Watertown Republican

Pruning Grape Vines.

It is supposed that every farmer has grape vines and that he appreciates their fruit sufficiently to take proper care of them. Now is the time to prune them for the leaves have fallen off and the sap is dormant. A few brief remarks may be appropriate.

The first requisite of a vine is, root. The roots being strong and healthy a good vine is a necessary consequence. Prune, then, severely for the first two or three years or until that result is attained. A strong root will cause the growth of a strong vine. It often happens that a strong root sends up several vines, all of them weak and spindling. As a rule no more than two vines should be allowed to the same root. Trimming off the superfluous canes sends the strength of the roots into those that remain and makes them strong and healthy. As foliage is desired by farmers, the vines should be trimmed with an eye to that instead of the trimming practiced by vine-yard growers. Cut back the canes that bore the past season, to within two or three eyes of the vine from which they grew, for grapes only grow on new wood in its first season, and the fruit-bearing canes of one season are wood-forming thereafter, and the vines becomes a tangled mass of leaves and canes which absorb the nutriment that should go to the production of fruit. No definite rule can be laid down arbitrarily; as much depends on each vine, much upon the judgement of the vine-dresser and much upon the place it is to occupy.

When pruned lay all the vines on the ground and put a light covering of well-rotted stable manure over them to keep from freezing. Mulch about the roots with rotted leaves or sods but do not apply nitrogenous manures such as the offal of pens, stables or privies.

Every one who has a score of vines should possess a good grape-growers manual.