ramified, like the stems of most creepers, and is of pretty much the 

 same diameter at different parts of the vine. This is due to the fact 

 that the more rapid the development of the upper part of the vine 

 the more slender will the stem be. This is often noticeable in 

 trellises, and even vines in a vineyard where the main trunk has 

 been formed too quickly. It is better to form it gradually, as a 

 much stronger and better trunk, requiring less support than that of a 

 too-rapidly formed vine, will be obtained. 



The shoots of the year are long and more or less slender. They 

 are knotted at regular intervals. At each knot a leaf is to be found, 

 the leaves growing alternately on either side of the shoot. Tendrils 

 grow opposite to the leaves, which help the plant to fix itself to 

 adjacent objects. In most vines every third leaf will be without a 

 tendril opposite -to it, the other two having ojne. The tendrils are 

 then discontinuous, one species of vine (Vitis Labrusca) has con- 

 tinuous tendrils, a tendril (or bunch) being opposite to every leaf. 

 At each knot there is a woody partition right through the shoot 

 separating the pith above and below it, thus making a vine shoot in 

 this respect comparable to that of a bamboo. 



At the base of each leaf there are several buds. The main one 

 will only develop itself in the ensuing year ; but, in addition to this, 

 there is one which may give rise to a lateral shoot during the current 

 year, i.e., may grow during the same year as the main shoot, and 

 there are two or more secondary buds which, like the principal one, 

 are reserved for the ensuing year, but only develop themselves in 

 case of injury to the main one. 



The laterals grow principally if the extremity of the main shoot be 

 broken off, as we shall see when we come to the chapter on summer 

 pruning. 



It is on the lateral shoots of the year that the second crop of grapes 

 appears. It has been recommended to break off the extremities of 

 the young shoot when they are about 4 inches long, it being said that 

 the lateral shoots thus brought into existence will between them bear 

 more fruit than the original shoot off which they grow. This has not 

 been proved as yet, but still deserves mention, as it presents an 

 opportunity for some interesting experiments. 



Unless the vine be short pruned a great many of the buds will not 

 develop themselves, the ones at the greatest distance from the old wood, 



