Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1889-03-02
FARM and HOME.
Pinehlng In. versus Clipping In.


Almost all writer's upon the raising
-vaf small fruits, who write for the infor-
mation of the uninitiated. lay great
stress upon the ''pinching in" and the
new growth of grape vines and rasp-
berry and blackberry canes, to prevent
too rampant a growth of new wood, as
IL some magical effect was impaired to
the plant by the pinching off of the
end of the new growth by the thumb
and fore finger; seldom if ever is there
n hint conveyed that some more expedi-
Sous or economical method of checking
Che growth might be substituted for
&his thumb and fore-inger pinching in
The inexperienced grape grower is in
asfructed that he must pinch off the end
@f each fruit bearing growth, when it
has reached the third leaf from the
4Ast cluster set and the new growth of
raspberry and blackberry canes when
&hey have reached the height of two
and a half to three feet Now this
shortening In of the fruit bearing wood
of the grape and of the new canes of
Berries is all right While fair crops
-aaf grapes have been grown by the
writer without any summer prun-
ing, his experience has been,
chat with judicious shortening
In of the fruit bearing wood after the
fruit is set, larger and better clusters
are realized-without it the sap of the
vine seems inclined to race by the
growing clusters and expend its force
in making rampant growth of the
vine where it is not needed, but must
be cut off and go to waste in the fall
pruning. So too, of raspberry and
blackberry canes; without the growth
Is checked they expend their force in
making long slim vines, which will
: neither support themselves nor admit
Df cultivation between the rows. But
checking their growth at the height of
Swo and one-hah or three feet, causes
them TO throw out lateral branches,
making stocly self-supporting bush,
and allowing them TO be kept in clearly
defined rows But this idea of going
0ver the vineyard, or the berry patch,
and with the thumb and fore-fnger
shortening in every part of new growth
Hooks like formidable undertaking,
as indeed it is. These two words
-'pinching in" are and have been the
cause of more discouragement in fruit
growing among farmers than any and
all things else combined The man of
leisure who finds time hanging heavily
On his hands may manage to kill
portion of it in a satisfactory manner
by this pinching in work But the
busy farmer, with one crop pressing
right on the heels Of another for atten-
zion at his hands, knows as well as he
knows anything that he has no time
10 fool away in any such work. If
fruit can only be grown by such
methods, others must grow it, not he.
Now, as a matter of fact, good crops of
grapes and berries can be grown with
out any of this slow thumb and finger
work, and when grown for family sup
ply only without making scarcely any
demand upon the time of the grower,
and yet all the essential conditions be
fulfilled, not, perhaps, as perfectly as by
the amateur with his thumb and finger
process, but sufficiently so for all prac-
,fical purposes The writer has been
successful grower of grapes and berries
for family supply for many years, and
in all that time has done no thumb and
finger work. Instead of these he uses the
curved grass sickle, which costs twenty
i've cents, and with it clips the ends of
grape vines and canes of berries. A
hundred grape vines can easily be gone
) over in an hour, and a corresponding
number of raspberry or blackberry hills,
with just as good results as if ten times
the amount of time had been spent in
spinching in. If these words could be
/, dropped from the category when writ
ing upon fruit growing for the benefit
of farmers, and clipping in" be substi-
Suted for them, more farmers by far
would plant and grow fruits literally
for family supply.-W. ID. in Practical
Farmer.
Tomato Leaves as an Insectlcide.