326 



PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF PRUNING 



York, as the principal grape, the Concord, adapts itself 

 fairly well to it. The old arms should be renewed at 

 frequent intervals in order to use it to the best advantage, 

 as in time they become crooked, gnarled and the extremi- 

 ties often a great distance from the head of the vine. 



236. The fan system, while still used in certain localities, 

 is not nearly so popular as formerly. Here the re.iewals 

 are made yearly from spurs near the ground, retain- 

 ing very little old wood. One serious objection to the 

 system is the tendency of the spurs to be lengthened, 

 becoming crooked and reaching in some instances to 

 midway between the first and second wires. The shoots 

 are tied to the wires in the direction they naturally as- 

 sume, vertically, horizontally or obliquely across the 

 wire. In regions where grapes are grown for home use 



FIG. 277 HUDSON HORIZONTAL SYSTEM. VINE OF VARIOUS AGES 

 A, pruned vine in third year; B, pruned vine in fourth year; C, unpruned vine 



in fourth year. 



and the climate necessitates winter protection, this sys- 

 tem is used to advantage. 



237. The horizontal type is little used at present, as 

 the cost of the trellis and the labor of tying render it 

 prohibitive. One cane arising from a trunk 1 to 2 feet 

 high is left after each pruning. This is carried perpen- 

 dicularly to the top wire and the shoots arising therefrom 

 are tied to slats or wires extending vertically from the 

 lower to the upper wire of the trellis. The one advantage 

 of the system is the ease of control for varieties that are 



