386 Wisconsin state agricultural society . 
Should the buds all grow in the spring, the last one on the spur 
can be rubbed off’ Should one fail, we have the extra bud to 
supply its place. Following this rule, pruning can be done cor¬ 
rectly, and after a little practice, rapidly; and I have found it 
worth more than all the pages of minute instruction in books, or 
the advice of those who prune without system or reason. 
It should be borne in mind always, that a weak bud will pro¬ 
duce a feeble shoot and inferior fruit. If then when rubbing off 
the superfluous bud we can discriminate in favor of the one most 
fully developed, we shall be gainers, but this should never be 
done to the sacrifice of the lowest bud if possible to avoid it, for 
this lengthens the spurs too fast. 
COVERING FOR WINTER. 
The vine should be placed ready for covering as soon as pruned, 
but if left uncovered until the ground is frozen it will not be in¬ 
jured. It is in the alternate freezing and thawing that the buds 
sustain injury. 
Before covering for the winter, the ends of the spurs should be 
allowed time to season, thus preventing the loss of sap through 
the wounds, when we uncover in the spring. 
For winter covering I have found the soil the best material, 
and over this a light covering of straw or coarse litter to prevent 
the wind and rain from displacing it and exposing the buds. If 
the soil be clay it should not be used, as the water held by the 
clay is liable to kill the buds. Others reverse the process, first 
covering with straw or litter, and then soil. One of the most 
successful amateurs of this state, says “ the best covering is 
marsh hay.” A most essential point should never be over¬ 
looked, that the vine must be so placed that all water will readily 
drain from it. 
In the spring, the vine should be left covered as long as possi¬ 
ble, for the later the buds can be made to push the better, as they 
not only escape late frosts, but their excitability seems to be so 
intensified by being thus retarded that their after-growth is much 
more vigorous than it otherwise would have been. 
TRAINING. 
The systems for training the vine are numerous, and most of 
