The Cultivation of the Grape Vine. 123 



well, if our readers don't, that you are neither -'nervous" 

 nor easily '-scared," or else you would long ago have given 

 up the culture of this delicious fruit. It takes just such con- 

 stituted persons to pioneer in every good cause, and without 

 them we should not be a "progressive" race. The prej- 

 udices which an enthusiastic man has to encounter are so 

 great, that if he has no mind of his own, he is likely to do 

 little good to himself or benefit society. 



We need not occupy space in comments. We are glad to 

 see that Mr. Gore (himself a new beginner in horticultural 

 art) and Mr Johnston agree so nearly in their mode of treat- 

 ment of the vine. What little difference there is, — and it is 

 only in regard to shortening in, — may be reconciled by sup- 

 posing different modes of training, a less number of leading 

 canes, or more space to grow. Mr. Johnston's practice is in 

 perfect conformity to our hints on this point. We said that 

 " except so far as the symmetry of the vine is concerned, or 

 a confusion of growth is to be prevented, we would advise 

 the system adopted by Mr. Gore," viz., of shortening in the 

 new shoots only one fourth their length. Now this is very 

 little different from the practice of Mr. Johnston. In Mr. 

 Gore's case we have one shoot five to twelve feet long, and 

 in Mr. Johnston's, three or four shoots one to two feet long. 

 This is very different from the usual plan of stopping at one 

 or two joints beyond the fruit, and keeping off all subsequent 

 growth. 



The principle is Avhat we wish to establish, viz., that the 

 greater the growth, the greater the quantity of roots, and of 

 course the greater crop. Now a trained vine is in an unnat- 

 ural condition, and the treatment must be in accordance with 

 that condition ; consequently pruning to a certain extent is 

 absolutely necessary, and the only thing we wish to know 

 is, how near we can approach the natural habits of the vine 

 under artificial culture. This being ascertained, we can 

 command the greatest results of which the vine is capable 

 of producing. 



The memoranda of Mr. Johnston's crops are exceedingly 

 valuable, and show an interest in the subject which iQw cul- 



