226 



THE FRUIT GARDEN 



to leave two until you can see which is likely to give the better bunch ; 

 the weaker bud must then be rubbed off. The main shoot or cane 

 should be shortened on the same principle as advised before, namely, that 

 the weak one must be cut fairly hard back, leaving only a foot of the 

 previous year's growth ; the moderate cane may be left 2 or 2| feet and 

 the strong cane 4 feet long ; always cut back to a bud. The young vine 

 should then be washed with Gishurst's compound. A small box will go a long 

 way; it is as useful for this purpose as anything I know. Instructions to prepare 

 it accompany each box. Even if the young vines have been free from insect 

 pests during the season of growth, it is a wise precaution to have them washed 

 with insecticide. When this work is done and the house cleansed, the border 



will need to be enlarged both inside and 

 out. 



Enlarging the Border. — The best 

 way to do this is to pull down the turf walls 

 which were built when the borders were 

 formed, and build others of fresh turf, giving 

 additional space of 2 feet both to the inside 

 and outside border. If it is difficult to pro- 

 cure fresh turf, the old turf walls will be 

 very useful when enriched by fresh loam and 

 the other material recommended originally. 

 I would, however, prefer that new loam be 

 used (with the other ingredients) in enlarging 

 the border, as better results unquestionably 

 follow. Before placing this new material 

 about the roots of the vines, the old soil 

 should be forked away until a fair number 

 of roots are reached ; the points of these 

 should be placed in the new soil as carefully 

 as when the vine was first planted, taking 

 care to shorten any lopg, coarse, fibreless 

 roots. All the small roots must be scrupu- 

 lously taken care of, and replanted in the new 

 soil. If any are bruised they should be cut 

 back beyond the injury. Then add sufficient soil to the border to make it 

 level with the old, top-dress the old border with new soil, and place the ridge 

 of soil or clay round the stem of the vine as far as the original border extends, 

 to compel water to penetrate the border round about the stem, where are the 

 most important roots and where often they suffer most from want of water. 

 The vines will enjoy a long rest, and when again they are started into growth, 

 towards the 20th of March, the same rout ne of work will have to be gone 

 through as that already described. At the end of the third year the roof of the 

 vinery should be nearly covered with bearing wood, returning the grower hand- 

 some crops of valuable grapes. With the fresh soil added, the outside border 

 will be 3I feet and the inside one 5 feet wide. This will suffice, with annual 



Growths from a Spur that in Winter 

 HAS BEEN Pruned to Two Buds 



(a) Shoot from uppermost bud bearing a 

 cluster of grapes ; {v) shoot from lowest 

 bud also showing a bunch of fruit, but 

 small and not desirable to leave ; (() 

 point of cutting away bearing shoot at 

 winter pruning in order to Iceep spur 

 near to stem ; (zo) base of spur ; (x) 

 point of shortening shoot not allowed 

 to bear, to two buds at wmter pruning. 



