Cultivation of the Vine. 405 



pine-pit. As soon as the roots began to run in the fresh soil, 

 the leaves lengthened and strengthened very fast; and, finding 

 them so much at home in their new situation, I resolved to make 

 them accommodate themselves to the place they seemed so much 

 to enjoy. As soon, therefore, as their leaves reached the glass, 

 I took the tip off every one, even down to the innermost leaf in 

 the centre of the plant, by means of small French pruning 

 shears, the blunt crooked points of which peculiarly adapt them 

 to this curious operation of tipping one leaf closely folded on 

 another, without pricking the rest. The leaves, thus shorn of 

 their extreme points, lengthened very little after; but those 

 which were so young and small as to be out of sight in the 

 socket at the time of shortening advanced in height rapidly ; 

 those also I tipped, as soon as they came within reach of the 

 guillotine; and the result was, that I had not only the satisfaction 

 to see an old and inveterately backward stock of pine plants show 

 and swell off respectable fruits, but the stools allowed to re- 

 main, after taking off their lower leaves and earthing up the 

 stem, soon produced suckers of a very superior size, and in 

 great abundance. 



Alderley, Cheshire, August 6. 1838. 



Art. VIII. Remarks on the Cultivation of the Vine. By James 

 Hutchinson, Gardener at Cranston Hill, near Glasgow. 



When I came to this place, in November, 1834, I found the 

 vines of one of the hot-houses trained irregularly under the roof 

 of the house ; when pruning them, I cut most of the young 

 shoots down to five eyes, some to four, and such as were weakly 

 to two or three eyes. I obtained a tolerably good crop of grapes 

 by this system ; but, unless particular attention is paid to sum- 

 mer pruning, vines cut by it soon assume a very confused ap- 

 pearance. However, I may observe that I consider this a very 

 safe mode of pruning ; for, if the young wood has been sufficiently 

 ripened, there is every reason to expect a fair crop. 



In the winter of 1835-36, I loosened all the vines in one 

 of the hot-houses, and trained an old shoot underneath each 

 rafter, and another under the centre of each light, with the in- 

 tention of introducing the " spur system." In this winter's 

 pruning, I cut a good many of the young shoots down to two 

 and three eyes. The shoots of moderate growth that were cut 

 in this manner bore a fair crop ; but of all the strong-growing 

 shoots that were cut to two or three eyes, not above one or two 

 bore fruit. However, I don't mean to insinuate that I consider 

 the "spur system" a bad one; for I am well aware that good 

 crops of grapes have been produced by that method, in various 



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