THE CHASE NURSERIES, GENEVA. N. Y. 
WHEREVER you go, north, east, south and west, whether on hill or in val- 
ley, on poor soil or rich, you will find the grape generously giving of its 
bounty and loyal to its master whether he give care or neglect. If you plant 
but one fruit, plant the grape. Nothing is better for the money, nothing quite 
so sure to grow, nothing quite so sure to bear, nothing quite so sure to please 
every mouth. Plant it wherever you can find a spot six inches square. It has 
its likes, but it never insists on them. With its roots in any odd nook, you can 
lead it away in any direction to provide a grateful shade for a restful seat. 
Crops — Crop moderately if you would have fine, well ripened fruit. A vine 
is capable of bringing only a certain amount of fruit to perfection, proportioned 
to its size and strength; but it usually sets more fruit than it can mature; 
reduce the crop early in the season to a moderate number of good clusters, and 
cut off all the small inferior bunches; the remainder will be worth much more 
than the whole would have been. A very heavy crop is usually a disastrous one. 
Pruning — Annual and careful pruning is essential to the production of 
good Grapes. If the roots are called upon to support too much wood, they can- 
not bring to maturity a fine crop of fruit. The pruning should be done in 
November, December, February or March, while the vines are entirely dormant. 
Training Vines — There are many methods of training grape vines, but as 
trellises are more generally employed, we will confine our suggestion to a 
description of the trellis method. To construct a trellis take posts of oak, 
cedar or chestnut 8 to 10 feet long, set them 3 feet in the ground and about 12 
feet apart. Stretch No. 9 galvanized wire tightly along the posts and fasten 
them to each. Let the first wire be 18 inches from the ground, and the distance 
between the wire 12 inches. "Wooden slats about one by two inches may be 
substituted for wires. Trellises should be at least 10 feet apart, a greater dis- 
tance preferable. Set the vines about 20 feet apart. Prune the vines to two 
canes each for two years after they are planted. In February or March these 
canes should be cut back to 5 or 6 feet each, and tied along the lower wire or 
slat of the trellis horizontally. 
When the growth commences in spring the young shoots must be reduced 
by disbudding so that they may stand about a foot apart on the cane, selecting, 
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