August 26, 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
173 
26 
TH 
Stoke-on-Trent ?how. 
27 
F 
Sandy Show (.Beds) and Hinckley. 
28 
s 
29 
SUN 
10th Sunday after Trinity. 
SO 
M 
SI 
TU 
1 
W 
Bath and Oxford Shows. 
VINES AND GRAPES. 
T the first glance it is possible that some readers 
of the Journal may fail to see the necessity for 
the conjunction in this case, implying as it does 
a difference for which there is no justification. 
If you are going to write on Vines why not be 
content with the simple heading ? for surely 
Grapes are “ understood,” and Vines and Grapes 
naturally go together. It is easy to imagine 
some such reasoning as is embodied in the last 
sentence being called into action on the appearance of the 
dual heading to this chapter ; but it is necessary. There is 
no doubt Vines and Grapes ought to go together, but it is 
very certain they do not in all cases, or at least the examples 
of the latter, if they exist, are often miserably inferior and 
not worth calling Grapes. That they “ naturally ” go together 
is quite true ; but then man interferes and sometimes obstructs 
nature. No doubt he is quite ignorant of this ; indeed he may 
imagine he is assisting by his skill and artificial manipula¬ 
tion, when he is doing exactly the reverse. It is pain¬ 
fully evident that there are plenty of Vines without Grapes. 
What is more, there are numbers of Vines practically fruit¬ 
less, and consequently vexatious, that might be fruitful and 
satisfactory without spending a penny on them. The change 
may be effected by pruning, and pruning alone. 
The method of closely spurring in the laterals that spring 
from the main stems or rods of Vines has become so deeply 
embedded in the minds of men as the only right method, 
that it is practised with rigid uniformity and regardless of 
the condition of the Vines. That is not only a great mistake, 
but worse : it is a stupid blunder that is perpetuated yearly 
in hundreds of grapeless vineries. That is no mere figure of 
speech, but the plain expression of a sober fact. 
The orthodox system of pruning Vines by cutting off the 
laterals to the lowest bud, or within an inch or so of the rods, 
is so common, and in thousands of instances so satisfactory, 
that not a few persons, gardeners and amateurs, are con¬ 
vinced that it is the “ natural system,” and that no other 
can be right. It is not the natural system, but, on the con¬ 
trary, altogether artificial and even arbitrary. It answers 
admirably, it is true, and is adopted by the best cultivators. 
This proves, first, what a tractable plant the Vine is, and 
how amenable to training; and secondly, how great is the 
skill of gardeners who produce such splendid results as are 
seen at exhibitions, and not there only, for vast quantities of 
the finest of Grapes are grown that the show-visiting public 
never see. 
Not one word will be said against the spur system of 
pruning where it answers—that is, where the VineB are made 
to assume a character to which the method applies; and not 
one reader of these notes will be urged to change his plan 
of action who produces satisfactory crops of Grapes. But 
there are Vines all over the country to which the system in 
question does not apply, and to force it on them is foolish. 
It may be right for one class of Vines, and it is right; but 
it is utterly wrong for others. In fact, instead of being the 
No. 312. —Vol. XIII., Third Series. 
best method for them, it is the very worst that can be 
adopted. 
Vines are no more naturally adapted to the spur system 
of pruning than Peaches are, and Peaches can bo managed 
to form spurs, and these bear abundant crops just as well 
as Vines can ; but it is the fashion to spur Vines and not to 
spur Peaches, that is all. Being the fashion, young men are 
trained in it, and become competent; indeed the majority 
know of no other plan, and believe there is no other worthy 
of attention. So long as they have to deal with Vines that 
have been trained to it as well as they have, all is well; but 
if they happen to take the charge of Vines that have by acci¬ 
dent, neglect, or mismanagement gone out of training, their 
pet system if applied to them, as it usually ip, fails. They, 
however, do not perceive this. They blame the Vines or 
past managers. The Vines may not be in good condition, 
and the previous management may have been faulty. All 
that may be granted, but it does not quite exonerate the 
present manager for his mistake in clinging to a system that 
is foreign to the character of the Vines for which he is in the 
meantime responsible. It is his interest and his duty to 
grow Grapes, and if he cannot produce them by one method 
of pruning he ought to adopt another. If ho is an observant 
man he need not waste a year in trying the orthodox pruning 
on Vines and failing, as he may form a sufficiently good idea 
at the outset whether the Vines will endure that close muti¬ 
lation or not, and remain fruitful. The great majority pro¬ 
bably will, but there is a large minority that will not, and 
minorities cannot be ignored nowadays. 
There are two types of Vines to which the spur system of 
pruning cannot be profitably applied'—namely (1), Vines that 
are old and weak, producing thin wood and small foliage ; 
and (2) Vines that grow exuberantly, producing long-jointed 
shoots and large thin Rhubarb-like leaves. The eyes or buds 
at the base of "weak laterals on old or nearly worn out Vines 
are so small that they can only produce similarly weak 
growths in turn, too weak for bearing fruit, and not only so, 
but the leaves near the base of the laterals are so inferior, 
small, and destitute of tissue that they cannot assimilate and 
store the requisite matter in the buds for even the formation 
of embryo bunches. On such Vines the leaves get larger as 
the distance increases from the base or rod, and the buds in 
the axils of the fourth or fifth leaf are as large again as those 
“supported” by the first or second; and if the wood be 
examined microscopically it will be found to contain far more 
starch granules in the portions where the better foliage has 
been than below, where the leaves have been small and 
withered before the summer was half over. The laterals 
referred to, and there is no lack of them, are about a quarter 
of an inch in diameter, more or less, or say less than an inch 
in circumference. Wood of this character usually ripens well. 
Now let anyone, no matter who nor where, who may have 
Vines of that character cut back half the laterals to the 
lowest bud, or even the second eye from the rod, and let the 
remainder or alternate laterals be shortened 6 or 8 inches 
from the base, or wherever the boldest, and yet round ana 
firm, buds are situated. Observe the condition, “firm” 
buds. The result of this experiment will show how wrong it 
is to adhere to the short-spur system of pruning in the case 
of such Vines, for not only will the growths that issue from 
what may be termed the “ long pruned ” portion be decidedly 
stronger than those issuing from the small basal buds, but 
the former wili produce useful bunches and the latter none 
at all, oi here and there a poor attempt ending in a dozen or 
so of small berries. , 
Let persons who have Vines of the character described 
thin out the laterals now if crowded, leaving the strongest 
without injuring the foliage, and when the leaves fall shorten 
to the best buds, and next year they may expect twice the 
weight of Grapes they have this season. 
If it were necessary a dozen instances could be given 
where, owing to a change of pruning of the naiure indicated, 
No. 1978 — Yol. I-XXV., Old Series 
