SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR 
149 
rumps and vvnen remoriscraied with, say, he was pruning 
them; we are of opinion a commission of lunacy would 
Boon be sued out against him; yet there would be about 
the same amount of good sense in one case as the other. 
On the one hand he would soon be without fruit and 
trees, for the scorching summer sun soon burns them to 
death: while the flies and other insects would soon reduce 
bis horses and cattle to skin and bones, and finally to 
death. 
We recently made a short trip through a portion of 
Middle Georgia, and saw numerous orchards of apple 
and peach trees, but amongst all, we never saw one tree 
properly trained or trimmed — all were trimmed up high, 
and Irom one-third to one-half of all the trees we saw, 
were dead on the southwest sides of their trunks, yet we 
lever found one man who could tell the cause, and pro- 
bably had never even thought of it. 
The scalding of the trunks of fruit trees on their south- 
western sides, by the rays of the sun falling on them dur- 
ing the long days of summer, kills and injures more of 
them than all other causes and diseases put together, and 
the owner alone is to blame for it, through his pruning 
operations. 
Remonstrate with him — tell him his trees should have 
low heads, and rarely need any trimming — he will meet 
you with the question : How am I to plow under them 
and cultivate the ground ? You have no business at all to 
plow under them, and expect a crop of something else; 
plow up to them until the limbs begin to interfere with 
you, and you are as near as you should go. The roots of 
a tree extend about as far as the limbs, and, as they take 
nourishment mostly from their ends, you have plowed 
and stirred the earth to precisely the right point when 
you come to the limbs ; nearer to the trunk than this is an 
injury, for you necessarily mangle and injure the roots. 
With young and newly planted trees which have but 
small or no tops, it is necessary to shade artificially, by 
plncing a clapboard beside them, securing it with a tie of 
some sort, or any other means which may suggest itself 
As soon as the tops are sufficiently grown to protect 
the trunks with their shade, which is the second or third 
year, all other means may be dispensed with. Some will 
say, I cannot make my trees branch out low down. To 
such we say, top them, and, our word for it, you will not 
have it to say again. The naked trunk of an apple tree 
should be about three feet high ; that of a peach tree from 
one and a half to two feet high to the limbs, which latter 
should be shortened about one- half their growth annually 
which will keep a new growth of fruit-bearing v/ood in 
the interior of the tree, instead of being alone at the ends 
of tke limbs. 
It is with raising fruit as with every other crop, if at- 
tended to and cultivated as is cotton or corn, our labor 
will be rewarded ; but we have no more right to expect a 
crop of fruit from an old, worn out, uncultivated sedge 
field, than we would a crop of corn on the same land 
without plowing or hoeing. “By the sweat of thy brow 
shall thou eat thy daily bread,” is the fiat of Almighty 
God, and he who thinks he can escape it will soon find 
his mistake. J. Van Buren, 
Clarksville, Habersham Co , Ga., Ftb., 1859. 
GRAPE CULTURE — PRUNING, TRAINING, &c. 
From the proceedings of a late meeting of the New 
York Farmer’s Club, we extract the following : 
Grape Culture — This was one of the questions of the 
day, and was called up in preference to any other for the 
purpose of getting Dr. Grant of Iona, an island in the 
Hudson, near Peekskill, to give the Club his views. The 
Doctor has devoterf a gr^at deal of attention to grape cul- 
tore, and has read all that has been published, and his re- 
narks were li^itened to with un attention that showed how 
deep an interest is taken in this question. We can only 
give a few brief notes of what he said, all of which he il- 
lustrated with well-executed drawings, and with real 
vines. His discourse was one abounding with jiractical 
information. Several grape growers present gathered 
near to catch every word, often putting questions that 
elicited valuable information. 
Pruning —Cut off the first year’s growth above two 
buds, and next year cut back so as leave two buds of that 
year’s growth. In nature a vine grows both branch and 
roots to a great length, before bearing fruit, as it can bear 
no fruit until its leaves and branches reach the air and sun 
at the top of the tree. In cuhivation we must train vines 
to new habits. We cannot depend upon any but native 
varieties. A well grown vine will reach 5 or 6 feet the 
first year, and 10 or 12 leet the second year, and its suc- 
cess as a bearer will mainly depend upon the manner of 
trimming and training it the fiist years. No untrimmed 
vine can remain healthy and be productive. Fruit buds 
grow upon the same branches but once. Ten feet square 
of ground is required for a root, and six or seven time.? 
that for the vine. Mildew is the great enemy to contend 
with, and the vine must have air and vigorous growth, 
for that tends to prevent mildew, and it must have room 
FO as to expose every leaf to the sun. On the third year 
two bunches to a cane, or branch, is all one can grow to 
perfection; all others must be plucked cff. The leaves 
naturally develop themselves to the sun, and no more 
leaves must be left than will fill the space. No healthy 
leaf grow’s in the shade. Vines suffered to bear too full the 
third year are ruined ever after. 
The fourth year, train up four upright canes, and these 
will each produce three bunches, and the horizontal 
shoots will produce 24 bunches and bud out new shoots. 
Only three bunches to a shoot should be grown, and a 
buncn never should be exposed to the noon-day sun. 
Training vines upon the trellis is best for the vineyard. 
The arbor gives shade, and may give satisfaction ; but the 
trellis gives the most fruit. Four feet length of elevation 
of canes is as much as will produce perfect fruit. 
At the end of the seventh year the vine is fully establish- 
ed, with three branches on each shoot, w'hich will give 
six bunches, three on each arm betv/een each upright. 
At the base of each shoot is a bud for the fruit-bearing 
shoot next year. The ends of the fruit bearing branches 
must be stopped at about two feet from the base. It will 
shoot again, and must be stopped again, leaving one leaf. 
The best thing to tie the vines to the tre!lis-v.^ires is bas- 
ket willow. Bull-rushes are also good. Hatters trimmings 
are ah-o recommended. 
If all the buds are permitted to gro%v, the vine will soon be 
ruined. The best branches always grow nearest the stalk. 
November is the best time to shorten back a vine to the 
buds that are to be left for bearing. It is an object with 
the young vine to cut back or stop the growth of branch- 
es, to give strength to the root. Pinching the bud of a 
growing vine is to give vigor to the root, as well as the 
buds that are to furnish the canes for fruit next year. 
The Doctor exhibited vines one year old six fbet long, 
and two years old twelve feet long, grown from two-eyed 
cutting of the Diana Grape, which is considered a slow 
grower. Long cuttings should never be planted. Two' 
or three eyes are better ; two eyes are best. A serpen- 
tine form given to a young vine makes it grow stronger. 
The best plan to get new vines is by layers. It makes 
vines that will bear earlier. I have seen five bunches 
upon a Delaware cane of one year grow perfect. But 
three bunches to a cane generally is as much as can be 
depended upon. A vine must not be made to overbear, 
or over-produce wood. Sparing the knife spoils the vine. 
I think, in this country, that the trellis form of growing 
vines both for wine and market fruit, ^ill be the best plan 
— better than growinu; upon stakes On posts seven or 
