GRAPES 
bark is unbroken. When treated in this 
manner many varieties will make strong 
roots by spring, even when the layering 
is done as late as September or October. 
Propagation by layering is more sure 
than by cuttings, and it is often more 
convenient and satisfactory when only a 
few new vines are wanted. It has the 
further advantage of being practicable 
in summer when cuttings could not be 
made to grow. 
Plants grown from layers are not so 
convenient for handling and planting as 
are those grown from cuttings, but there 
seems to be no difference in the growth 
or productiveness of the matured vines. 
Cultivation 
Grapevines need no special cultivation 
beyond that necessary to keep them free 
from weeds, and all the cultivation given 
should be very shallow, in order to avoid 
injury to the roots. Ordinarily the first 
working in the spring should be done 
with a one-horse turning plow, beginning 
in the middles and backfurrowing, so as 
to throw the soil away from the vines. 
The narrow strips left along the rows 
should be cleaned off with a hoe, fertil- 
izers should be scattered in the open 
furrows on both sides of each vine, and 
the ground plowed again, the soil be- 
ing thrown toward the rows at the second 
plowing, thus covering the fertilizer. For 
the later workings there ig nothing bet- 
ter than an ordinary five-toothed culti- 
vator and an occasional hoeing along the 
line of the row. Cultivation should cease 
when the growing fruit begins to weight 
down the vines, but as soon as the crop 
has been gathered the middles should be 
run through with a cultivator and the 
ground seeded with cow peas or crim- 
son clover, both for their fertilizing ef- 
fect and for the protection they afford 
the ground during the winter. 
Pruning 
The training and pruning of grape- 
vines is the most important item in their 
management, and it is in this part of the 
work that the greatest number of mis- 
takes occur, although the principles in- 
volved are really very simple and easily 
learned by any one who will give them 
a little thought and attention. 
1101 
Definition of Terms 
The terms commonly used in speaking 
of the different parts of a vine are as 
follows: 
A shoot is a green or immature growth 
less than one year old. 
A. cane is a matured shoot. 
An arm is @ cane two or more years of 
age, and is a permanent part of the vine, 
which is usually fastened to the trellis 
in a horizontal position, and on which 
the spurs and branches are produced. 
A branch is a division of an arm or 
shoot. 
A spur is a cane which has been short- 
ened to from one to three joints; if left 
longer it is usually called a cane. 
The stem is the permanent portion of 
the vine below the arms or canes. Where 
the stake or renewal system of training 
is followed the stem may be only a few 
inches in length, while in the canopy 
system of training it reaches to the top 
of the trellis. 
Objects in View 
Most other fruiting plants do better 
with very little pruning, as the object is 
to secure the greatest possible amount 
of fruit from each plant and to make 
each plant grow as large as possible; 
but with grapes the object is to secure 
the greatest possible yield of fruit per 
square rod or per acre, and not per plant. 
While a single grapevine bears less fruit 
when trained to a trellis and kept 
pruned to a few feet in length than when 
allowed to grow at will over the tops of 
trees, the yield of fruit in return for the 
time, labor and expense is much greater 
when the vines are restricted to a con- 
venient size and are trained in a some- 
what unnatural form; hence, in cultiva- 
tion, extended growth of vine is sacrificed 
to secure an increased yield of fruit. 
The objects to be kept in view in prun- 
ing are to keep each vine within its al- 
lotted limits and make it assume the 
form desired, to remove any useless parts 
and so secure a more vigorous growth of 
productive wood, and to remove an ex- 
cess of fruit. It should always be kept 
in mind that the fruit of the next sea- 
son will be borne on shoots of this sea- 
son which were produced on wood grown 
