1913. 
U'HLC RURAL NKW-VOKKER 
137 
STARTING A GRAPE VINEYARD. 
Part II. 
Pruning. —In pruning grapes the re* 
lationship of the wood to fruit bearing 
must be thoroughly understood. The 
grape trimmer should ever bear in mind 
that the fruit of any year is borne on 
the base of shoots of that year, which 
spring from the canes of the preceding 
year or from older wood. As each 
shoot bears from two to three clusters, 
usually two, canes with a total of from 
twenty to thirty buds must be left of 
the previous year’s growth to produce 
IS pounds of fruit to the vine. This 
is a fair average yield. These buds 
might be left on a single cane, but 
usually two, three or more canes are 
left for the purpose, as a more equable 
distribution is afforded. Judicious prun¬ 
ing is more essential than the training 
to any particular system, but there does 
necessarily exist a relationship between 
pruning and training. It is generally 
agreed that strong growing varieties 
like Concord, Niagara and others do 
their best when trained according to 
the drooping type, while the weaker, 
slower growing ones, as Delaware, can 
be best trained to some form of the 
upright type, other conditions being the 
same. It perhaps should be stated here 
that the terms applied to the various 
types refer to the position the bearing 
shoots assume rather than that of the 
canes. The drooping type is represented 
by the various Kniffen systems. Two 
of them are in common use to-day. The 
single stem four-cane Kniffen is ex¬ 
tensively used in Michigan and the 
Hudson Valley in New York. Two 
wires are used to make this trellis and 
eight-foot posts are necessary. The 
top wire is placed at a height of 5 x / 2 
to six feet above the ground, the lower 
and second wire three to 3 x / 2 feet above 
the ground. In the Spring of the sec¬ 
ond year from planting a single cane is 
carried to the upper wire and there tied. 
This, of course, if the vine has grown 
vigorously the previous year. If no 
cane will reach the top wire, tie to lower 
wire and run along it, and the follow¬ 
ing year extend it to the top wire. This 
cane is to become the permanent trunk 
or stem. The year following the tying 
up of this cane select two canes that 
have developed along this cane at a 
little below the level of each wire and 
prune back to eight or 10 buds, leaving 
those at the top wire a few joints 
longer. Tie these firmly to the wires 
to the right and left of the stem. 
Each year four canes are to be laid 
down along the wires. These can be 
gotten from the cane that has developed 
nearest the stem or from short spurs 
left for the purpose. The stem can be 
renewed at intervals of several years. 
This system of training has much to 
commend it. The fruiting shoots are 
suspended in the natural way of the 
wild vine. The fruit is away from the 
ground and less liable to become mud¬ 
died. The growing wood is out of the 
way of cultivating tools and good air 
drainage results in lessened mildew. 
Other Systems. —Umbrella Kniffen 
is used on the same trellis, as the four- 
cane. . The stem is carried to the top 
wirepin the same manner as the former, 
but instead of four canes being used, 
only two are put up from year to year. 
These are taken near the top wdre, car¬ 
ried out and then over the top wire 
and down and out to the lower wire 
and tied, so that they resemble the ribs 
of an umbrella. The bearing wood is 
renewed annually in the same manner 
as in the four-cane Kniffen. While the 
yield may not quite equal that of the 
former, yet the clusters are as a rule 
more perfect, larger and more com¬ 
pact. This system is used to quite an 
extent in Pennsylvania and Michigan. 
The Chautauqua system is the only sys¬ 
tem used throughout the famous Chau¬ 
tauqua grape belt. Two or three wires 
may be used for the trellis, usually two. 
1 he lower is placed at variable distances 
from the ground, usually about 20 
inches above, the second wire ranges 
from two to three feet above the lower. 
