48 



THE GRAPE. 



for instance, Moore's Early is a shy bearer, and If pruned very 

 close -will not bear even a fair crop, consequently the spurs on it 

 must be left longer than on some other kinds that are more prolific. 

 But careful attention in pruning to save the growth from the low- 

 est bud on the spur will aid very much in keeping th?m within 

 bounds. (See Fig. 31.) 



These spurs should be about ten inches apart on the main cane. 

 If in after years some of them are lost, or they become too long, a 

 new main cane may bo introduced by encouraging the growth of a 

 new shoot or by renewing the main cane with a shoot from a spur 

 near the ground, after which, when well started, the main cane 

 may be cut away. However, there are vineyards in the hands oJ 

 careful cultivators that have grown large crops for many years, on 

 which none of the spurs are lost, neither are they long enough to be 

 at all troublesome, and yet the main cane has never been renewed. 



Fig. 35. — Vine in autumn of the f&wrth season Dotted lines show wheri 

 pruning should be done. 



Fourth Season. — Tie the vine to the lower wire in the spring 

 as directed, when it should appear much as in Fig. 34. Permit 

 only one shoot to grow from each bud on the spurs. These should 

 be pinched once when they have reached the top wire, and after 

 that allowed to grow freely. This autumn, and subsequently, 

 when pruned the vine will consist of a main cane extending along 

 the lower wire of the trellis to the next vine. It will have spurs 

 on it of three or more buds each, standing some eight or ten inches 

 apart, as shown in Fig. 36. Under this system if the canes' are not 

 pinched in summer the fruit buds will be formed high up on the 

 laterals and consequently the spurs will have to be left very long 

 in order to have any fruit, while if pinched, the fruit buds will be 

 formed nearer the main cane, and the spurs can be kept short. It 



