128 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 



latiug, giving air, and watering the vines and the 

 floor of the house as heretofore. 



After the vines are secured to the trellis, and the shoots 

 are one or two inches long, rub out, from the simrs which 

 were cut close, all but one shoot ; this you must leave to 

 grow for future use ; do not allow it to bear fruit this 

 season. 



If the vines are strong, and were not injured by 

 overbearing last year, you can now leave on each vine 

 fifteen bunches, that wUl weigh one pound each, to ripen 

 this season ; let the bunches be distributed, at proper 

 distances, over the vine. The leading cane should not 

 be allowed to bear fruit until it has become established 

 at the length desired for permanent use, when it can be 

 fruited as well as the other shoots. Very strong, healthy 

 vines will often show, on this length of cane, sixty to one 

 hundred bunches ; and it requires some firmness, in an 

 inexperienced person, to cut out in this free manner.* 



* Grapes under glass, and in the open air, almost invariably do well the 

 first and second year of fruiting. This is undoubtedly to be attributed to 

 the fresh soil liaving, in its constituent parts, all the requisite ingredients. 

 The cause of their bearing fruit in a diminished degree after this may be, 

 that some substance was supplied in a small quantity, and has become 

 exhausted, or, it may be tliat the vine has been too higlily excited by 

 stimulating manures, given too freely at first, and not continued ; but more 

 frequently, I apprehend, by suffering the vine to mature too much fruit. 



Pruning. — " In your leading article, on the subject of the vineries at 

 Bishop's Stortford, you concluded by saying, that the vines there were 

 pruned on Mr. Crawshay'a system.. [This is giving a new and improper 

 name to an old system ; it has long been in use in France, and is known 

 ■ as the close-spur system of pruning, its proper appellation. — Editor.] i 

 presume, from that general allusion, tliat the system is well understood Ijy 

 professional gardeners ; but I rather think it is not as universally known 

 as it would seem to deserve, if it can be proved to be certain and saceessf nl 

 In all treatises I have read on pruning the vine, from SpeeeUy downwards. 



