Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-02-13
VINE PRUNING.
Information of Special Interest to Vine
Growers at this Season.

Growers at this Season.
At the last meeting of the Santa Cruz
Viticultural and Horticultural Society as
reported by the Sentinel DR.. Stewart sum-
med up the discussions which have been
had on vine pruning as follows:
We have had two great systems of prun-
ing discussed-the short and the long.
The former having been brought forward
by Mr.. Fitch and the latter by Mr.. Jar
Wis.
Mr.. Fitch practices a modification of the
short system which he struck out for him
self, and which has come to be known as
the Fitch system, though if we went to
the banks of the Gironde in France. we
might be apt to think that be had been
over there i'll a dream or otherwise, and
had stolen his idea. think it interesting
to see Yankee of the far-of Santa Cruz
mountains, even although he is clever
hitting upon what fathers and leaders of
yiniculture in France had already devised
], for one, feel inclined to be rather proud
of Mr.. Fitch
There is no question that Mr.. Fitch s
modification brings almost all out of the
short system of pruning that can be got
out OF il. In this light | would consider it
the acme OF short pruning. The only OBJ
lection | would make TO it is, that the long
arms, stretching away ON each side of the
trunk OF the vine, causes difficulty in
getting perfect equality of sap, and by
consequence of foliage and fruit, that more
could be obtained and al less bother and
cost by having the arms unlateral instead
OF bilateral. / don't bring forward my OBJ
lection as original, nor would think much
OF it if il were SO, but | adduce il as that of
Guyot, Casenaye and other masters of our
art
Mr.. Jarvis mobilization of long pruning
approaches the Medoc one, with this ex-
ception, that Mr.. Jarvis allows of longer
fruit canes than is permitted in Medoc
I The question here occurs to me whether
Mr.. Jarvis is not right, and he can't exact
more OF his vine than can be done in
Medoc, seeing that his land is virgin and
not worn out, whereas the Medoc land has
been long III use. AS long as we don't go
in for unilateral cordons and chaintres. |
believe that Mr.. Jarvis ought to be strictly
followed
In Mr.. Jarvis We find another instance of
the inventive Jonathan, who will make a
way of his own if be can't find another.
Nay, who will even make his own wav if
that other is not up TO his notion May |
be permitted to congratulate ourselves over
cur worthy and ingenious Vice President?
Before | conclude | would suggest that
we direct our attention to-day more espe-
cially to the results of our short and long
notifications of pruning TO the question
OF early and late pruning, or in French
technical parlance, lie Tdille Hd.ise and lie
TdiLe IGrdiye. l heard at our last meeting
that pruning had been extensively
! begun among us, and | said that that was
wrong wherever fruit as distinct from
growth OF branch and leaf was concerned.
Perhaps | was overhasty, and from the OK
perience afforded by Mr.. Waterman. which
! hope this gentleman will more fully de-
tail to day, ! am inclined to think so, too.
I now, but still | hold that there was a body
OF truth in what / said
We know that our French teachers siren
uously call for care in the matter of early
and late pruning. They admit there is
much to be said to and fro on both sides of
the question, yet they have settled this /:
that 1t is better to prune late than early,
say IN the end of February or beginning OF
March, than in the end of December. or
even any time in January If fruit and not
wood, is the prime object. OF course where
wood, and not fruit is the request, as in the
case of young vines not yet bearing. nor
sought TO be, the tables are turned Prune
early then; prune any time in December if
such be wished
Mr.. Waterman said at the last meeting
that he has pruned from December onward
till the last of March, and never found
that it made any difference when he
pruned. Now, of course our climate here
on this coast is different from that of most
of France; it IS not so subject to vicissi-
tudes. In fact, our climate here in Santa
Cruz, and all down the coast TO San Diego.
Is remarkable for its equality. We need
not then be so careful about when we
prune as they have to be in France, but still
that does do away with all care What is
dreaded in France is warm days after early
pruning TO pushing forward the buds, and
then cold days Immediately after to repress
them, and thus fatiguing of the bud being
caused, and impairment of its future fruc-
tferousness, or even an opening TO the
liability of culture. Muscat vines, so apt
to suffer from culture, are especially sought
to be pruned late. Now we are less ex-
posed to warm days followed by cold, and
thus to an excitement and repression of
the bud, but we are not free therefrom, and
should consider this Rural Press.