338 



PRINCIPLES AND 1'KACTICK OK 



which to start the trunk in the way described later for the second 

 winter pruning. 



251. Staking. If the vines have not been staked before, the stakes 

 should be driven soon after pruning and before the starting of the 

 buds. In order -to preserve the alignment of the vineyard, they 

 should be driven on the same side of every vine at a uniform dis- 

 tance of about 2 inches. If driven closer they may injure large roots 

 or even the main underground stem if the vines have not been care- 

 fully planted vertically or slanting toward the side on which the 

 stake is to be placed. 



The position of the stake should always be the leeward of pre- 

 vailing winds during the growing season. That is, the stake should 

 be so placed that the wind will press the vine toward it instead of 



FIG. 284 TREATMENT OF AN AVERAGE VINE DURING SECOND SEASON 



a, Winter pruning; b, spring pruning removal of suckers (S) and thinning of 



shoots (W) ; c, summer treatment tying to stake and topping. 



away from it. This will facilitate the work of keeping the vine 

 upright and attached to the stake. If the vine is on the other side 

 the pressure of the wind will stretch the string tight and the sway- 

 ing of the vine will gradually wear it until it breaks, necessitating 

 retying. By carefully observing this rule, very few vines will re- 

 quire retying even if weak material like binding twine is used. 



252. Second summer pruning. Before the starting of the buds, in 

 the spring following the planting, most of the vines appear about 

 the same as when they were planted. There is, however, a very 

 notable difference; they have well-developed root systems in the 



