252 



The Canadian Horticclturist. 



PRUNING RASPBERRIES AND CURRANTS. 



No. 4S4. 



Sir, Would some one give, through your Journal, the best plan of pruning and trel- 



lisine grapes and raspberries ? 



* * *^ W. C. Adams Toronto. 



Elsewhere in this number we have treated of summer pruning of the grai)e. 

 The same caution needs to be observed i:i raspberries and blackberries as in 

 grapes, viz., that it is unwise to remove very much foliage in the summer season, 

 as this is a serious check upon the growth. All such work should be done by 

 pinching, and thus simply stopping the young growth at the proper place. We 

 give an extract from American Gardenitig on trellising these fruits, which seems 

 to us to be interesting. 



Trellises for Grapes and Raspberries. 



Notwithstanding the warning given me six or seven years ago— that grapes 

 could not be grown successfully on the shores of Cayuga Lake — I made the 

 experiment, and am satisfied that there is no better grape-land in the state than 

 can be found on the west shore in Seneca county. So far, my vineyard has 

 escaped the late frosts in spring and early frosts in fall, and the grapes are of the 

 very best quality. 



Fk;. 62.— Grape-Trellis. 



Our soil is a sand and gravel loam with shale subsoil. The plants are set 

 9x9 feet, trained on the Knififin system, and trimmed on the renewal plan. The 

 first wire is 3)4 feet from the ground, and the second 2 feet above the first. The 

 lower arms are started first; then I start a cane as near 18 inches from the 

 ground as I can get it and carry this to the second wire. By this plan I get a 

 much more even distribution of fruit than by the old method. This is my 

 method of putting on the lower wire : First the wire is made fast to bottom of 

 end posts, and staples are driven in all the other posts except the second from 

 the end. Here we use a wire spike, driving it at an angle of 45 degrees. When 

 the wire has been tightened, we lift it over the head of spike. This brings the 

 strain, or pull, on the bottom of the end posts, and does away with braces. 

 When you wish to slacken the wires in the fall, lift them from the spikes and 

 you have them as slack as you want them. This leaves a space without wire 

 between the first and second posts at both ends. You can use short pieces to 

 fill in these spaces— No. 9 wire should be used. I send herewith a rough sketch 

 (fig. 62) of the wire when in position, holding a vine as I trim and train it. I 

 find four or five l>uds to an arm are enough. 



I have visited a great many vineyards in this and other states, and have 

 tried several ways of trimming and training, but have ailoptcd this one as the 



