28 
THE FLOEIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ February, 
We prune and cut our Vines according as we desire to train them. Be it under¬ 
stood that the shoots of the one season are produced from the matured buds on 
the shoots of the previous year, and that each bud on a Vine is capable of pro¬ 
ducing a shoot just according to the vigour of the plant, or to the mode or 
manner of the pruning. 
Thirdly, we prune our Vines to 
the end that we may obtain fruit. 
This is an obvious reason, though 
the mere act of pruning can only 
to a very limited extent assist in 
the production of the fruit. By 
pruning we take away much of 
the fruit-producing parts, but we 
concentrate force or power on 
others. The fruit of the Vine is 
produced on the young shoots from 
the matured buds of the previous 
year. The more complete the 
maturity of the buds, the more 
likelihood of fruit being produced, 
so that in pruning for fruit if the 
Vine is badly ripened it is not 
advisable to prune too closely. 
Well-ripened Vines will, however, 
produce fruit from nearly every 
bud, so that the danger of losing 
a crop by too close pruning is not 
very great. 
In order that my remarks may 
be the more clearly understood, I 
shall make use of some illustrations 
of the various operations. I begin 
therefore with a young Vine (fig. 1) 
as about to be planted. It is a 
plant that has been grown from 
an eye the previous year, and is 
therefore about twelve months old 
—a long spindly thing of from 
3 ft. to 4 ft. long. It may be planted during any of the winter months, but the 
earlier the better. 
The first question asked by the uninitiated is this, “ To what length shall 
I prune my Vines after planting ?” My general answer is, “ Cut them as low 
down as you can.” When planted in such a position that the whole plant right 
Fig. 1.—Youxg Vink, cut back. 
