Pruning Small Fruits 



Neglect in Pruning Causes Inferior Quality 

 and Small Yields; How To Get the 

 Best Results 



IT is a true but a sad fact that plants which do not 

 have to be coddled and looked after by the gardener 

 in order to live at all, are likely to be neglected 

 altogether. 



Only too often this is the case with the small fruits. 

 Being able to survive neglect and still produce annually 

 small crops of under size and poor quality fruits, they 

 are left to themselves, particularly so far as pruning is 

 concerned, when a few hours attention a year with 

 a good sharp pair of shears would double the quantity 

 and more than double the quality of their yield. 



GRAPES: The pruning of the grape is much more 

 complicated than that of the other small fruits. The 

 general confusion which exists in connection with 

 pruning grapes is due to the fact that there are two 

 different things to be accomplished: first, training; and 

 in addition to that, pruning to get the best fruit. 



To begin at the beginning, the vine when first set 

 out should be pruned back even more severely than 

 fruit trees, leaving the stub with one to three eyes. 

 The roots of the plant will be much longer and more 

 scraggly than those of a fruit tree and should be cut 

 back, when received from the nursery, about a half. 

 If there are roots above the real stem or base of the 

 plant, they should be cut off close to the cane. 



The subsequent pruning will depend primarily upon 

 the method of training which is to be followed. If the 

 plants are to be grown over an arbor or a trellis, or 

 against a wall, the main cane or canes may be trained 

 up in any way desired. Where a number of plants are 

 to be grown in the garden primarily for the fruit, the 

 method known as the modified Kniffin System is pref- 

 erable. A stout wire is stretched five or six feet above 

 the ground and the main stem or cane runs up to it, 



