724 



THE PRACTICAL GAKDrNF.R. 



[Afat/. 



With this view, go over every bunch in the house, and 

 with fresh matting, or small string, fix one end of it to the 

 extreme part or point of the shoulder of the bunch, and raise 

 it up as high as it will admit of, without running the hazard 

 of its being broken off, and fix the other end carefully to the 

 wires or shoots of the vines; then, with a pair of finely-pointec^* 

 scissars, rather longer than those in general use, for the con- 

 venience of getting at the berries towards the centre of the 

 bunch, begin to cut out all the smallest first, or such as are 

 immaturely formed, and also such a quantity of the more per- 

 fect ones, leaving the remaining berries hanging quite loose, 

 and detached from each other. As in the case of thinning 

 other fruits, this operation should not be completed at one 

 time, but reserving the final thinning till the beginning of next 

 month. It is no easy matter to say how many berries should 

 be cut out, as that must always depend on the kinds of vines, 

 the number of bunches upon them, and the size that the ber- 

 ries attain when fully matured. Those which set their fruit 

 closely, or crowded, should be more thinned than others that 

 set less freely ; and such as have many bunches of moderate 

 size upon them, should be much more thinned than when the 

 crop is scanty, and, in many cases, the removal of many entire 

 bunches will be necessary ; where such is the case, the small- 

 est will of course be cut ofT, and the finest lefl on the vine. 

 Those which produce berries of a large size, will also require 

 to be well thinned, and where fine fruit is the object, all must 

 be well thinned, that they may attain gi'eater perfection ; and 

 to say that one-fourth or one-third of the berries should be 

 cut oir, will not, in most cases, be too much. The musca- 

 dine, tokay, and sweet-water, will not require so much thin- 

 ning, generally, as some of the others. These arc apt to have 

 many small imperfect berries amongst the bunches, which 

 should all be cut out, and only a few of the perfect ones. 

 Such compact growing sorts as the frontigniacs, should be 

 more fully thinned, to allow room for the remaining berries to 

 swell to their full size, as well as to prevent the chance of 

 their rotting, in damp and cloudy weather, after they are ripe, 

 which a free circulation of air among their berries will mate- 

 rially prevent. 



