How to raise Isabella Grapes. 651 



above the ground, and sheathed with a covering of long 

 straw, bound with list as before. A few green boughs were 

 thrown over them. In the spring, (of 1847,) they were 

 unbound as before, and tied up to long stakes. The middle 

 shoots started very vigorous. I allowed each one to " fork" 

 again, thus getting four strong canes from the one middle 

 shoot below. The left arm grew off as before with two 

 shoots only, and the right arm kept on with a single shoot 

 above. Thus I got seven upright canes, and the vine prop- 

 erly balanced; and it remains in this form now. Some 

 fruit appeared, which was promptly pinched off, and the 

 vine reached the height of ten feet, — all of good, strong 

 wood. All the laterals and tendrils Avere again pinched off 

 in November, the canes gathered together, sheathed with 

 straw and laid down as before. In April following, the cov- 

 ering was removed. In May, (about the 10th,) the canes 

 were fastened to an upright trellis, and the buds pushed 

 finely. June 1st, about one hundred bunches of grapes ap- 

 peared. All were removed but twenty-five ; these grew 

 finely as well as the vine. In September, say about the 

 20th, the canes were stopped about fifteen feet from the 

 ground. The fruit was prematurely gathered, September 

 25th, and although fine to appearance, it proved quite acid 

 and " foxy." I regretted very much my unseemly haste. 

 I found out, when too late, that not even a leaf of the vine 

 was nipped by the frost until October 20th. The canes 

 were pruned smooth, as before, sheathed and laid down, 

 November 20th. In the spring of 1849, (last year,) the 

 straw was taken off, April 10th. The vine was not put up 

 on the trellis until May 25th. I found the longer I could 

 keep it down, the better the eyes or buds would push on 

 the lower half oi the vine. Two hundred bunches of fruit 

 appeared in June. Twenty-five, only, were allowed to 

 grow. These ripened finely and were gathered October 

 15th. The vine was not suffered to grow in height, as I 

 designed to " spur prune" the canes in the fall. This I did, 

 (in November as usual,) cutting every lateral away, and 

 every little branch that had borne fruit was cut in the mid- 



