406 Cultivation of the Vine. 



parts of the country. I merely assert that it failed, in a great 

 measure, with me ; so that were a young man to take the ma- 

 nagement of a vine-house, and adopt the " spur system" with all 

 his vines indiscriminately, he might find, to his disappointment, 

 that he had made a mistake. The " spur system " may be well 

 adapted for weak vines, or for hot-houses that are forced early in 

 the season ; but should never be applied to vines of strong and 

 vigorous growth, that are intended for late forcing. 



For the last two years I have endeavoured to introduce the 

 " long system " of pruning ; and, as the vines are healthy and 

 vigorous, I have now got my intentions effected in the greater 

 part of the house which has been the chief subject of my expe- 

 riments. My present mode of pruning and training is very 

 simple. The vines are trained under the roof of the house, about 

 1 ft. from the glass; and the length from the foot of the trellis to 

 the top of it is about 20 ft. This space would require one line, 

 consisting of five young shoots, under each rafter, and another 

 line of young shoots under the centre of each light. The dis- 

 tance between these lines is 1 ft. 9 in. These shoots should have 

 from eight to ten or twelve eyes, according to their strength ; 

 and the upper end of each shoot, when pruned and tied in winter, 

 will reach to the lower part of the one above it, or nearly so, 

 with the exception of the uppermost. The young shoots which 

 come from these, and which bear the crop the following season, 

 are all, with the exception of the leaders, tied close in to the 

 main line of shoots, and stopped at the first joint above the fruit. 

 The leaders, I train about 6 in. distant from the main line. For 

 example, the first leading shoot is trained to the right of the 

 main line ; the second to the left ; and so on alternately, leaving 

 a space of 9 in. between them and the leaders of the adjoining 

 main line. There will be two leaders on each side of the main 

 line during summer, besides the new leader at the foot of it. As 

 the uppermost shoot of each main line will be cut off in the fol- 

 lowing winter's pruning, the leader arising from it may be trained 

 along the top, and stopped at the first joint above the fruit. The 

 leaders I allow to run from 5 ft. to 8 ft., in proportion to their 

 strength. In the following winter's pruning, all the young 

 shoots are cut away, with the exception of the leaders, or those 

 at the foot of the trellis, intended to become leaders. The leaders 

 belonging to each main line are cut down to eight, ten, or twelve 

 eyes, and trained in one line, as before mentioned. 



It will be evident to many gardeners, that, by this system, a 

 shoot must be cut from the top, and another introduced at the 

 foot of the trellis, at every winter's pruning ; and care must be 

 taken to have a reserve always at the foot of the trellis, by cutting 

 down a young shoot to two or three eyes. Supposing that such 

 a shoot emits two young shoots, one of them can be trained as a 



