Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-05-03
Brief and Practical Rules for Craps
Culture.

The soil best suited for the grape is decom-
posed shnle but any good clay soil thorough
~ drained will do.
The ground should be carefully prepared,
and only well-rotted manure used.
Decompozing turf is one Of the best fertilI-
zers when it can be obtained no other will
be required
The vines selected for planting should be
good ene-vear-old LAYERS or cuttings They
may look small. but will make the best vines.
Good culture is as necessal to the vine as
to corn or cabbage
Mulching and watering the first year should
not be neglected if drouth is excessive One
good soaking is better than many sprinklings.
More water can be saved with hoe than can
be put on with a sprinkler.
In planting cut the vines back to two buds,
whatever its strength or age.
Summer pruning consists IN plnching of
weak and struggling shoots in order TO contine
the sap TO the main branches.
The first summer allow but one main
branch TO grow. In the fall after the first
frost. cut all the summer growth back TO with
in two buds of the ground
The second year contne the sap to two
branches and in the fall cut back to three
buds each
The third year, if your vine has made Wig
orous growth. few stems OF grapes may be
hllOHEu 70 llluluitf bhl btAltA Auh0 VI AAA lhN
fruit than to suffer too much to grow.
Too heavy bearing while young will weak
en- tine vine for all future time The trim
ming now depends on what kind of trells you
wish to cover.
After YOU have obtained u good vigorous
root YOU can make 1t grow IL almost any
place or shape you wish 10y keeping the
branches desired tied up, and all the others
pinched back.
4. L..
should be allowed to grow bearers of fruit
the following year.
In trimming cut away much Of the old
wood as possible and save the new, as all the
fruit buds are on the new wood.
You can easily tell how much to cut away
by holding your new wood up to the trelhs
and imagine branch with three stems Of
grapes for each bud.
II you do not cut of enough IN the fall
and you find that the vine Is going TO be too
thick, don't fail TO attend 10 it when the new
shoots are from three to six inches long. in
the spring or while in blossom. As soon as
the fruit is set examine the vine, spread out
the new wood 30 TINT each bunch of grapes
will hang free and clear pick of all the
small stems of fruit, and fasten the vines Sc
curely so that the wind will not destroy your
crop by breaking the young and tender
branches
When the wood mas grown so That there are
three leaves beyond the last bunch Of grapes
examine the vine, select the branches you
wish 10 save for fruit bearing the coming
year, and keep them tied up until they have
grown as long as you wish TO make use of.
The ends of the other bearing branches should
be pinched of rs soon as they reach this
point, three leaves beyond the last stem OF
grapes
Break of all shoots and laterals as fast a,
they make their appearance, but Oh no &C
count injure the leaves on the bearing canes
The fruit win color but not rpen if the
leaves are destroyed.
Grapes for fan and winter USE should b,
picked as soon as ripe, and when perfectly
dry, packed i'll fine dry sawdust. Select You
box or jar cover the bottom with sawdust
then layers of grapes and sawdust alternately
until full Keep them in the coolest plac,
you can find free from frost, until wanted fol
use.