1875. ] 
VINES AND VINE-CULTURE.—CHAPTER VIII. 
149 
The thinning of the berries, or Grape-thinning, as it is popularly called, is 
a delicate and somewhat tedious operation. To be expert at this work requires 
not only considerable practice, but a quick eye to see where and what to cut, 
and a nimble yet steady hand, so that the berries retained are not injured. The 
figures here given represent, (1) a small bunch of Black Hamburgh unthinned, 
and (2) one of similar size after being properly thinned. In the former there 
were 132 berries, and in the second there were, before any were cut out, in all 
124 berries, but these have been reduced by the scissors to 36—about one-third. 
This may be taken as a fair average of the thinning required for ordinarily well- 
set Black Hamburgh Grapes. Of course, the number retained should vary 
according to the size of the berries of the sort; such as the Eoyal Muscadine 
do not require to be so severely treated. It seems to the uninitiated a great 
sacrifice to cut away so many, the thinned bunch appearing quite a skeleton; but 
when it is remembered that each berry, when fully grown, should be nearly one 
inch in diameter (oftentimes more), it is plain that to leave more than there is 
actual space for, is absurd as well as injurious, 
