1905 REPORT ON THE FRUITS OF ONTARIO. 195 



with this system, the growing shoots falling over the wires and attaching them- 

 selves there, often making very rampant growth, so much so that the tips are 

 sometimes lopped off with a pruning hook. 



The vine should bear a full crop this season, which is the fourth from plant- 

 ing. Before growth starts in the fifth season all canes are again removed 'except 

 four, and as these could not very well be obtained in line with the wires if taken 

 from the main trunk, the canes are utilized which spring from the base of the 

 canes which were left the year before. This same system is adopted year after 

 year. In time such a large stub develops at the point where the new canes are 

 taken each year that it becomes necessary to remove these and take new canes 

 from the main trunk. A good supply of new wood is required each year in grape 

 growing, as fruit is produced only near the base of the previous season's growth. 

 About forty strong buds or even less are sufficient to give a profitable crop of 

 most varieties. 



For the north quite a different system is necessary, as the vines have to he 

 covered with soil in the winter to protect them. On this account the arms have 

 to be trained low so that they may be covered easily. The best system which has 

 been found where such conditions prevail in Ontario, is a modification of the 

 "High Renewal." By the "High Renewal" system new wood is obtained from 

 near the ground every year and several canes trained in a somewhat fan shape. 

 This system is adopted in some parts of New York State, where vines do not have 

 to be covered. By a modification of this system two arms are left for two or three 

 years. Three wires are required, the lowest being about eighteen inches from the 

 ground, and the others about two feet apart. The two canes which have been 

 made during the second season's growth, as previously described, are both saved. 

 They should start from the main stem as near the ground as possible, and are tied 

 to the wire in opposite directions. The shoots which are made the third season 

 are tied upright to the wires and spread as evenly. as possible. Lateral shoots 

 should be removed. Before winter all the canes made that season should be 

 headed back to within one or two buds of the two main arms, and just before 

 winter sets in they should be bent down and covered with a few inches of soil. 

 In fact, the vine should be covered each winter from the time it is set. Vines 

 should be kept covered in the north as long as possible to prevent injury from 

 spring frosts. At Ottawa, the vines are not uncovered until the end of the first 

 week or beginning of the second week of May. 



In the fourth season after planting the shoots are again trained upright and 

 tied to the wires. Laterals are removed and any other shoots which make the 

 vine so crowded that the fruit will not obtain plenty of light and sunshine. The 

 mistake is often made of leaving too many shoots to grow, thus preventing the 

 perfect ripening of the fruit. Forty strong shoots are quite sufficient to produce 

 a good crop of fruit, although some varieties will stand a few more. 



As arms get older they become more difficult to lav down, hence it is found 

 advisable to remove the arms every two or three years and replace them with 

 new ones. The arms may be renewed in alternate years, and this is often desir- 

 able, as the buds on one arm are sometimes destroyed by winter or by spring 

 frosts. The only important difference between this svstem and the horizontal 

 arm is that in this the arms are not permanent. It resembles the "High Renewal" 

 from the fact that new wood is obtained frequently from the main stem near the 

 ground. 



Grapes require considerable potash, hence fertilizers containing a high 

 percentage of this should be used rather than nitrogenous manures. Cover 

 crops will usually supply all the nitrogen that is required. 



Grapes should not be picked until they are quite ripe, as they do not ripen 

 after they leave the vine. It is believed that the consumption of grapes would 



