1102 
last season, and that it is usually desir- 
able to remove as much of the old wood 
as is possible and at the same time to 
leave as much of the new wood as the 
vine can support with a thrifty and fruit- 
ful growth. As each bud on the spurs 
will probably produce a new shoot, and 
as each shoot will ordinarily produce 
from two to six clusters of fruit, the 
number of clusters being quite uniform 
for each variety, the amount of fruit 
which may be expected from each vine 
can be estimated quite closely, and the 
pruning should be done accordingly. 
When too much bearing wood is left and 
the amount of fruit produced is exces- 
sive, both the clusters and the berries will 
be smaller, and the vine may be so 
weakened as to require several years to 
recover a healthy growth. Too close 
pruning should also be avoided, as it les- 
sens the opportunity for fruit bearing, 
and causes an excessive growth of coarse 
and sappy vine. The after effects of too 
close pruning are rarely harmful to the 
vine, and there is far less danger in 
pruning too closely than in permitting 
the vine to grow at will or to produce 
an excessive crop at the expense of its 
future thrift. The natural tendency of a 
vine is to make its most vigorous growth 
from the buds farthest from the roots, 
and, whatever method of pruning and 
training may be adopted, the aim should 
be to confine the growth very near the 
root or main stem. 
Time of Pruning 
In winter pruning, ordinary varieties 
should have from one-half to three- 
fourths of the entire vine cut away. This 
work may be done at any time after the 
leaves drop in the fall, and should be 
done before the buds begin to swell in 
the spring. Late pruning is better than 
no pruning, but permits a great loss of 
sap which would have been used in the 
development of new growth if the work 
had been done at the proper time. 
Summer pruning is of great value 
in giving the vine its desired form, in 
removing an excess of fruit, in making 
that which is left larger and of better 
quality, and in making the next winter 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
pruning simpler, easier and more satis- 
factory. This summer pruning should be- 
gin by the removal of surplus shoots as 
soon as the first growth starts in the 
spring, so that the entire strength of 
the vine may be used in the directions 
where it is wanted, and should be repeat- 
ed two or three times at intervals of a 
week or ten days. In many vineyards 
this is the only summer pruning given, 
but the vines will bear more evenly, pro- 
duce better fruit, and be longer lived if 
any excess of fruit clusters is removed 
as soon as they appear, and if the fruit- 
bearing shoots are broken off so as to 
leave only two or three joints beyond the 
last cluster of fruit. All summer prun- 
ing should be done so early in the sea- 
son and so promptly that no tools are 
needed for the work; it should all be 
done while the new shoots are still so 
young and tender that they are easily 
broken off with the thumb and finger. 
When the wood has become so firm that 
it will not break easily it may as well 
remain on the vine until the next winter. 
Pruning late in summer, or the removal 
of leaves so that the sun will hasten the 
ripening of the fruit, is never profitable. 
It costs time and strength for the vine 
to develop leaves, but when they are 
once fully grown they become feeders 
instead of consumers, and every one 
should be preserved. 
As the system of pruning adopted must 
depend on the style of trellis used, the 
subject will be treated further in con- 
nection with systems of training. 
Gathering and Packing 
For home use or for making wine, 
grapes should not be picked until they 
are fully ripe. Many varieties become 
highly colored some days, or even weeks, 
before they are fully matured; but they 
are not really ripe and in the best con- 
dition for use until the stem of the 
bunch begins to shrivel or soften so that 
it can be easily bent. Even for market, 
the fruit should not be gathered until 
very nearly matured, as it ripens but lit- 
tle after being removed from the vine. 
The unripe fruit may soften somewhat 
on its way to market, but does not be- 