If three wires be used they are located 
about 20 inches apart. The second year 
from planting two canes are tied up 
obliquely to the top wire. Sometimes 
they are carried along, the lower wire a 
short distance, and twisted once around 
and then up to the top wire. These \ 
canes become permanent arms and 
trunk, and thereafter support the canes 
that are to be tied yearly to the top 
wire. The year following the tying up 
of these canes they are shortened back 
and tied to the lower wire and the 
canes that had developed along them 
are tied to the top wire. The number 
put up ranges from one to five. Four 
canes will furnish all the fruit the vine 
ought to carry. Canes that develop 
from the basal buds of these, from the 
arms, or from spurs, are tied up the 
following years. It is very necessary 
that the arms be renewed from time 
to time as they become gnarled and 
nearly functionless in a few years. The 
varieties mentioned herein can be 
adapted to at least one of the systems 
here described, but as to which is the 
best is still largely a matter of experi¬ 
ment. 
Picking. —In some localities grapes 
are picked directly into trays or baskets 
in which they are to be shipped. These 
trays usually have sloping sides with a 
strip nailed across the top of either 
side, thus allowing them to be piled 
one on the other. Some vineyardists 
pick and pack the eight-pound baskets 
in the field and all the 20-pound baskets. 
As a rule the four-pound and eight- 
pound baskets are packed in the pack¬ 
ing house. In this case the picking is 
done into crates holding about a half¬ 
bushel. These have the ends a trifle 
higher than the sides, thereby prevent¬ 
ing crushing and permitting a circula¬ 
tion of air over and through them when 
piled high in the packing house. They 
are allowed to wilt in the packing house 
for 24 hours or thereabouts, when they 
are packed and shipped. Probably two 
days elapses from the picking to the 
shipping. The limit for holding will 
vary with localities and weather condi¬ 
tions, the ripeness, and conditions under 
which picked. If rain has been abund¬ 
ant during the picking and the grapes 
go into the packing house wet, they 
should be packed and shipped as soon 
as possible after drying. The eight- 
pound baskets are piled up like flats 
in the car, and if the car be not filled 
they are braced. Very few curs of 
grapes are consigned. A great many 
are bought from the wagons at the car 
by buyers from distant points or by 
local buyers. In the large grape dis¬ 
tricts there are shipping and selling as¬ 
sociations. These handle many cars. 
The wine cellars and the unfermented 
juice factories use a large part of the 
tonnage. The price in the last four 
years for Concords has ranged from 
Va cent per pound to 2j4 cents. These 
prices represent bulk stock, baskets and 
returns from the juice factories. They 
and the shipping associations have prob¬ 
ably averaged the higher. It is possible 
that growers can and do dispose of 
their grapes to good advantage by seek¬ 
ing their own markets and supplying 
them with a very fancy package. Such 
trade is, as a rule, very desirable. Of 
course it usually means a little more 
care and work in making the package 
attractive, but the writer knows from 
the statements of growers that it more 
than pays. Then, too, there are many 
villages and cities that could use several 
cars of grapes a season that now re¬ 
ceive none. These places offer inviting 
fields for the grower who will go after 
them. F. E. GLADWIN. 
“You must take exercise,” said a phy¬ 
sician to his patient. “The motor car in 
a case like yours gives the best exer¬ 
cise that-” “But, doctor, I can’t 
afford to keep a motor car,” the patient 
growled. “Don’t buy, just dodge!” said 
the doctor.—Christian Life. 
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get acquainted with the most up-to- 
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Perth Amboy Chemical Works 
100 William St. New York 
For the Land’s Sake 
(Rea. U. 3 . PAT. OFF.) 
Bowker’s Fertilizers 
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80 Lyman Street, Buffalo, N. Y. 4Q Chatham Street, Boston, Mass. 
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T OOK over your fields and plan to 
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These Harrows Are For 
Intensive Tillage 
forged- 
edge 
Disks 
Remember, the CUTAWAY disk is the original 
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The Soil and Intensive Tillage," 
Cutaway Harrow Co. 839 Mam street. Higganum* Conn. 
Makers of the original CLARK. “ Cutaway implements 
All Cutaway 
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Reversible 
