74 
Magazine  of  the  School  of  Agriculture . 
these  two  described  by  Mr.  Allen,  there  are 
several  other  methods  for  training  the  vine.  For 
instance,  some  make  it  trail  along  the  ground 
like  cucumber  creepers,  while  others,  by  a series 
of  nippings  and  primings,  make  it  grow  lihe 
a dwarf  bush  without  any  stake  or  support  of 
any  kind.  There  are  also  other  ways,  such  as 
the  coiling  system,  the  spur  system  and  the  long 
or  succession  method.  But  the  one  with  which 
we  in  Ceylon  are  most  familiar  is  to  grow  it 
on  trellises  or  ‘ pandals.’  Of  course  when  the 
vine  is  trained  in  this  way  there  is  the  extra 
expense  for  putting  up  the  ‘ pandal  ’ ; but  this 
method  seems  so  peculiarly  suited  to  this  country, 
so  highly  favourable  to  the  healthy  growth  of 
grapes,  and  so  well  adapted  to  keep  out  injury 
from  external  causes  as  far  as  practicable,  that 
the  expense  for  the  pandal  can  be  well  incurred. 
But  at  the  same  time  it  would  be  advisable  to 
try  other  methods  as  well  on  a small  scale,  so 
that  we  might  have  some  definite  basis  for 
comparing  the  relative  merits  of  the  various 
systems  of  training. 
2.  Pruning  and  Wintering. — The  vine  may 
be  first  pruned  for  bearing  when  it  is  about  15 
or  18  months  old.  All  the  dry  branches  and 
useless  runners  must  be  cut  off  as  close  as  possible 
to  the  joint  without  hurting  it,  and  all  the 
leaves  must  be  stript.  The  old  shoots  which 
bear  this  year  will  not  bear  again.  The  leading 
shoots  should  be  shortened  back  to  firm  wood, 
and  the  lateral  branches  to  one  or  two  buds. 
If  you  find  too  many  branches  at  the  end  of 
a main  shoot,  cut  them  off  with  a part  of  the 
parent  limb.  Use  a very  sharp  knife  and  always 
cut  in  a sloping  direction  an  inch  or  so  beyond 
the  terminal  bud. 
The  mere  pruning  of  the  leaves  and  twigs  in 
this  manner  has  been  found  in  several  instances 
to  make  the  vine  bear  fruit  in  some  parts  of 
the  island.  But  it  is  generally  considered  better 
to  lay  open  the  roots  for  a few  days  simul- 
taneously with  the  pruning.  The  following  is 
the  method  adopted  by  the  best  grape-growers 
in  Jaffna: — Dig  round  the  root  carefully,  make 
it  bare  and  cut  off  also  a few  of  the  fine  root- 
lets. Keep  it  open  for  ten  days  or  so.  If  you 
find  the  blossoms  coming  out  with  the  leaves, 
the  vine  may  be  watered  after  covering  the 
roots  with  about  4 or  o baskets  of  well-rotted 
cattle  manure  mixed  with  the  earth.  If,  how- 
ever, the  blossoms  have  not  appeared  by  that 
time,  the  root  must  be  left  still  open  for  about 
a week  longer,  then  covered,  manured  and  watered. 
3.  Manuring  and  Watering: — I have  mentioned 
only  cowdung,  because  it  is  the  kind  most 
commonly  applied;  but  a good  sprinkling  of 
broken  bones  along  with  it  is  to  be  highly 
recommended.  The  vine  is  a gross  feeder  and 
a great  drinker,  and  should,  therefore,  be  liberally 
watered  and  manured.  Sewage  and  slaughter- 
house refuse  and  the  carcasses  of  animals  are 
also  applied ; but  care  should  be  taken  that 
rank  manures  be  not  applied  to  excess  or  too 
near  the  roots.  In  fact,  the  proper  way  would 
be  to  prepare  them  beforehand  in  the  form  of 
a compost  by  mixing  them  with  earths,  leaves, 
weeds  and  clearings  of  roads,  ditches,  ponds,  &c., 
and  frequently  turning  them  over  till  they  are 
duly  ameliorated  by  time  and  are  rendered  fit 
for  use.  Liquid  manure  may  be  applied  now  i 
and  then  while  the  fruit,  is  swelling.  The 
watering  must  be  copious  the  first  day  after 
manuring  and  returning  the  soil;  afterwards 
it  is  done  moderately  every  second  day,  until  you 
see  that  the  vine  has  blossomed  well,  then  every 
day  until  the  fruit  begins  to  get  a little  larger 
than  peppercorns,  then  twice  a day.  The  more 
water  it  gets  afterwards,  the  grapes  will  be  all 
the  sweeter  and  sooner  ripe.  But  if  too  much 
water  is  given  before  the  blossoms  come  out 
well,  the  plant  will  run  too  much  to  leaf  at 
the  expense  of  the  fruit.  Watering  should  be 
stopped  when  the  grapes  begin  to  ripen. 
