The Canadian Horticulturist, 203 



Insufficient pruning means over production, and overproduction means poor 

 quality. At the close of the season one acre of good Concord vineyard, in rough 

 numbers, will have 150,000 buds on the new wood. The capacity of the soil will, 

 we will say, mature five tons. This requires 25,000 buds, or one-sixth of the 

 whole. So you see our vineyard is loaded up with buds enough for 30 tons. 

 It will only carry five. Hence we must prune away five-sixths of the bearing 

 wood. If we have too much, the soil is taxed beyond its capacity, and the result 

 is a lot of second quality and refuse grapes. The amount of bearing wood left 

 in pruning varies with different varieties. With Concord leave five canes of nine 

 buds each, with Delaware, leave three, and Catawaba only two. Prune and 

 train to secure the fullest and most even distribution of fruit. Because it more 

 perfectly enables you to do this, a three-wire trellis is better than two, and four 

 wire better than three. 



Cultivation. — This extends from May 15 to August 15. In large vineyards 

 the best tool is the two horse riding cultivator. Cultivate about twice in three 

 weeks, or eight times during the season, each time of uniform depth, and don't 

 be afraid to go down four or five inches. Vineyards thus cared for maintain 

 throughout their dark, glossy green, and are as a rule absolutely drought proof 



Harvesting. — Have all your baskets on hand and good help engaged before 

 the first cluster ripens. Picking and packing grapes is the most healthful and 

 delightful out-door and in-door work known to this latitude. Invalids forget 

 their ailments, the weak become strong, the lean grow fat. Women are the best 

 help. Their gentle touch just suits the need in handling a fruit exceedingly sus- 

 ceptible to injury. 



Refuse Grapes. — What shall we do with them ? Don't have any. It don't 

 pay to raise grapes for vinegar. Refuse grapes comes from two sources, first 

 from over-production, which calls for closer pruning ; second, from bringing into 

 the vineyard the manners and roughness of the coal yard, or from careless hand- 

 ling when first picked. Of course in the last half of the season there will daily 

 accumulate some cracked berries, say about one pound in one-hundred. But if 

 in 20 tons you have over 200 pounds of cracked or refuse grapes, or one-half of 

 one per cent., you are not up with the practice of the best vineyardists. — S. S. 

 Grissev, before New York State Farmers' Instittite. 



Salsify, or vegetable oyster, is a neglected vegetable ; is as easily grown as 

 parsnips and should be in every garden. There are many months in every year 

 that have no " r " in them, and our Puritan or some other ancestors have long 

 since prohibited the use of real oysters in those months. I have never known a 

 family that some member did not wish oysters were good the year round, and 

 salsify comes in to fill the place. It is easily prepared for the table and univer- 

 sally liked by the people. — N. E. Farmer. 



