340 the cottage GARDENER. EinmuAnY 
square yard of space (superficial), in tlie average, to 
produce a good bunch of grapes of say two pounds. 
This may make some of our young folks stare, but they 
should he well impressed with this idea before they 
j)roceed with the disbudding. 
The fact is, it is altogether a question of light; and 
the more roof of a vinery it is, totally irrespective of all 
the interior area, that must determine the amount of 
produce. To produce a fair bunch of well-flavoured 
grapes, there must be a shoot of about two feet in length, 
after what is termed severe stopping; and right and left 
of this, laterals which shade much, and occasionally 
overlap their neighbours—a thing, however, to be 
avoided; and at certain times they must be permitted 
to ramble somewhat freely, for reasons shortly to be 
oflered; so that although the spray may not be confined 
to a given yard square, it will be found, on the average, 
to cast a shade on an area nearly eijual to a yard 
superficie. Rut, although this may at first astonisli 
the novice in disbudding, yet the least reflection w’ill 
show that tliis amounts to an enormous produce, taking 
tlie quality as well as weight into consideration. Eor 
suppose a little bouse twenty feet long, and having si.v 
rafters occupied with vines on the spurring system, eacli 
rafter sixteen feet long, here w'e should obtain above 
one hundred-weight of grapes; no inconsiderable wmight 
of a fruit so very rich in saccharine jmuciples. 
And now let us hope our rising vine-men will study 
the capabilities of the vine : what may be expected, and 
what oiiijht not to he expected. Grievous is it to see, day 
after day, a line, strong, and willing horse doing double 
duty, and, perhaps, badly fed ; and equally grievous to 
a good gardener, to see a willing Black llambro’ doing 
double duty, and the possessor, perhaps, wondering all 
the wliile how it is that his grapes will not turn hlaek, 
and that they prove of more use in the kitchen than on 
the dessert-table. 
I now return to the digressive point. It will be seen 
that many buds have to be rubbed off; caution is, how¬ 
ever, requisite. Buds sometimes prove deceptions; if 
the operator were at all times to strip aw'ay, what at 
first sight appears, the weak buds, and reserve only the 
more coarse, ho would not unfrequently find himself 
mistaken. Borne of the gross-looking shoots will occa¬ 
sionally prove barren, whilst others, which at first did 
not promise much, will prove of eminent service. Thus, 
then, it becomes the vine-dresser to he chary in his 
movements, and to suffer the jn'oceeding to stretch over 
a week or two, which, indeed, is about the period nature 
herself presents for the operation. And here, 1 hope to 
be pardoned for stepping a little out of my way to in¬ 
dulge in an idea that has often struck me, and, doubt¬ 
less, many of the readers of this work, especially our 
clerical supporters—it is the singular agreement between 
the best vino-dressing practice in these times, and that 
of the days of our Saviour, who, it will be well re¬ 
membered, draws a comparison between the vine and 
man. “ Every branch in me that beai’eth not fruit. He 1 
taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit. He 
purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit.” Here, 
liow plainly we have our disbudding, pruning, and all; 
or rejection, with the subsequent practice of stopping, 
training, &c., in order to enhance the value of tlie fruit. 
And, doubtless, it was the recognised practice of those 
days in the open vineyard. 
Day by day, tlien, let the vine-dresser watch the de¬ 
velopments, and having enough of young shoots to 
select from, continue, as their character becomes really 
manifest, to secure the fruitful shoots in proper situa¬ 
tions, and to strip away the worthless; in all those 
things, keeping an eye on future years, and the system 
of training he is ])ursuing. And on the heels of this 
operation, what is termed “ slo]) 2 nng,’’ must press. 
Stopping, means simply pinching ofl' the end of the 
reserved shoot, in order to concentrate its strength at a 
given point; that is to say, the immediate vicinity of 
the future cluster of grapes. Now, L would fain have 
the unknowing readers of this work consider how this 
“ stopping” operates; and if I be right, it operates in a 
twofold way—it concentrates all available jiower near 
the fruit, and it is opposed to the increase of hard wood. 
Some may say, why should the latter be opposed ? 
But surely the reason is obvious. It is not the vine 
that lias the greatest amount of solidified wood, that 
has been the most profitable, inasmuch as timber is not 
the object. A judicious system of stopping, therefore, i 
husbands well the resources at command, and the j 
throwing all, possible power into the fruiting jiropen- | 
sides of the vine, very naturally keeps down the ten- | 
dency to jiroduce mere hard wood. 1 venture these 
ojiinions thus far, thinking that in accordance with the 
temper of the age, the dry rules of the olden time ought 
by no means to suffice. Philosophising in material 
things is not alone ^lermissible, but highly to he com¬ 
mended, if conducted on recognised principles, and 
devoid of dogmatism. 
Let stopping proceed, then, according to the rate of 
development of the young shoots; those reserved may 
be, according to the usual practice, stopped one joint 
beyond that where the hunch shows; from this very 
general practice, based on the recognition of the severe 
economy imposed in regard to light, I see no reason 
whatever to differ. Where the shoots are robust, it is 
w'ell to stop them soon after the “ show ” is well de¬ 
veloped. This is a matter of expediency; for just in 
proportion as these are checked in their rapid career, 
will be the increased strength of those subordinate 
shoots which are only awaiting a chance to become 
useful. 
Thus may the stopping proceed until all have been 
subjected to the process, and by the time it is fully 
carried out, some of those first pinched will be about to 
develop lateral shoots, about the stopping of which 
practitioners slightly differ; some are for pinching their 
points immediately; others allow them to ramble a 
little. 1 do not think it well to he so very keen as to be 
constantly stopping, but believe it best, for the system 
of the tree, to allow a little liberty in this respect. ' 
There can be little doubt, that the principal increase of 
root takes place coincidently with the extension of the 
spray, and in a close ratio to it; and, if such be the case, 
it is obviously good policy to suffer a free growth occa¬ 
sionally. However, as before observed, all these things 
are best done ])rogi’essively, for so I have found it with 
all disbudding. An attentive vine dresser will bo 
fingering about his vines almost daily; and there can 
be little doubt, that supposing a given shoot to possess 
four laterals that require pinching, it would be better to 
suffer the operation to occupy a week than to perform 
it at once. 
Henceforward, the stopping will continue at intervals, 
until the berries commetico stoning; by which time, if 
the vine has a good crop, the rambling propensities 
will have much diminished; and, indeed, 1 hold it good 
practice to suffer the vines to ramble unmolested during 
most of that period, for, as the berry remains nearly 
stationary as to mere size, there does not exist the same 
reason for close stojiping. 
Where there is a leading shoot required for extension, 
it, of course, forms an exception to the side or bearing 
shoots, and must not bo stopped so close; os]'ecially in 
the case of young vines advancing up the rafters. It is 
the practise of some to jtinch every lateral from the latter 
as they are produced. Erom this doctrine 1 beg to 
differ. One of the first objects with the cultivator, in 
the case of young vines, ouglit to bo to obtain jilenty of 
roots; but how can this be accomplished with this 
constant snubbing? It is a well-known fact, that the 
