42 = Training. 
BUSHBERG CATALOGUE. 
Training. 
Some people believe that we could even dis- 
pense with both trellisand stakes entirely, and 
urge the adoption of the ‘ Souche” or ‘“‘ Buck 
” plan, used in parts of France and 
Switzerland, but quite impracticable for our 
strong growing species in this climate. 
Another mode of cultivation, which our G. E. 
Meissner ha in Italy, seems 
more applicable to many of our hardy Ameri- 
ean varieties: it is the cultivation of the vine 
on living trees instead of trellis or stakes. The 
tree principally employed for this purpose is 
the Acer campestris, a species of maple. The 
trees are planted at theage of two to four years, 
when they are about fcur to five feet high. 
They are planted in vineyards ata distance of 
about 12 feet each way, some planting also with 
the vines, which are set in the rows about mid- 
way between the trees. The vines and trees 
are both well cultivated, so as to induce a 
rapid and healthy growth. At the end of the 
season the vines are cut down to two eyes above 
the ground, and the second season one or two 
strong canes are grown from them and care- 
fully tied up to temporary stakes. At the end 
of the second season, or as soon as the vine has 
attained a sufficiently strong growth of cane, 
it is laid down in a trench, about eight or ten 
inches deep, to the tree; the trench is cov- 
ered in, and the canes ‘shortened back, 
that wake two eyes of the vine project at os 
— te base of the tree. It is now ready 
for t up on the tree, the roots of which 
do not —— with its growth, as the main 
of the vine are at a sufficient 
_ main stems trained up from the bottom. The 
after-system of pruning and cultivation differs 
but little from ordinary vi ee The 
Those who know the cost of grape-stakes and 
trellis, and the constant expense and trouble eos 
repairs and renewals which their 
requires, will ‘iate the advantages which 
such a plan would offer, if it can be suécess- 
fully applied in this country. The main diffi- 
culty seems to be in finding the proper kind of 
tree to use in place of Acer campestris, which 
we do not find here. The important points to 
pie observed in the selection of the tree seems 
to us to bea quick growth in the first years, 
yet not a naturally large grower—a tree that 
will shed its foliage tolerably early in the fall, 
approach of spring, as soon 
frost is past; then eultivate the whole ground, 
plowing between the rows from four to six inches 
mellow condition continually ; but do not work 
the ground when wet! 
During the second summer a cane or shoot is 
produced from each of the two or three buds 
which were left on the young vine last fall. Of 
these young shoo 
the trellis, and, let them grow unchecked to 
the uppermost wire. 
With the strong-growing varieties, especially 
where we intend to grow the fruit on laterals 
or spurs, the two main canes are pinched off 
when they reach the second horizontal wire, 
whereby the laterals are forced into stronger 
growth, each formi a medium-sized cane, 
which is shortened in the fall from four to six 
buds. One of the two main canes may be lay- 
ered in June, covering it with mellow soil, 
about an inch deep, leaving the ends of the 
laterals out of the ground. These will gener- 
ke good plants in the fall for further 
plantations ; with varieties which do not grow 
easily from cuttings, this eae is particu- 
larly desirable. Fig. 67 5s the 
tied and a ee at ‘ti end of the 
