1911. 
TRAINING AND PRUNING THE GRAPE¬ 
VINE. 
The amateur can often take advantage 
of walls upon which to train grapes; he 
can also use grapes for covering unsightly 
objects. They are exceedingly tractable 
and plastic by nature, and accommodate 
themselves to apparently difficult situa¬ 
tions. The training of grapes is one 
thing. This means the adopting or choos¬ 
ing of a certain method of growing them. 
Whether the grower shall lead out two 
arms at right angles, and in opposite di¬ 
rections from the upright stem, and from 
these direct parallel upright canes; or 
whether he shall lead out in radiating 
fashion several canes from the base, or 
whether he shall lead long canes up over 
an arbor for the purpose of completely en¬ 
shrouding it, are matters of training. The 
pruning of grapevines consists in cutting 
back the right amount of the current sea¬ 
son’s growth, the amount which experi¬ 
ence says a grape of a certain habit of 
growth and certain amount of individual 
vigor should respond to properly. The 
pruning of grapes is a simple matter when 
their habit of growth is understood. We 
prune either to check or stimulate vigor, 
to encourage fruit production, or, on the 
other hand, to discourage it. 
The fruit of all varieties we deal with 
in the North and East is borne on the 
wood produced during the current year’s 
growth, and by its wood springs from buds 
produced by last year’s shoots. Each bud 
of last year, except those which come from 
suckers or base shoots, Is a promise of a 
fruit-bearing shoot, and each shoot is a 
promise of from two to five bunches of 
grapes. These promises are not all ful¬ 
filled, but they are realized in proportion 
as the grape is healthy and the season 
favorable. It is, then, not difficult on a 
five or six-year-old grapevine to estimate 
with a fair degree of accuracy how many 
bunches of fruit we may have if we prune 
15 or 20 fruit-bearing buds. With this 
general proposition in mind, the pruning of 
the grape is not difficult. The purposes of 
training, on the other hand, are to dis¬ 
pose the grape suitably so that it may 
ripen its fruit evenly .and well. The 
amateur can afford to train as his fancy 
dictates. The commercial grower must 
train to suit his climate, soil, varieties 
and the kind of labor which he is obliged 
to employ. In either case, the object is 
to produce the approximate number of 
fruitbearing shoots the vigor of the va¬ 
riety suggests that it should carry for the 
best results. 
The “fan system” is used most freely 
where vines are protected in the Autumn 
by laying them down and covering them 
with soil. The canes are carried up from 
the ground in a divergent manner, in the 
form of a fan. The old canes are cut out 
and removed from time to time as they 
grow too rigid to allow of easy bending. 
At the close of the growing season, after 
the leaves have fallen, the greater number 
of the canes are cut back to the last bud. 
A few of the strongest are left, in order 
to carry the fruit to a greater height upon 
the trellis. There is a tendency on the 
part of the grower who prunes after this 
fashion to allow too much wood to remain 
on the plant in the Autumn, especially 
when it is young. The vine should not 
be allowed to bear the second year after 
setting out, and only a small crop the 
third year. A heavy crop of fruit borne 
by young vines the third year after plant¬ 
ing will sometimes ruin the yield for two 
or three succeeding years, and occasion¬ 
ally destroy the vines. The prospective 
crop may be more or less accurately esti¬ 
mated by multiplying the number of buds 
by two; this kind of estimate may be 
used as a guide in pruning. The fan sys¬ 
tem aims at starting the canes near the 
ground, giving the vine practically several 
main stems. The “high renewal” system, 
or modification of it, is probably more 
generally adopted throughout commercial 
grape sections than any other. It aims at 
starting the head about two feet from the 
ground, so that the main branches are tied 
to the lower wire. The vine is usually 
started the second year with two canes 
striking out in Y-shaped fashion. In the 
Fall of the same year all side shoots are 
cut back closely and the main canes cut 
back to four or five buds each. The third 
season, three or four of the strongest 
shoots springing from the center of the 
head are allowed to grow. In the Autumn 
these replace the outer arms, and arc in 
turn replaced by them the following sea¬ 
son. The aim is, then, to renew the fruit¬ 
ing canes from different parts of the old 
wood every year. The number of buds to 
be left will depend upon the strength of 
the variety and the individual plant. Con¬ 
cord, Niagara and Worden will carry with 
safety more wood than Moore’s Early or 
Delaware, and this is true without refer¬ 
ence to the method employed. As the 
canes grow they are tied to the wires of 
the trellis, distributing the foliage as much 
as possible. It is usually found necessary 
to go over the vineyard two, three and 
occasionally four times during the Sum¬ 
mer. 
