THE FORCING GARDEN. 



771 



position of always keeping the vines, as it were young, by 

 never allowing any old wood to remain that can be cut out, 

 unless it be those which are well provided with younger 

 branches, and convey, as it were, their younger shoots towards 

 the more remote parts of the space to be so covered. All old 

 wood that can be thus spared should be first removed, even 

 some of such shoots as may be of several years' growth, and 

 that have acquired a considerable diameter towards the root ; 

 such of these as are not well supplied with young bearing- 

 wood, better than any that may be contiguous to them, should 

 be entirely removed fi^om the very bottom. Such shoots as 

 were laid in during summer, and which will have attained a 

 considerable length, should be shortened more or less as the 

 regular distribution of young wood may require ; and such of 

 the smaller and short shoots that have been stopped, and 

 treated like spurs, should be shortened into one, two, three, 

 or four eyes, according to their several strengths, and more 

 or less of them removed according as the space may or may 

 not be filled sufficiently with young wood. This shortening 

 in of all the shoots in the house depends much less upon any 

 specified length than upon the regular distribution of young 

 wood throughout the whole; the stronger and well-formed 

 shoots should, however, always be preferred to those which 

 are less strong; therefore, the principal supply of bearing- 

 wood is thus to be selected fi'om the shoots trained in and 

 reserved for this purpose during summer, and the smaller 

 spur-like shoots to be resorted to as substitutes where there 

 may be a deficiency of the former, as the finest fruit, in re- 

 gard to size, &c., will be produced from the stronger shoots ; 

 but grapes, in flavor equally good, will be the produce of such 

 as are of a less luxuriant growths It should always be a prin- 

 cipal object in view in the training of every tree, to secure a 

 sufficient stock of proper wood at the bottom, as all trees are 

 naturally inclined to push stronger towards their extremity ; 

 this habit, however, must be counteracted by using the knife 

 more freely towards these parts, and thus ensuring a plentiful 

 supply of wood at those parts, which, if once suffered to be- 

 come naked, cannot be so readily filled up again. In shorten- 

 ing the shoots, of whatever size, cut an inch or an inch and 



