22 Atnerican Grap^ Training. 



missible. From this point, the treatment of the 

 vine is discussed under training. 



When to Prune. — Grape vines may be pruned at 

 any time during the winter. It is the practice 

 among most grape-growers in the north to prune 

 as time permits from November to late in February, 

 or even early March. The sap flows very freely 

 from cuts made in spring and early summer, caus- 

 ing the phenomenon known as "bleeding," or in 

 Europe as "weeping," and in order to prevent 

 this loss, pruning is stopped six weeks or more be- 

 fore the time at which the buds usually swell. It 

 is yet a moot point if this bleeding injures the vine, 

 but it is a safe practice to prune early. The vine 

 is cut off an inch or two beyond the last bud which 

 it is desired to leave, in order to avoid injury to 

 the bud from the drying out of the end of the cane. 



The pruning is done with small hand pruning- 

 shears. The canes are often allowed to remain 

 tied to the wires until the pruning is accomplished, 

 although it is the practice with most growers who 

 use the Kniflin system to cut the strings before 

 pruning. The removal of the severed canes is 

 known as "stripping." In large vineyards, the 

 pruner sometimes leaves the stripping to boys or 

 other cheap labor. The stripping may be done at 

 any time after the pruning is performed until 

 spring. It must be done before the growth starts 

 on the remaining portions of the vine, however, to 