The “horizontal two-arm system” is es¬ 
pecially adapted to sections of the country 
THE RU RAL NEW-YORKER 
313 
where it is advisable to give the vines 
Winter protection. Two strong canes are 
trained in opposite directions. The laterals 
springing from these are trained .perpen¬ 
dicularly. In the Autumn the laterals are 
cut back to short one-eye spurs. When 
the spurs become weak they are renewed, 
as is an entire arm occasionally. This 
system calls for a four-wired trellis, in 
order to properly tie the strong upright 
growths. Well adapted to wall or high 
garden trellis, the three methods of train¬ 
ing described thus far are all on the up¬ 
right plan, in those which follow the vines 
hang down. 
The “four-cane Kniffin” is essentially 
a commercial system and exclusively 
adapted in field culture in certain parts 
of New York State. In this system the 
trellis consists of two wires. The main 
cane is carried to the top wire and from 
it an arm is trained each way on the two 
wires. The side canes are tied to the 
wires and the lower ends allowed to hang 
free. Several modifications of this system 
are in use. 
We now come to overhead or arbor sys¬ 
tems. In one of these systems the vines 
are carried up seven-foot posts and al¬ 
lowed to rest on cross wires, forming in 
this way a kind of arbor. One plan is 
to nail a crosspiece to each part at right 
angles to the pole. This extends three 
feet on each side. Three wires are 
stretched on these, one at each end, the 
other in the middle, to the posts. The 
trellis is thus a horizontal one, and six 
feet above the ground. An unbranched 
trunk is carried up to the middle vine 
and the canes spread either side from this 
point. A T-shaped head is considered the 
ideal form. Another overhead system is 
known as the “cross-wire Kniffin.” On 
this a small post six or seven feet high 
is set for each vine. The tops of the posts 
are connected by cross wires. The vines 
are trained up the posts, and on reaching 
the top four arms are trained outward, one 
on each wire. In the Autumn the arms 
are cut back to six or eight buds each. 
The amateur may start two canes from the 
ground, spreading as they rise, and may 
depend upon laterals to cover his arbor. 
“Post training” is only satisfactory 
where there is plenty of heat to ripen the 
grapes, and gives fullest satisfaction with 
weak-growing varieties. Four or five-foot 
stakes may be used. Two or three canes 
are trained up each year from the ground. 
It is strictly a renewal plan. Much Sum¬ 
mer pruning and pinching are required to 
regulate growth. But, on the other hand, 
the vines may be tucked in four by four 
feet apart. Delaware, Golden Drop and 
Campbell’s Early can be grown on posts 
with some satisfaction. 
Pruning of the annual kind may be 
done after the leaves are killed by frost 
or the wood is thoroughly ripened. When 
the vines are taken off the trellis, as in 
30-degree-below-zero sections, the pruning 
is done just before laying the canes down 
in Autumn. Where the vines do not need 
Winter protection, the pruning may be 
done any convenient time during late Fall 
or Winter. It should not be deferred till 
the sap flows in Spring, as vines pruned 
at this time are often weakened by ex¬ 
cessive bleeding. It is always desirable to 
remove the shoots that spring from or 
near the base of the vine, except when 
they are required for a special end. These 
shoots are quickly broken # out, or nipped off 
when soft and succulent. A certain amount 
of shortening back is also desirable. This 
should not be done too early in the season. 
If pinched early in the growing season, a 
great mass of laterals is produced and 
the amount of work very much augmented. 
T. a. T. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
II. N.-Y. and you’ll get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See guarantee page 20. 
HONEST CONFESSION. 
A Doctor’s Talk on Food. 
There are no fairer set of men on earth 
than the doctors, and when they find they 
have been in error they are usually apt 
to make honest and manly admission of 
the fact. 
A case in point is that of a practitioner, 
one of the good old school, who lives in 
Texas. His plain, unvarnished tale needs 
no dressing up: 
“I had always had an intense preju¬ 
dice, which I can now see was unwar¬ 
rantable and unreasonable, against all 
muchly advertisedlfoods. Hence, I never 
read a line of the many ‘ads’ of Grape- 
Nuts, nor tested the food till last winter. 
“While in Corpus Christi for my 
health, and visiting my youngest son, 
who has four’of the ruddiest, healthiest 
little boys I ever saw, I ate my first 
dish of Grape-Nuts food for supper with 
my little grandsons. 
