MANAGEMENT OF FRUIT TREES, &c. 79 



the wall may be well covered. When the walls are high, and 

 the shoots from the serpentine branches strong, we sometimes 

 let them remain ; but if the walls are low, and the serpentine 

 branches produce weak shoots, we cut them out in the au- 

 tumnal pruning, and train up the strongest of the young wood 

 in their room; as directed in the explanation of plate 10. 



O71 the Priiniiig and Training of Vines, 



It is to be observed, that the wood must be strong, or the 

 vines will produce small bunches. If that be the case, cut them 

 down to two or three eyes, in order to have strong wood for 

 next year. Vines bear their fruit on the wood that was pro- 

 duced the preceding year. If dieir be a great deal of old naked 

 wood on them, as generally is the case, with some small weak 

 shoots at the extremities, always cut them down as near to the 

 ground as possible ; you will then have no fruit for that year*. 

 Or you may cut every other shoot, leaving the old ones to pro- 

 duce some small grapes. The next year you will have plenty 

 of fine wood, provided you take care to nail in the strongest 

 shoots, and pick off all the side shoots that are produced from 

 the eyes, pinching them off with the finger and thumb, or cut- 

 ting them out with a sharp penk-nife close to the bud or eye ; 

 but never twist them ; for by twisting them you will hurt the bud 

 that produces the grapes next year ; always observing to cut 

 as near to the bud as possible, and taking care to lay in the wood 

 very thin in summer, that the sun and air may be freely admit- 

 ted to ripen it : By these means it will grow very strong. Take 

 care also to keep the shoots nailed to the wall, which will pre- 

 vent their being broken by the high winds ; observing to pick 

 off all the side shoots every time you nail them, which ought 

 to be done several times during the summer months, accord- 

 ing to the quickness of their growth. In fine weather they 

 will grow so very quick, that you will have occasion to look 

 over them once every fortnight or three weeks, if you wish to 

 have them in good order. Never suffer the vines to run to- 



* It is generally thought, in America, that when the vine ceases to bear, 

 it is tvorn eut, and should be thrown away. This is a great error, the failure 

 in the crop arises solely from the want of proper management. A vine will 

 live as long, and, perhaps, longer, than an oak ; and the older it is, the better 

 it is, both as to the abundance and the quality of its fruit. As a proof of 

 this I need only mention tiie farmers vine at Hampton Court Palace, which 

 is one of the curiosities that are shewn to strangers at that place. This vine 

 ■was planted in the reign of King William, and it bore, in 1800, nearly two 

 tons weight of grapes. Many gentlemen now in Philadelphia have seen this 

 vine, and have received the same account of its pi-oduct, the truth of which is 

 well known in England. The stem is about three feet in girt, and the branches 

 extend about sixty feet from the stem. 



