330 
THE GRAPE. 
fruit in perfection, without some attention to their habits and 
wants. The soil should be diy, deeply worked, and well en- 
riched, always bearing in mind that it is an essential poiit to 
secure a perfectly open, sunny exposure, as it may always be 
assumed that with us no atmosphere can be too warm or bright 
for the grape ; for although it will make the most vigorous 
shoots in the shade of trees or buildings, yet the crops will be 
small, the fruit poor and uncertain, and the vines likely to fall a 
prey to mildew. 
In the second place the vines should be kept within moderate 
bounds , and trained to an upright trellis. The Isabella and 
Catawba are so rampant in their growth, when young, that the 
indulgent and gratified cultivator is but too apt to allow them 
to overbear ; the border should always be given to the exclusive 
occupancy of the vines, and the roots should be allowed space 
proportional to the branches they are to carry. By observing 
these directions, and not suffering the vines to overbear, they may 
be continued a long time in full vigour and productiveness. 
The system of pruning and training these grapes generally 
pursued is the upright mode, with the spur mode of training. 
The first season’s growth of a newly planted vine is cut back 
to two buds the ensuing fall or spring. These two buds are 
allowed to form two upright shoots the next summer, which at 
the end of the season are brought down to a horizontal position, 
and fastened each way to the lower horizontal rail of the trellis, 
being shortened at the distance of three or four feet from the 
root — or as far each side as the plant is wished to extend. The 
next season, upright shoots are allowed to grow one foot apart, 
and these, as soon as they reach the top of the trellis, are also 
stopped. The next year the trellis being filled with the vines, 
a set of lateral shoots will be produced from the upright leaders 
with from one to three bunches upon each, which will be the 
first crop. The vine is now perfect, and, in the spur mode of 
pruning, it is only necessary at the close of every season, that 
is, at the autumnal or winter pruning, to cut back these lateral 
shoots, or fruit spurs, to within an inch of the upright shoot 
from which they sprung, and a new lateral producing fruit will 
annually supply its place, to be again cut out at the winter prnuing. 
After several years’ bearing, if it is found that the grapes fail 
m size or flavour, the vines should be cut down to the main 
horizontal shoots at the bottom of the trellis. They will then 
speedily make a new set of upright shoots which will produce 
very abundantly, as at first. 
It cannot be denied that the renewal system of training (see 
page 305). is certain of yielding always the largest and finest 
fruit, though not so large a crop — as half the surface of the vine 
is every year occupied with young wood, to take the place of 
that annually cut out. 
