PRUNING AND TRAINING. 145 



larly on fruiting canes. I have often severely checked 

 fruiting vines, sometimes stopping the young cnnes at the 

 fourth bud, but even this did not cause the lower two buds 

 to start. And when the canes are not pinched until they 

 have produced their fifth to eighth leaf, as I have recom- 

 mended as the general rule, then there is not the least 

 danger of any of the lower buds pushing prematurely into 

 growth. 



If the young canes are allowed to grow unchecked, the 

 lower bud upon them will seldom become sufficiently de- 

 veloped to produce a vigorous fruiting cane the succeeding 

 year. That it should be so developed is all important when 

 vines are trained with horizontal arms and spur pruned, 

 and in no way can this be accomplished except by check- 

 ing the cane while growing. 



To the novice this stopping of the young canes, tying, 

 pinching laterals, removing tendrils, etc., may appear to be 

 a tedious and expensive operation, and sometimes, when 

 vigorous growing varieties are planted in very rich soils, it 

 is so ; but under ordinary circumstances, when the vines 

 become fully established, very little trouble will be experi- 

 enced upon this point. 



The young canes will have to be stopped about three 

 times during the summer, and at the time of doing this the 

 laterals, if need be, should be pinched and tendrils removed. 

 On old vines the laterals will seldom need stopping more 

 than once, unless they are overdosed with manure. 



OPPOSITE ARMS. 



In cutting back the young vines for the purpose of pro- 

 ducing two shoots for arms, it is apparent that the upper 

 two buds will not be exactly opposite, and that one of the 

 arms will be higher than the other. This may be remedied 

 somewhat by bending the short piece of two-year-old wood 

 at the base of the uDDer bud ; but this can not always be 



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