1 88 Vineyard Culture. 



stem, C, should be left ; the shoot D may be added if 

 the plant is a little more vigorous. For plants of mod- 

 erate vigor, three fruit-stems may be reserved, as C, D, 

 E. Lastly, if the plants are very vigorous, three or 

 four shoots may be kept, C, D, E, and F. If there 

 are six shoots, as shown in Figure 76, the shoot D is 

 always suppressed. If, as too often happens, one of the 

 fruit-stems should yield shoots without grapes, while 

 the opposite shoot has them, it would be proper to leave 

 a number of shoots on the first equal to that which 

 may be left on the second ; otherwise, the barren arm, 

 on which only the shoot B (for next year) has been left, 

 would immediately become weaker than the other. 



When, unfortunately, all the fruit-stems of a plant 

 are devoid of grapes, it will still be well to preserve some 

 shoots, besides the reserved ones, B ; for if the disbud- 

 ding be carried too far, it has the effect of weakening 

 the plant, by depriving it of the organs necessary for 

 the production of new tissues and roots. 



Nipping the Bunches. — In some vineyards, and 

 more especially in the Jura, where most of the plants 

 produce very long bunches, the nipping of these is usu- 

 al ; that is to say, at the time we have mentioned as 

 that for nipping the shoots, the points of the young 

 bunches are nipped with the nail. This suppression 

 'always has the effect of making the berries become one- 

 third larger, and ripen a fortnight earlier. 



Fastening the Shoots. — This operation consists 

 in fastening the shoots to the wires, when they have 

 reached a certain size. This is a very important oper- 

 ation ; its object is to have the bunches and shoots well 

 exposed to the sun ; to keep the bunches from touch- 



