge these points the experiments of Keffer in 

 Tennessee* will prove enlightening (74). Unpruned 

 vines, according to this investigator, during the first sea- 

 son of neglect yielded more fruit than did pruned ones, 

 but the clusters on the pruned vines averaged heavier, 

 and the load of grapes on the neglected vines was so heavy 

 that a large proportion of the new growth died so that 

 the subsequent crop was lighter on the neglected than on 

 the pruned vines. Hence vines must be held within 

 bounds in order to secure size and flavor and, in a series 

 of years, quantity also. Proper pruning does this and 

 also economizes land and facilitates various vineyard 

 operations spraying, cultivating, harvesting, etc. 



FIG. 268 UNPRUNED VINE TRAINED ACCORDING TO THE FAN SYSTEM 

 A O is an arm of old wood attached to the main body of the vine. When 

 pruning was done in the spring the cane A B was left as the fruiting cane. It 

 produced the fruiting shoots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 that season. In addition to leaving 

 A B, two other canes were cut back, forming the spurs C and D. The spur D did 

 not develop a renewal cane, but C produced two strong shoots, E and F. 



In order to prune intelligently, the operator must un- 

 derstand the fruit-bearing habit and its relation to wood 

 growth. As already noted (56, 73), the fruit is borne 

 near the bases of this season's shoots, which spring from 

 resting buds formed last season. Hence it is easy to 

 calculate the amount of fruit a vine should bear. In order 



* Bulletin No. 77. 



