214- Management of the Vine. 



Art. VIII. On the Management of the Vine. By N. M. T. 



There is no plant under cultivation more docile, more patient 

 under maltreatment, or more certain of doing well under any 

 system, than the vine: let the system adopted be persisted in 

 until the plants become inured to it, and success is certain. 

 Yet all of the prevalent systems have supporters firmly per- 

 suaded that their favourite is vastly superior to all others, which 

 furnishes all that is wanted to prove that system signifies 

 nothing; if it did, some of them must in reality be superior 

 to its competitors, and that superiority becoming apparent 

 would lead to its universal adoption ; but, from the thing con- 

 tended about having no hand in the matter, the very reverse of 

 this is the case. All of the systems retain their adherents, all of 

 them are capable of perfect success, being only different means 

 employed to obtain the same end ; and, if we occasionally find 

 instances that would lead us to decide in favour of any peculiar 

 mode, any excellence in them exhibited may generally be traced 

 to the youth or vigour of the plants, the effects of a congenial 

 climate, and judicious management. Still, we hear so much 

 stress laid upon cutting to one eye, to three, four, or ten eyes 

 (as the advocate may incline), that we are almost led to believe 

 that the result entirely depends upon this, which in reality does 

 not signify one farthing. I mention this as my conviction, after 

 having seen and practised most of the popular methods ; and, 

 if plants have become inured to any of them, a change, unless 

 imperative, or imperceptibly carried into effect, ought not to 

 be thought of. 



It may be inferred, that, considering a congenial climate every 

 thing, and any peculiar mode of pruning of so little consequence, 

 I would continue to conduct vines upon the same plan in 

 which I might chance to find them. This is true to a certain 

 extent ; but, deeming the superiority of one system over another 

 so trifling, I have in a great measure abandoned them all, and 

 taken as a guide what is palpably important; and, instead of 

 cutting at a given eye, I cut where there is a requisite number 

 of good ones ; allowing their position upon the shoot to weigh as 

 nothing, as the inferior eyes, used to produce fruit in the close- 

 spur system, can be rubbed off, and the wood in the house as 

 easily regulated in this case as any other. It may be supposed 

 that this rule in cutting would in some cases require to be 

 infringed to procure available wood in proper places, but where 

 vines are in a healthy state this can never prove a difficulty. 

 Thus, cutting at or before prominent well ripened buds capable 

 of producing shoots of proportionate excellence is, I think, the 

 only thing that ought to be definite in winter pruning; yet 

 winter pruning has often been elaborately defined, while the 



