CHAPTER X. 



ON PRUNING. 



The Vine if left to itself shoots up too high, it bears for two or 

 three years, but after that degenerates, languishes and yields only 

 slender clusters. This is the origua of the necessity of pruning, 

 wliich confines the powers of the sap to a few branches, thereby in- 

 creasin<T the produce and rendering the grape more^ honied and ma- 

 ture. Pruning is therefore essential ; he who undertakes it must be 

 both inteUigent and wary ; and habituated by theory and practice to 

 the knowledge of its eflfects, so as to be able to accoimt as he goes 

 for every application of the knife; for it influences not only the 

 coming crop, but also the health of the Vine, and consequently its 

 future duration and profit. 



As the Vine only yields fruit on the new wood, it follows of course, 

 that the pruning must be so cast as to keep up the lowermost and 

 most vigorous shoots, and must be adapted to the age, strength, and 

 character of the plant, to the nature of the soil and the mode of 

 training. 



The first pruning is easiest, it is performed by clipping in entire 

 the shoot that originated from the uppermost of the two eyes left above 

 ground on the slip, and by clipping the other shoot close above the 

 eye that is left. 



At the second priming, if the plant is to be dwarfed, the lower- 

 most branch only is to be left ; if a low-trained Vine, two branches 

 with buds are left ; if a middling Vine, three branches are left, and 

 pruned, and all' the rest are cut off as close as possible to the main 

 stem ; but in all cases ahke, on the branch or branches that are spar- 

 ed, only one eye apiece and that the nearest to the trunk, is left 

 beliind ; the rest of the wood is lopped away. In the third pruning 

 one more eye is allowed to each of the above-mentioned main or first 

 shoots which are to be the main branches. Of these, three, or perhaps 

 four, is enough for the middhng Vine, or even a tall-stock one ; two 

 are enough for a low-stock Vine j and as in dwarf Vines the fi-uit- 

 bearing wood is to spring directly from the trunk, they must be kept 

 low, but not so much so that the grapes should lie on the ground. 



