March, 1920 
21 
the case already described, depends 
largely upon proper pruning, but 
this is so easy to understand and 
apply that anyone can be success¬ 
ful. The way in which the vines 
are trained, whether on a trellis, an 
arbor, the side of a house or on no 
support except perhaps a stone 
fence, is a ver)- minor considera¬ 
tion. 
Two Principles 
The “proper pruning” referred 
to is based on two simple princi¬ 
ples. First: The principal and 
most important pruning should 
always be done while the vines are 
fully dormant. It may be soon 
after the leaves fall in autumn or 
not until early March. I have had 
as good results from November as 
from early March pruning. By 
pruning during this period the cuts 
have a chance to dry out and thus 
prevent “bleeding”. Where the 
pruning is done too late—the latter 
part of March and in early April— 
bleeding or loss of sap is sure to 
follow, to the greater or less detri¬ 
ment of the vine. Nothing will 
stop bleeding. It may be pre¬ 
vented, which is far better, by prun¬ 
ing before the middle of March. 
Second: “Proper pruning” de¬ 
pends on the way in which the 
grape bears its fruit. Let us ex¬ 
amine a few vines. Take one just 
received from the nursery. We cut 
it back to the one or two stoutest 
buds fairly low down because it 
is too young to bear fruit and be¬ 
cause it needs all the food it can 
get to develop new shoots. If it 
were not cut back, many, perhaps 
most of the buds 
would start to grow .. .. 
but none of them 
would make a good 
growth and the vine ^ 
would probably die 
because of weakness. 
A Specific Example 
Now look at a vine 
cut back the previous 
spring as suggested 
and which during 
the succeeding sum- I 
mer developed one ” 
strong cane, shed its 
leaves in the fall | 
and is ready to start I 
growth this spring. ‘ 
It consists of joints 
of varying length 
with buds at each 
joint. Some of the 
buds near the lower | 
end are perhaps - 
puny, but the others ; 
plump even to the 
tip of the cane, un¬ 
less this has been 
killed by the winter, 
a matter easily seen 
by the shriveled con¬ 
dition and different 
color. When spring 
starts growth the up¬ 
permost living buds 
will likely develop 
(Two tipper 
views) A vine 
trained accord- 
in g to the 
Kniffin system, 
before and after 
pruning. Note 
how severely 
the vine is cut 
(Left) How 
and where 
grapes bear 
their fruit. The 
tendrils show 
the position the 
dusters will oc¬ 
cupy opposite 
the leaves 
Quite apart from its value as a producer of fruit, the grape vine 
feature in the arrangement of the grounds. It may not produce to 
here, to form a screen; but it will bear sufficiently if well cared for. 
definitely and are entirely hardy 
may serve as an important 
the maximum when Used., as 
Grape vines live almost in- 
shoots which will lengthen the vine 
but almost invariably produce no 
grapes. Also their development 
will prevent the growth of the buds 
nearer the base of the shoots. These 
lower buds are the ones that usually 
bear most fruit, ^^'hy, then, let 
tlie upper ones grow and produce 
nothing but stems, leaves and dis¬ 
appointment? Why not cut the 
canes back at least a half, better 
two-thirds, and still better to only 
a very few buds, perhaps only two 
or three? This will direct all the 
food to the buds that normally 
would produce. There is no use 
allowing this food to be distrilmted 
to a lot of unproductive shoots. 
The Tendrils 
The next point is just as simple. 
\Mren these selected desirable buds 
develop they normally produce a 
leaf opposite a tendril at each joint 
Often at the first one or two joints 
the tendril may Ije missing. Then 
comes a “tendril” which has been 
modified into a cluster of blossoms! 
Perhaps it may be part tendril and 
part blossoms. The next two or 
three joints, sometimes more, may 
also Idc blossom clusters, but be¬ 
yond these only tendrils are de¬ 
veloped, their function being to 
help hold the vines securely to sup¬ 
ports. ^^'e are not interested in 
these tendrils because we supply 
better though artificial supports. 
Neither are we interested in the 
growth of the shoot be}’ond what is 
necessary for the perfect develop¬ 
ment of the fruit. Therefore we 
pinch the vine two or three joints 
above the outermost cluster, this 
number having been 
proved conducive to 
the best development 
^ of fruit and foliage. 
It makes no differ¬ 
ence how we sup¬ 
port the vine if we 
prune intelligently. 
Over-Pruning 
As to any antici¬ 
pated danger of over- 
pruning, let the 
practise of commer¬ 
cial grape growers 
reassure anyone who 
is timorous. These 
men rarely leave 
more than thirty, 
usually only fifteen 
to twenty buds to a 
whole vine when 
I they do their winter 
I pruning. Why? Be- 
« cause they count on 
I an average of three 
I clusters of grapes 
I from each bud on 
I well established Con- 
I cord or similar strong 
^ growing vines. As 
each cluster of this 
variety when mature 
should average a 
quarter of a pound, 
each vine should 
{Cont. on page 90) 
