300 Pruning for Goblet Form. 
The grower has to decide whether this fruit is worth more to him 
than the healthier and more vigorous vine, which will probably 
be secured by dispensing with this early fruit. 
Another point of difference enters here, and that is the choice 
of height at which the head of the vine shall be tormed. By the 
head is meant the point at which the lowest branches emerge 
from the main stem, and not the tops of the highest spurs, which 
some call the head of the vine. The question is, then, At what 
point shall the oldest or lowest forks be formed? Experience 
favors low-heading on hillsides and on broad valley vineyards. 
The grapes are brought near to the warm, dry soil, which, with 
raisin and table grapes, at least, is desirable because the radia- 
tion of heat from the sun-heated soil during the night gives a 
more uniform heat during the twenty-four hours, and, by bear- 
ing its fruit low and supporting part of it upon the ground, the 
vine is less affected by wind. But this very low heading is not 
desirable on moist soils because of mildew, nor is it safe on low 
ground where frosts are likely to form. For this reason in 
broken country where vineyards run from the hillsides down 
into small valleys, it is usual to head the vines on the low ground 
higher than on the hillsides. 
Third Year.—During the third summer canes will grow 
from the vines something as shown in Fig. 6, and considerable 
fruit will be borne. Sometimes all these canes are allowed to 
grow through the season, but it is better practise to rub off other 
The Vine at Fourth and Subsequent Prunings. 
shoots when two or three vigorous ones can be selected to form 
the main branchingss of the trunk. It is also customary to pinch 
off the main shoots after they have grown out a foot or so. 
This pinching results in the growth of leafy laterals which shade 
the fruit and add to the stockiness of the main canes. At the 
winter pruning which follows, these two or three main canes are 
cut back to two or three buds, the greater number of buds being 
left on the more vigorous vines. All other shoots are cut away 
cleanly. This operation fixes the first fork of the vine head, as 
shown in Fig. 7. 
