526 



THE GRAPE. 



certain of yielding always the largest and finest fruit, though not so 

 large a crop — as half the surface of the vine is every year occupied with 

 young wood, to take the place of that annually cut out. 



What we have already stated (509) respecting pruning will ap- 

 ply equally well here. If the vine is fully exposed to the sun it will 

 require very little summer pruning ; in fact, none, except stopping the 

 young shoots three joints beyond the farthest bunch of grapes, at mid- 

 summer — for the leaves being intended by nature to elaborate the sap, 

 the more we can retain of them (without robbing the fruit unduly of 

 fluids expended in making new growth) the larger and higher flavored 

 will be the fruit ; careful experiments having proved that there is no 

 more successful mode of impoverishing the crop of fruit than that of 

 pulling off the leaves. 



Tn the axils of the leaves by the side of the buds which are to send 

 forth shoots for next season's crops, branches called laterals push forth, 

 which should be pinched off at the first leaf, and at the next leaf where 

 they start again ; generally the second stopping will be sufficient. 



The annual pruning of the hardy grapes is usually performed during 

 mild days in February or March — at least a month before vegetation is 

 likely to commence. Many cultivators prefer to prune their vines in 

 November, and, except for cold latitudes or exposures, this is undoubt- 

 edly the better season. 



Vineyard Culture. The vineyard culture of the native grape is 

 very simple. Strong, loamy, or gravelly soils are preferable — limestone 

 and clay shale being usually the best — and a warm, open, sunny expo- 

 sure being indispensable. 



In preparing the soil, if it is loamy or gravelly, a simple deep 

 ploughing is all that is requisite ; but if it is clay, or underlaid with a clay 

 hard-pan, the subsoil should be thoroughly broken to a depth of not less 

 than sixteen inches. This, on most lands, can be done by means of a 

 plough and team. Steep sidehills or slopes must of course be prepared by 

 hand labor, digging and trenching the ground thoroughly with the 

 spade. 



The vines are planted in rows, the distance from plant to plant vary- 

 ing according as it is a strong and vigorous grower like Concord, or a 

 moderate short-jointed grower like Delaware. The first are generally 

 planted eight by eight feet or eight by ten feet apart, and the latter four 

 by six feet ; while varieties of intermediate vigor are placed at six by 

 eight feet. The renewal system of pruning is generally practised, and 

 the vines are trained both on stakes and wire trellis, the latter being 

 most generally considered as the best and most economical. 



The ordinary culture is as simple as that of a field of Indian com- — 

 one man and horse with a plough, and the horse cultivator, being able 

 to keep a pretty large surface in good order. The annual pruning is 

 performed in autumn or winter, top-dressing the vines when it is neces- 

 sary in the spring ; and the summer work, thinning, tying, and gather- 

 ing being chiefly done by women and children. 



The summer work is one requiring some care and watchfulness, al- 

 though attendant with light labor, and, as we have said, may be performed 

 by women and children. In vineyard culture the long renewal system is 

 most practised ; by it the vine the first year is permitted to make but one 

 leading shoot, all the buds likely to form other shoots being rubbed off 

 early in spring, or as soon as they have fully developed. The second 



