52 MY VINEYARD. 



After pruning, the vines were laid down and covered 

 with straw. In the spring I concluded to allow two canes 

 to each vine, and to keep them tied to stages. Accord- 

 ingly, a stout stake was placed at each plant. Every hud 

 on the old cane produced a shoot. All tut the lower ones 

 were cut away. Those left grew luxuriantly, and presently 

 some flower clusters appeared. -The laterals were stopped 

 after making a foot's growth. But others pushed out to 

 supply their places. The beiavior of the vines was alto- 

 gether different from any thing which had been anticipa- 

 ted. They could not be brought into the shape I thought 

 necessary and desirable. By the middle of the season, 

 the vines presented an inexpressible jumble of leaves and 

 laterals, large fruit and small fruit, and even flowers. In 

 the fall, some of the older clusters colored, and I picked 

 them for ripe fruit. It was any thing but palatable. I 

 made up my mind that grape-growing at Lakeview could 

 not be regarded as strikingly successful. 



CONTINUED EXPERIENCE. 



When I recalled to mind the appearance of the vines at 

 Hermann, and then considered the appearance of my own, 

 I concluded that there must be some difficulty in my sys- 

 tem of grape culture which I did not understand. I ob- 

 served that the luxuriance of the vines seemed quite 

 disproportioned to the size which ought to be maintained. 