4.  Discussion  about  Exposing  the  Boots.—  The 
roots  of  the  vine  are  laid  bare  in  order  to  give 
it  an  artificial  wintering  by  checking  the  continual 
flow"  of  sap,  and  thus  prepare  it  for  a fresh 
fruit-bearing  start.  Some  gardeners  object  to  it 
as  it  is  rather  a rough  and  risky  method  of 
treating  the  vine,  and  perhaps  interferes  with 
its  longevity.  But  in  Jaffna,  Calpentyn,  and  many 
other  parts  of  Ceylon,  it  is  considered  indis- 
pensable to  profitable  grape  culture.  Of  course 
in  the  temperate  regions  of  Europe,  Australia  and 
America,  there  is  no  need  for  an  artificial  hy- 
bernation, as  it  is  amply  provided  for  in  the 
natural  way  by  the  climate.  But  in  Ceylon  with 
its  perennial  spring,  the  up-ward  flow  of  sap 
goes  on  with  an  unceasing  activity  in  most 
parts  of  the  country ; hence  the  necessity  for 
exposing  the  roots.  Nevertheless,  there  are  some 
districts  where  this  process  might  be  dispensed 
with,  and  pruning  only  will  suffice  to  make  it 
bear  well.  For  example,  in  Kandy  and  some 
other  parts  of  the  hill  country,  it  is  found  that 
as  soon  as  the  vine  has  given  a crop,  the  leaves 
turn  yellow  and  remain  so  until  again  pruned, 
when  new  life  seems  put  into  it,  and  in  two  or 
three  weeks  from  pruning  it  is  again  decked  in  green 
and  blossom.  Where,  however,  it  becomes  necessary 
to  lay  the  roots  bare,  the  risk  consequent  upon  the 
process  can  be  minimized  by  digging  and  ex- 
posing only  one-lialf  of  the  roots  for  one  season 
and  the  other  half  the  next,  as  is  done  by  some 
Jaffna  gardeners. 
5.  The  Season  for  Pruning  and  Wintering. — 
This  must  be  determined  chiefly  by  the  climate 
of  the  place.  If  any  rain  happens  to  fall  while 
the  roots  lie  exposed,  the  vine  will  throw  out 
any  amount  of  wood  and  leaves  but  little  or 
no  blossom.  It  is  therefore  very  important  that 
we  should  make  sure  of  at  least  three  weeks 
of  dry  weather  for  the  wintering.  It  is  at  the 
same  time  desirable  to  do  it  five  months  before 
the  next  dry  season,  so  as  to  secure  dry  weather 
for  the  ripening  of  the  fruit  too. 
The  vine  in  Jaffna  has  two  seasons.  The 
first  season  begins  early  in  March,  and  the  second 
in  August,  and  it  is  pruned  and  wintered  at 
these  two  parts  of  the  year.  Most  of  the  Jaffna 
gardeners,  however,  prune  only  once  in  April 
or  May  and  are  satisfied  with  one  crop.  This 
is  the  case  at  Calpentyn  too.  In  Kandy  it 
is  pruned  in  the  latter  part  of  April  and  October. 
Father  Assauw,'iu  a letter  he  has  been  kind 
enough  to  write  me  from  Wahakota,  says : — “I 
prune  my  vines  in  February  and  October.  But 
that  is  not  a general  rule,  as  I have  found  it 
does  not  answer  in  all  places.  The  vines  I had 
when  at  Negombo  were  pruned  only  once  a year, 
as  is  also  done,  I believe,  in  Chilaw  and  Jaffna. 
