AGE OF BEARING—If good care is given the vines they 
should produce a few bunches of fruit the second year, 
and increase in production up to the ninth or tenth year, 
when vines reach maturity. A fair crop may be expected 
the fourth or fifth year, depending on the attention the 
vines have had. Muscadine grapes reach maturity at 
around ten years and bear regularly for forty or fifty 
years or even longer. Vines one hundred years old are 
quite common. There is a record of one vine more than 
three hundred and fifty years old. The attention given 
the vines the first two years sometimes determines the 
production in future years. A little extra attention while 
the vines are young will bring extra production in later 
years. 
HARVESTING—Most Muscadine varieties may be har- 
vested by spreading sheets under the vines and shaking 
the fruit from the vines. This method is not generally 
satisfactory. There is too much damaged fruit and trash. 
Picking the bunches by hand is recommended for har- 
vesting fruit for the fresh fruit market. Shelling the ber- 
ries by hand into a bucket or basket is best for fruit har- 
vested for the wine market or for making unfermented 
grape juice. Fruit harvested by the shaking method is 
acceptable to the wine markets if the trash is removed. 
Some varieties may be harvested as much as three days 
before being delivered to the wine markets if stored in 
cool shade and given cross ventilation. All fruit should 
be delivered with as little delay as possible. Fruit should 
be used immediately after picking in making unfer- 
mented juice. 
PRUNING and TRAINING—tThe best time to prune 
Muscadine grape vines is as soon as frost knocks the 
leaves off. Bleeding results if vines are pruned later 
than December fifteenth. If vines are pruned before the 
leaves fall some sun scald will result, thus weakening 
(7) 