“I became exceeding fond of it and 
have eaten a package of it every week 
since, and find it a delicious, refreshing 
and strengthening food, leaving no ill 
effects whatever, causing no eructations 
(with which I was formerly much 
troubled), no sense of fullness, nausea, 
nor distress of stomach in any way. 
“There is no other food that agrees 
with me so well, or sits as lightly or 
pleasantly upon my stomach as this does. 
“I am stronger and more active since I 
began the use of Grape-Nuts than I have 
been for 10 years, and am no longer 
troubled with nausea and indigestion.” 
Name given by Postum Co., Battle 
Creek, Mich. 
Look in pkgs. for the famous little 
hook, ‘The Road to Wellville.” 
“There’s a Reason.” 
Ever read the above letter? A new 
one appears from time to time. They 
are genuine, true, and full of human 
interest. 
CLOTHCRAFT 
T WO men were speaking of a 
$i6.5osuitof Clothcraft Clothes. 
It was being worn by one of these 
men, who for years before had worn 
only custom suits at $45 to $60. It 
was being examined by the other 
man—also a wearer of custom clothes. 
“What a fine, soft piece of cloth!” 
the latter exclaimed. And it was! 
The quality and taste represented in the fabrics are 
but two of the noteworthy features of Clothcraft Clothes 
for men and young men—the only guaranteed all-wool 
line at $10 to $ 25 . Another very desirable feature is the 
really remarkable fit — close-fitting collar, shapely 
shoulders, non-breakable coat-front, heel-hugging trousers. 
And back of these is the protection of the definite Cloth¬ 
craft guaranty, backed by dealer and maker. It assures 
absolutely all-wool, first-class trimmings and workman¬ 
ship, lasting shape, service and satisfaction. 
Clothcraft Scientific Tailoring gives you these 
advantages at a saving of £5 to $10 a 6uit. 
Go the nearest Clothcraft Store, or write ua 
direct. We’ll gladly send you the Clothcraft 
style-folder for spring, and a booklet pictur¬ 
ing the clean, fight shop where Clothcraft 
Clothes are made, together with the name of 
the nearest Clothcraft dealer. He’s a man 
who believe* his customers are entitled to 
honest clothes, honest treatment and an hon¬ 
est guaranty. That’s why he sells Clothcraft. 
THE JOSEPH & FEISS CO. 
Founded 1850—Oldest American 
Manufacturers of Men’s Clothes 
635 St. Clair Ave„ N. W. Cleveland 
GUARANTEED 
ALL W OOL 
REG.U.S. 
PAT. OFF. 
£T FLAX WILT POSITIVELY PREVENTED 
BY THE USE OF FORMALDEHYDE e> 
Every farmer should acquaint himself with the up-to-date 
method of disinfection which prevents this pest from destroying 
crops—it is simple, sure and inexpensive. Formaldehyde is equally 
successful for the elimination of all smuts, and fungus growths that 
attack the various grains as well as scab and black-leg on potatoes. 
Endorsed by U. S. Dept, of Agriculture. Write for free booklet 
with full instructions. 
PERTH AMBOY CHEMICAL COMPANY 
100 WILLIAM STREET, NEW YORK 
For BIGGER crops and BETTER use 
Shipped In 100-lb. bags, handy to handle, in powder form ready for use. No 
waste in slaking and screening — every bit available for distribution by band or 
spreader. Delivered in carloads of 20 tons to New England points for $ 8 .<K) to $0.00 
per ton, price varying with freight rates, or write to us for name of nearest dealer from 
whom you can buy any amount. 
Lime feeds run-down land. Lime sweetens land soured by fertilizers. Lime 
shakes up clogged soil and holds together soil that is too loose. The cost is only a 
fraction of the extra, profit you will get by using it. 
Our free booklet, “Liming the Land,” tells about the when, where and how of liming 
ROCKLAND-ROCKPORT LIME CO. 
Boston, 84 Milk St. Dockland, Me. New York, Fifth Ave. Bldg. 
WELL FLAVORED, 
LARGE,AND A 
HIGHLY 
COLORS 
r 
HIS is the kind of peach it pays best 
to raise, because it’s the kind people 
want most and pay highest for. 
A better shipping peach results from 
an application of 
In other words — Potash Pays. 
See that your peach orchard 
fertilizer contains at least 10 % 
of actual Potash, or broadcast 
200 lbs. muriate of Potash and 
400 lbs. acid phosphate per acre 
in the orchard. 
We sell Potash in any amount— 
from 200-lb. bags up. Write now for price. 
GERMAN KALI WORKS, Inc. 
Whitney Central Bank Building, New Orleans 
■ 
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