Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-08-24
naiIu 3iennrbef Sournal.
PRUNING AND ITS EFFECTS oNTHE VINE.

In my remarks upon pruning, shall
advocate no particular system, for have
never found any that consider applIcaDle
to all varieties and all situations. MY OBJ
iect will, therefore, be to state facts and
general principles, leaving their applica-
fion to he made as circumstances require.
1t is well known to all grape growers that
the wood growth of the present season Is
the frfit-bearing wood of the next. The
object. therefore, of fall or spring pruning
is 10 remove, as far as practicable, the old
and useless wood OF the past season, and
to confine the new or bearing wood within
its allotted space, and to the production
of no more fruit than it can perfectly ma
ture.
That our vines have been, as rule,
confined to too narrow limits, and subject
ed to too much pruning, have no doubt
and am glad to see general disposition
among vineyardists to plant at wider dis
tances, and to prune less. A vine must
eventually suffer from having all its ten
denotes continually checked, and its ram
bling habits cramped and dwarfed to a
mere fraction of its natural dimensions.
So far, however, as my observation ex-
tends, would say the INJURY resulting
from the. severest winter pruning, per-
formed while the energies of the vines
are dormant, is as nothing, compared with
that caused by an indiscriminate and
wholesale summer slashing, while the
vine is in vigorous growth, and all its
forces in action. In proof of this, will
mention the following experiment, which
have repeatedly tried with different va.
rieties, and always with the same results
l have taken young vine in perfec
health, and in the full vigor of its early
growth. and cut it down to within two o.
three leaves Of the point where it started
in spring. This sudden check stops al
growth for week, or two, when the up
per bulb slowly swells, and at length
makes a new shoot, and if vigorous va
riety, will soon be making new and rap
id growth i have then again shortened
this new shoot to a little above the former
cut. The period of rest is now longer
than before, but a new start, rather feeble.
will usually be made and have repeated
the cutting back process even third
time. The vine now either remains sta
tionary, or makes very feeble spindling
shoot which never natures. Now if this
vine be taken up after the fall of the
leaves, it will be found to have just the
amount of living roots it had when plant
ed, and no more. All the new roots form
ed during each successive period of
growth between the different prunings
viii be found dead and rotten; and the
different sets of roots Indicating these sue
cessive periods can usually be distinctly
traced.
The application of these facts to the
practice of severe summer pruning is not
difficult; and il is to my mind conclusive
that its effect is only evil continually. A
simple pinching of TIE ends of two ram
pant shoots in order to strengthen the
weaker ones and equalize the summer
growth, in addition to the rubbing out of
superfuous shoots is all believe to be
necessary, if the fall pruning has been
properly perforned-[G. W. CAMPBELL,
in Ohio Horticultural Report.