37 



When the blossom has fallen and the berry is moulded, the shoott! 

 on the side-runners are nipped or shred down to six eyes. They arc 

 kept short to allow the Vine a free circulation of the air. The upper- 

 most shoots are topped also and tied as before. 



At this time the Vine which has not more than one eighth of the 

 height, and scarcely a sixth of the breadth which it has yet to attain, 

 furnishes already from twenty to thirty clusters ; that is to say, it 

 produces as much as a Vine, kept in the ordinary way, that has its 

 full growth. 



In the sixth year the pyramids begin to ascend, and look shapely. 

 The two uppermost sprouts are pruned as the year before, one down 

 to 5 eyes, the other to 6 ; and the spiral is continued; care being taken 

 to wind and bind them before the buds begin to show out, not to risk 

 breaking them off, and spoiling the regularity of the Cone. The last 

 year's sprouts on the side-runners are now cut down to4 eyes ; if there 

 are lateral sprouts on these again, they are not suppressed, but accor- 

 ding to their strength are left with 1 or 2 eyes at most. The upper- 

 most stems are tied up and topped when too long, as before ; this ope- 

 ration is performed when the berry has set. The Vines, this season 

 yieW, from thirty to sixty clusters a piece. 



In the seventh year, all the same processes are performed, the same 

 as the preceding year ; and from fifty to a hundred clusters are gath- 

 ered from every Vine. During the eighth and ninth years, the same 

 attentions are given until the spiral has reached the top of the post. 

 From this time forth, whatever surmounts the post is to be pruned 

 down every spring, while the side-runners are to be allowed a little 

 longer than before. The diameters of the base and of the summit, 

 should be in the proportion of two to one, or three to one in places expo- 

 sed to the force of tlie wmds. There need be no anxiety about the 

 too great spreading of the outer circumference ; if determined to 

 prune it into shape, allow the wood time to strengthen, and proportion 

 the clipping as the side shoots become firm and stout. But in no case 

 must there be more than two eyes left on a side shoot ; even some 

 of the side runners, and at any rate some of the side shoots should be 

 thmned out, if they are too numerous and crowded ; without this 

 precaution they will reeiprocaily weaken and stifle each other. A 

 Vineyard of 2000 stocks trained in the above manner, and thinned 

 inthe fall, in cool years, of those leaves which hide the sun from the 

 clusters, yields yearly 26 000 gals, of wine ; while on the other hand, 

 6000 Vine-stocks trained in the ordinary way produce in common 

 seasons only from 780 to 1300 gallons, and in the very best seasons 

 only about 2600 gallon?- 



