GRAPES. 



obtained from each rafter, or other place intended for 

 its support ; and at the end of the year, or as soon as 

 the leaves are fallen off, it should be cut down to the 

 bottom of the rafter. In the spring the two upper- 

 most shoots must be trained at length, cutting off any 

 other which may be produced from the lower eyes. 

 When they have grown to the top of the rafter they 

 must be stopped : this will occasion two or three of the 

 upper eyes to push out into lateral shoots, which must 

 be treated in the same manner as directed under the 

 head Propagation, after the description of the different 

 sorts of GRAPES, in that part which relates to the strong 

 shoots of young plants from layers in pots ; and the small 

 laterals from beside the main buds, from their first ap- 

 pearance, must be treated in a similar manner. 



When these two shoots have cast their leaves in the 

 autumn, one of them should be cut down to two eyes, 

 leaving the other shoot to ten, twelve, or fifteen, accord- 

 ing to its strength. 



This, according to Mr. Speechly's method, is the 

 commencement of an alternate system of fruiting one 

 shoot this year, to be cut down for the purpose of fur- 

 nishing a supply for the next. 



If the number of eyes left upon the long shoot be not 

 too great, they will all push and show fruit, one or- two 

 branches from each eye ; which, for the first crop, had bet- 

 ter perhaps be reduced to one, and this at the time after 

 the berries are set, as it will then be seen which is likely to 

 form the best bunch, leaving that, and cutting the other 

 away, stopping the shoot at the same time two joints 

 above the fruit. The uppermost eye will push again, 

 which must be treated as described before, for laterals. 



When the berries are as large as small peas, they 

 must be thinned out by the scissors : this operation 

 must be repeated as they advance in size, taking care to 

 cut out the interior ones, and leaving the outermost. 



