The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1864-03-03
For the transcript.

|
readers how to take care Of the grape
vine the first year after transplantinc.
The process is very simple and will re-
quire but few words. The ground
should be kept clean of grass and weeds
and the surface frequently stirred with
a hoe or garden rake, and if the wealth.
er is dry, mulch Of hay or straw
would be an advantage. This should
be very light The roots require tho
action Of the air and the WARMING in
| tlucnce OF the sui, and must not be
smothered. The necessity of FREQUENT
string OF the surface is to bre ak ernst
which will form on the surface. which
ohstructs the passage air to the roots
Keep the ground open and mellow, but
be careful not to run your hoe or rake
50 deep ~ to disturb the roots.
In training your object should be,
the first year, to get one, and only one.
as strong well 'ipened cane as possible.
When you transplant your vine i,
will have tour or five. buds on, each of
which will grow. If these are all per-
mitted to grow the strength Of the vine
will he SO divided between them, tina,
they will all be weak. Select, therefore,
the best one, and rub all the rest off.
Set stake few inches on the north
side, Of the vine, and carefully tic up
the new shoot, as soon as it has grown
a few inches. Having the monopoly of
the entire action OF the roots, it will
grow rapidly AMI consequently be sot,
and weak and, unless tied frequently,
in danger of being broken off. The
nature Of the vine is to grow upward.
Ay leaving it TO lop or tall on the
ground, you check its growth. If you
wish then to secure good vine, and
bring it into bearing keep it tied to its
stake.
As the vine grows up shoot will
start out from the axil Of each leaf.
These are called lascrals, or side
branches. These you must pinch off
above the second leaf. Soon they will
start to grow again, then take them of!
above the first new leaf. In this way
continue through the entire summer,
removing all the laterals. It would not
do to take the laterals off at the vine
This would cause the premature de
velopment Of the. next years buds and
destroy the prospect GA crop of grapes
The object is to prunc just enough I,
get the strongest vine possible with
we'll developed buds near the com
mencement of the growth Of the new
wood. This will be secured by the
pruning, which | have described during
the summer. About the first Of Sep
TENDER, if your vines have grown well
and are still growing, break off the end
OF the vine TO check its growth so that
the wood may pen.
On the first Of November or earlier
if the season is very cold, cut of tie
vine just above the third bull on the
new wood, and bend down the stump
and cover it with earth few inches
deep. Many object to such close fall
pruning but. experience has proved il
to be the best. A good vine thus trea-
ted will come into immediate bearing.
| have had vines thus pruned make a
growth Of twenty feet the first summer
after and bear ten punches Of grapes.
These same vines had they not been
pruned, and been kept tied up TO the
stake, would not have grown more
than three or four feet, or would have
borne any fruit tor as many years The
new shoots must have a good base to
start from, and that is near as practi
cable, to the root of the vine, and there
is where the fruit bearing buds are de-
veloped. If you want fruit and not a
tangle of brush, you must cut back.
BE very careful and keep your vines
clean Of suckers about the roots. Pull
them off as soon as seen. am often
asked how soon vines will bear. A good
vine will hear, ifrightly cultivated, and
prnned, the season after it is set out. |
have had grapes on many Of my vines
the season Of planting, but it is better
to remove them from the vine, and it i,
best not to let vine bear more than
six or eight lunches the second year.
The vine is like the sanguine youth
willing to undertake too much work,
hence need Ct pruning and thiripg.
Yours truly
LUTHER DODD.