On the Cultivation of the Vine. 339 
of the same aggregate weight, equally in a state of maturity; the prepon- 
derance of the scale of merit will be given, I apprehend, by all competent 
judges, to the fifty instead of the hundred." 
In this opinion, most persons will, I presume, cordially aecjuiesce, the 
attainment therefore, of these tine clusters, is now the object of enquiry; 
and it can be effected only — -as Mr. Lindley remarks — *' by having the 
Vine in a vigorous and flourishing state. In the hot-house, or in the 
vinery, as soon as the Vines are planted out, one rjood shoot must be 
obtained for each rafter, or other place intended for its support ; and as 
soon as the leaves are fallen otf, it should be cut down to the bottom 
of the rafter. In the spring, the two uppermost shoot i must be trained 
at length, cutting off any others which may be produced from the lower 
eyes. When they have grown to the top of the rafter, they must be 
stopped ; this will occasion two or three of the up^er eyes to push out 
into lateral shoots, which must be treated in the same manner as directed 
under the head Propagation,''' (that is, "they must be shortened to two 
eyes each,") "and the small laterals, from beside the main buds, from 
their first appearance, must be treated in a similar manner. 
" When these two shoots have cast their leaves in the autumn, one of 
them should be cut down to two eyes, leaving the other shoot to ten, 
twelve, or fifteen, according to its strength. This, according to Mr. 
Speechly's method, is the commencement of an alternate system of fruit- 
ing one shoot this year, to be cut down for the purpose of furnishing a 
supply for the next. 
" If the number of eyes left upon the long shoot be not too great, they 
will all push and show fruit, one or two bunches from each eye; which, 
for the first crop, had perhaps better be reduced to one, and this at the 
time after the berries are set, as it will then be seen which is most likely 
to form the best bunch, leaving that and cutting the other away ; stop- 
ping the shool at the same time, two joints above the fruit. The upper- 
most eye will push again, which must be treated as described before, for 
laterals." 
I have been much struck by the description of a mode of pruning and 
training, practised and detailed by Mr. Seton, of Stamford-Hill, near 
London ; — it is to be found in the Encyclopaedia of Gardening, paragraph 
2981 and 2982, in an extract from the third volume of the Horticultural 
Transactions. "Having observed," Mr. Seton says, "that the fruit pro- 
duced on vigorous shoots which usually grow at the extremities of the 
branches, is. generally, more abundant, and of a finer quality, than that 
produced on the short lateral ones, I was desirous to promote the growth 
and preservation of the former; but the usual mode of training the 
branches, across the house and upwards, being subject to the objection 
before-mentioned, and little scope being afforded for it in a house of 
small dimensions, I thought I should obviate these inconveniences, in 
