254: THE GRAPE CULTURIST. 



considerable length, and by twisting them about the stake, 

 shoots are produced which are bent down and form the 

 bows. It is merely a fancy system, and shows what can 

 be done with the vine ; but it is really of no practical use. 

 Fig. 103 shows a system of serpentine training taken 

 from Rubens' work, and also given by Dr. Grant. This 

 plan is a very good one for garden culture, as the vines are 

 trained to stakes and pruned low. The stakes are set eight 

 inches to a foot apart, and the upper ends brought together 

 and fastened as shown. The vines are first grown with 

 one cane ; the next season two, and the next with four ; 

 but instead of cutting them down to the two buds, they 

 are cut off at from two to four feet, and the cane twisted 

 around the stakes ; this checks the upward flow of sap, 

 and causes all the buds to push on the whole length of the 

 cane. The next season four more canes are selected from 

 among the new ones (always choosing those that are strong 

 and from near the ground), and the old canes are cut away 

 above those selected. The new ones are shortened, and 

 twisted around the stakes, as those of the previous season. 



LONG ROD SPUR SYSTEM. 



Fig. 104 shows a fanciful mode of training. It is doubt- 

 ful, however, whether there was ever a vine grown so per- 

 fect as the one shown, and it is not reasonable to suppose 

 that such a vine ever existed except in the imagination of 

 the artist who made the original sketch. It is barely pos- 

 sible to produce such a vine, but not at all probable. 



Rubens, Allen, Grant, and several others give a similar 

 engraving in their works, and I have inserted it merely to 

 show how much easier it is to produce a vine upon paper 

 than to grow the vine itself. This vine is shown as having 

 twenty spurs upon it, each of which is pruned the same as 

 though they were on a horizontal arm. The vine is sup- 

 posed to be produced by regular steps through a succes- 



