Vol. LVII. No. 2516. 
NEW YORK, APRIL 16, 1898. 
*1 PER YEAR. 
TRAINING THE GRAPE VINE. 
THE KNIFFIN SYSTEM 11.LUSTRATED. 
Just Where the Pruning Shears Should Be Used. 
HERE are few homes, either in city 
or country, that are not graced or 
disgraced by one or more grape 
vines. When properly trained, no vine is 
more ornamental, to say nothing of the 
beautiful, fragrant, luscious fruit such a 
vine will produce. However, nothing is 
more unsightly than a neglected, scrub¬ 
by. straggling grape vine, whose great weight of use¬ 
less wood causes it to break down its support, and col¬ 
lapse into an undignified brush-heap. About the only 
remedy for such a vine is to saw it off close to the 
ground, in early Spring, select one of the stronger new 
shoots, and allow it to begin life anew under rigid 
discipline and improved conditions. 
Of the various methods of grape-training, none is 
more popular, practical, or especially suitable for the 
busy farmer than the Kniffin system. For the benefit 
of those who planted grape vines last Fall, as well as 
those who intend to do so this Spring, I fully illustrate 
the most popular modification of the Kniffin plan of 
training, from the baby vine as it should appear dur¬ 
ing this, its first season's growth, to the age at which 
it may be considered a “mature vine”—five years from 
planting. 
We will suppose that well-grown, one-year-old plants 
are used. Having been carefully planted, a trifle 
deeper than it stood in the nursery row, cut the little 
vine back to two or three plump, healthy buds. Only 
one of these is allowed to grow, however, the extra 
bud or buds being simply held in reserve in case of 
accident, removed as soon as it is evident that they 
will not be needed. 
Fig. 118 shows the baby vine during its first sea¬ 
son’s growth. The pruning- of this little vine, the fol¬ 
lowing Spring, consists in cutting it back at the point 
indicated by a line in Fig. 118, which is about 12 or 14 
inches from the ground. Ordinarily, this “ stub ” will 
contain from four to six strong buds. Only two of 
these buds—the upper two—are allowed to grow dur¬ 
ing the second season, and they will develop as shown 
at Fig. 119. At this stage, the trellis should be pro¬ 
vided. Only two wires are necessary. The upper one 
should be about six feet from the ground, and the 
lower 2K feet below it. The position of the wires 
and the pruning of this two-year-old vine are very 
clearly shown in Fig. 120. It is now ready for its 
third season's growth, in which we may expect a sam¬ 
ple of its fruit. Only the upper two buds of each 
division of the trunk are permitted to grow—those 
below them being rubbed off. These young shoots 
may be trained in either direction upon their respect¬ 
ive wires, and each will produce from two to four fine 
clusters of fruit. 
Fig. 121 shows a young Concord during its third 
Summer and laden with its first crop of fruit. The 
pruning of this three-year-old vine consists in cutting 
each arm back to six or eight strong buds, when it 
will appear as shown in Fig. 122. The arms must 
now be securely fastened to the wires. Each bud 
may be expected to produce a new shoot and, as be¬ 
fore, each new cane from two to four clusters. 
Fig. 123 presents a four-year-old vine during growth 
and fruitage—bearing nearly 10 pounds of grapes. 
The management of the vine, so far, has been “plain 
sailing”; but now things are becoming “compli¬ 
cated ”—apparently. How shall we prune this four- 
year-old in order to maintain the Ivniftin type ? We 
THE BABY VINE. Fio. 118. THE SECOND SEASON. Fig. 119. SECOND PRUNING. Fig. 120. THE FIRST CROP OF FRUIT. Fig. 121. PRUNING AFTER FRUITING. Fig. 122. 
CROP OF THE FOUR-YEAR-OLD. Fig. 123. READY FOR BUSINESS AGAIN. Fig. 124. THE FIVE-YEAR-OLD VINE. Fig. 125. 
PRUNING THE VINE FROM BABYHOOD TO MATURITY ; THE KNIFFIN SYSTEM. 
