Marshall County Republican

Farm and Garden.

Pruning Grapes.—Prune grapes immediately, and cuttings of a foot, or fifteen inches, with two or three buds, if packed in sand and put in a warmish place, as in a sunny cellar window, will callous, and be ready to strike root in the open ground in spring. In winter pruning, have regard to the strength of the plant. A long-jointed sort that makes wood freely, like the Concord, can carry more top, and needs that the ground be filled with manure, and no tree roots interfere with its growth. No grape vine can well compete with tree roots, unless it be allowed to clamber over the tree and partially smother it. Then, if the tree is not too high, the vine has a good time. Vines of the more delicate sort, like the Delaware, have no courage for high climbing, and struggle for their lives with trees. A neglected and stunted Delaware had best be pruned very short—perhaps quite to the ground—to force a fresh start of vigorous wood. A barrow load of horse manure will not hurt such a vine now, if the ground be poor and infested with the roots of other plants. A trench should be dug to cut off such pirating roots, as soon as the ground is open. One Hartford Prolific vine, if allowed to occupy the entire earth space for two or three rods south of a house, will afford a great deal of trellis shade and supply the family with grapes. Maples and elms should be kept at five or six rods distance, except they are small ones. A cottager can't well grow cordwood and grapes too. Pruning grapes is something like driving a horse. You need to feel the pressure of the life under your hand to curb and direct it profitably. Dead wood is of no use. Neither is weak wood worth saving. Cut back to a promising bud, nourish and care for the root and top another season, and you may have a vine strong enough to draw quite a load of fruit from the soil and air.