STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 105 



quality, will mature earlier and will not so much exhaust the ener- 

 gies of the vine. Strong spurs may retain two bunches of siAh 

 grapes as the Deleware, and but one of a larger variety. The 

 spurs and foliage need not now be so much repressed as when the 

 object was to give proper form and symmetry to the vines, but 

 may be proportioned to the amount of fruit. The native vines 

 will not bear, and do not need such severe pruning as the foreign. 

 They should retain all the leaves which can be freely exposed 

 to the sun and light. The leaves are the lungs of the plant. 

 They elaborate and purify the vital juices for the sustenance of 

 vine and grape. Under the vivifying influence of the sun they 

 prepare the necessary food, the sugar, the acid, by the intimate 

 commingling of which we obtain the delicious vinous flavor. They 

 manufacture the pigments which paint the fruit with all the differ- 

 ent hues of pearl, yellow, red, purple and black. It is an error 

 to remove foliage to let the rays of light fall directly on the bunch- 

 es. At least one leaf should intervene. They will mature better 

 and have a richer flavor if properly shaded and clothed by the 

 leaves. But when crowded, the surplus spurs, particularly the 

 more slender, should be removed, and those retained should be 

 shortened, but leaving at least four leaves bej'ond the frui^ ; and 

 the laterals, between the main cane and fruit, should be broken 

 out and the others shortened at one leaf, except the terminal, 

 which should be permitted to grow until all danger of the buds 

 bursting at the base of the spur has passed, and then pinched oflF. 

 The rampant growing branches should be repressed, and the effort 

 at the summer pruning should be to expose the remaining foliage 

 to the light and develop the whole plant uniformly. If, however, 

 needed spurs have been lost, the vacant places may be filled by 

 training branches at different angles from a common base, or from 

 the spurs above or below, on which three buds were left at the 

 last autumn pruning. When the vine becomes old, or is destitute 

 of fruitful spurs equally distributed, a new cane may be trained 

 up from a side or bottom branch, and when it attains sufficient 

 size and age the old wood may be cut out, and thus the former 

 productiveness may be renewed. 



Pruning the vines in spring is impracticable on account of the 

 exhaustive bleeding which results. When necessary it should be 

 deferred until the leaves have well developed. Then it may be 

 performed with impunity. 



