The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-05-29
SUMNER PRUNING TIE GRAPE.
BY DR. JOHN A wABDER.

y
Is a source of regret that my engage
ments viii not per nit a personal at
tendance and partlefpa ton IN your
approaching meeting,
As a poor substitute for the. enjoy
ment OF saluting and addressing my
numerous friends who WILL be. with
you, and to whom | am so deeply n
-debted for many cOurtesIes and tor
much valuable information received
at their hands, upon the occasion or
previous meetings. I ind myself re-
dueed co this indirect mode . com
municating with you and them
I propose TO occupy your attention
for few moments n the c0nsIqera-
ton of Summer pruning, a subject
that has occupied a good deal OF
thought among ape-growers, aud
which involves the discussion OF seine
important problems in vegetable
physiology, and of some theories that
have recently been made to assume
considerable Importance, sperhaps
more than they deserve. The axlo N,
which I have upon former oecasio rs
reduced to a pointed apothegm, with
out, however, laying any claim to
original discovery of the facts upon
which it Is based, may be taken for
the starting point of this discussion.
and il is now obtrUded upon you be-
cause one Of your most valued mem
bers has recently been attacked 10 an
Eastern periodical for quoting the
saying as mine The attack by 50
venerable a journal Is unworthy Of its
former reputation and standing, and
has been passed in silence, as the
most digni fed course TO pursue.
Reference, it vii be understood, IS
here made to pruning in winter for
wood and In summer 5or fruit. an
expression of facts that is believed to
be original as to- form of words, and
which was thought to be desirable for
the sake of attracting attention forcI-
bly, TO important principles IN hOrtl-
culture. That the ideas and prac
tees involved Ia this expression
should have been observed and ap-
piled before we were born IS not to
be questioned, If we admit that our
predecessors e were endowed with
eyes and brains with which to see
and ratiocinate upon what they Oh
served IN nature.
JudIcious summer pruning IS IN
deed one OF the most Important oper
ations to be practieed upon the grape
vine. Undoubtedly it has been much
| abused, aud when improperly prac
| ticed it has produced disastrous re-
/ suits; but it is not right TO max
summer pruning the scapegoat upon
which to saddle all the evil results of
climate, incompatibilIty Of soil, and
other circumstances nd abuses which
have caused failures ofthe vine.
One of the fashionable dogmas of
4 the hour is that pruning debilitates
the plant; at certain seasons, or
practiced In certain methods, there
can be no doubt that such vio-
lent disturbance of the vegetable
economy as is involved by the removal
of a considerable portion of the foil
age, and the growing shoots, will be
followed by serious injury aud yet
it is well known that a judIcl0us Sum
mer pruning will produce increased
vigor in the shoots, and improved
size and quality of the fruits which
are left. so that there resultsa strong
years crop Of fruit is often much in-
creased by this kind of judicious Sum
mer pruning.
l.
bered, however, is to be jUdIcious,
and seasonable, and is to be perform
ed. not rashly and blindly, but In a
proper manner, guided by skill, and
based upon simple physiological laws,
done with the thumb and with the
finger nail, and not with the pruning
hook. nor with the grass knife, by
cutting and sIashing, which has we'll
been styled Summer slaughterlng.
When this IS done at midsummer
after the plant has expended its
strength in making all this growth
before the reflex action UDOn the
vine and its roots has been fully per
formed, it must indeed be debilita.
ting process but this Is not what the
careful vigneron means by Summel
pruning.
On the contrary, -he en9eavors 81
to time, and 50 to perform hls opera
tons as 70 spare the vine any sucf
loss: to this end ne begins. the pro
cess very early, by rubbing out thC
superfuous shoots with ais thumb, So
soon as he can discover Which It il
desirable to preserve either Tor fruI
or for wood. Atthe same time ht
! begins the pinching process upon al
the bearing shoots that may nave ex
tended beyond tie last bunch o
era pes, and reached the length o
about six inches. TIE effect OF thii
kind Of pruning Is marvellous; first, /
checks the current OF sap andsiirect
it to the weaker shoots, and TO thost
which are to produce the wood 70
next years crop of fruit-th0se which
are to furnish the canes al the w int
E pruning. Secondly, the effect of thi
: checking is to Increase the size of tn
q leaves upon the pinohed shoot, which