THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



19 



27. Before trimming 28. After trimming 



The horizontal two-arm system, especially adapted to sections of the country whe 



29. After trimming and tieing 

 it is advisable to give the vines winter protection 



the strongest shoots springing from the 

 center of the head are allowed to grow. In 

 the autumn these replace the outer arms, 

 and are in turn replaced by them the fol- 

 lowing season. The aim is, then, to renew 

 the fruiting canes from different parts of 

 the old wood every year. The number of 

 buds to be left will depend upon the strength 

 of the variety and the individual plant. 

 Concord, Niagara and Worden will carry 

 with safety more wood than Moore's Early 

 or Delaware, and this is true without refer- 

 ence to the method employed. As the 

 canes grow they are tied to the wires of the 

 trellis, distributing the foliage as much as 

 possible. It is usually found necessary to go 

 over the vineyard two, three and occasionally 

 four times during the summer. 



The "horizontal two-arm system" is 

 especially adapted to sections of the country 

 where it is advisable to give the vines winter 

 protection. Two strong canes are trained 

 in opposite directions. The laterals spring- 

 ing from these are trained perpendicularly. 

 In the autumn the laterals are cut back to 

 short one-eye spurs. When the spurs be- 

 come weak they are renewed, as is an entire 

 arm occasionally. This system calls for a 

 four-wired trellis, in order to properly tie 

 the strong upright growths. Well adapted 

 to wall or high garden trellis, the three 

 methods of training described thus far are 

 all on the upright plan; in those which follow 

 the vines hang down 



The "four-cane Kniffin " is essentially a 

 commercial system and exclusively adopted 

 in field culture in certain parts of New 

 York State. In this system the trellis con- 

 sists of two wires. The main cane is car- 

 ried to the top wire and from it an arm is 

 trained each way on the two wires. The 

 side canes are tied to the wires and the 

 lower ends allowed to hang free. Several 

 modifications of this system are in use. 



We now come to over-head or arbor 

 systems. In one of these systems (and there 

 are many which may be modified to suit the 

 needs of the amateur) the vines are carried 

 up seven-foot posts and allowed to rest on 

 cross wires, forming in this way a kind of 

 arbor. One plan is to nail a cross-piece to 

 each post at right angles to the pole. This 

 extends three feet on each side. Three 

 wires are stretched on these, one at each 

 end, the other in the middle to the posts. 

 The trellis is thus a horizontal one and six 

 feet above the ground. An unbranched 

 trunk is carried up to the middle wire and 



the canes spread either side from this point. 

 A T-shaped head is considered the ideal 

 form. Another over-head system is known 

 as the "cross-wire Kniffin." In this a 

 small post six or seven feet high is set for 

 each vine. The tops of the posts are con- 

 nected by cross wires. The vines are 

 trained up the posts, and on reaching the 

 top four arms are trained outward, one on 

 each wire. In the autumn the arms are cut 

 back to six or eight buds each. The amateur 

 may start two canes from the ground, spread- 

 ing as they rise, and may depend upon 

 laterals to cover his arbor. 



"Post training" is only satisfactory where 

 there is plenty of heat to ripen the grapes, 

 and gives fullest satisfaction with weak- 

 growing varieties. Four- or five-foot stakes 

 may be used. Two or three canes are 

 trained up each year from the ground. It is 

 strictly a renewal plan. Much summer 

 pruning and pinching are required to 

 regulate growth. But on the other hand, 

 the vines may be tucked in four by four feet 

 apart. Delaware, Golden Drop, and Camp- 



bell's Early can be grown on posts with some 

 satisfaction. 



Pruning of the annual kind may be done 

 after the leaves are killed by frost or the 

 wood is thoroughly ripened. When the 

 vines are taken off the trellis, as in 30-degree- 

 below - zero sections, the pruning is done 

 just before laying the canes down in autumn. 

 Where the vines do not need winter protec- 

 tion, the pruning may be done any conven- 

 ient time during late fall or winter. It should 

 not be deferred till the sap flows in spring, as 

 vines pruned at this time are often weakened 

 by excessive bleeding. 



It is always desirable to remove the 

 shoots that spring from or near the base of 

 the vine, except when they are required for 

 a special end. These shoots are quickly 

 broken out, or nipped off when soft and 

 succulent. A certain amount of shortening 

 back is also desirable. This should not be 

 done too early in the season. If pinched 

 early in the growing season, a great mass of 

 laterals is produced and the amount of work 

 very much augmented. 



30. An open arbor. The vines are trained upward in the most direct manner. A single stem from 

 vhich laterals are carried off may be used, or two or more stems may be started from the ground 



