Manual of American Grape-Growing Part 16

By this method, on most of the vines, the fruit canes start from high up near the middle of the stake, and are therefore too short for the best results. The canes which start from low down are in most cases suckers, and therefore of little value for fruit bearing.

Figure 24 B shows a vine with bowed canes. The method of pruning is exactly the same as in the method just described. The bowing of the canes, however, overcomes some of the defects of that method. It is used regularly in many wine grape vineyards of the cooler regions. It is unsuited for very vigorous vines in rich soil.

_Vertical cordons._

In head pruning, the treatment of young vines up to the second or third winter pruning is identical for all systems. In cordon pruning the treatment for the first and second is also the same. That is, the vine is cut back to two buds near the level of the ground until a cane sufficiently long to serve for the formation of the trunk is obtained.

In the vertical cordon the trunk is three to four feet long instead of one to two, as in head pruning. This makes it necessary to have a longer and more vigorous cane to start with. It may require a year longer to obtain this. That is to say, at the end of the second season's growth many vines will not have a single cane sufficiently developed to give the necessary three and one-half feet of well-ripened wood and properly developed buds. At the second winter pruning, therefore, it will often be necessary to cut the vine back to two buds, as at the first winter pruning.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 34. Vertical cordon, young vine pruned.]

Finally, a cane of the required length will be obtained. The vine is then formed as already described for the second winter pruning of headed vines, except that the cane is left longer. When such a vine is pruned, spurs are left at intervals along the trunk, as shown in Fig.

34. Each of these spurs is a fruit spur and is also the commencement of an arm. The future treatment of these arms is the same as that of the arms in head pruning.

_Horizontal cordons._

During the first two or three years, vines which are to be given the form of horizontal cordons are treated exactly as for vertical cordons, that is, they are pruned back to two buds each winter and the growth forced by disbudding into a single cane during the summer.

As soon as a well-ripened cane of the required length is obtained, it is tied to a wire stretched horizontally along the row at from fifteen to twenty-four inches from the ground.

For this system of pruning, the rows should be twelve to fourteen feet apart and the vines six, seven, or eight feet apart in the rows. As the cordon or trunk of each vine should reach the next vine, it will have to be six to eight feet long. The best shape is obtained when the trunk is all formed one year from a single cane. It is necessary, however, sometimes to take two years for the formation of the trunk.

In any case, the cane first tied down should reach at least half way to the next vine. The following year a new cane from the end of this should be used to complete the full length of the trunk.

In attaching the cane to the wire, it must be bent over in a gentle curve and care taken not to break or injure it. The proper form of the bend is shown in Figs. 27 and 35. Sharp bends should be avoided.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 35. Unilateral horizontal cordon with half-long pruning.]

The cane should be placed on top of the wire, but should not be twisted around it. The end should be tied firmly and the rest of the cane supported by strings tied loosely in order to avoid girdling when the cane grows.

In the following spring, most of the buds on a good cane will start.

If the cane is short jointed, some of the shoots should be removed and only those shoots allowed to develop which are conveniently situated for permanent arms. If the vines are to be short pruned, the arms should be developed every eight to twelve inches from a few inches beyond the bend to the extreme end. For long pruning, the arms should be farther apart, twelve to twenty inches. Shoots starting from the top of the cane and growing vertically upwards are to be preferred.

As the shoots develop, the strongest should be pinched repeatedly, if necessary. This will tend to force the growth of the weaker shoots and to equalize the vigor of all. At the end of the season, there should be from five to ten canes growing on each cordon of full length. These canes are then pruned back to two or three buds, or a little longer for long-pruned varieties.

During the following spring and summer, the vines should be carefully suckered and unnecessary water sprouts removed. Any shoots coming from the lower side of the cordon should be removed early to strengthen the growth in the shoots on the upper side. Such vines are apt to become dry or decayed on the upper side. At the end of this year, which should be the fourth or fifth from planting at the latest, the cordon will be fully formed and the final style of pruning can be applied. A short-pruned cordon vine is shown in Fig. 27. The arms and spurs are a little too numerous and too close together. If this vine required the number of buds shown it would have been better to have left the fruit spurs longer and to have left fewer and shorter wood spurs.

The upper vine of Fig. 35 shows a cordon pruned half long. This is an excellent system for Malaga, Emperor, and Cornichon when growing in very fertile soil. It gives the half-long fruit canes, which these varieties need to produce good crops. The fruit canes may be attached to a wire twelve or fifteen inches above the cordon or bent down and tied to the cordon itself, as in the lower vine of the figure. The first method is the more convenient, but the second is necessary where there is difficulty in obtaining satisfactory growth from the renewal spurs. When the fruit canes are tied down, as indicated in the lower vine, renewal spurs may not be needed, as vigorous shoots will usually be obtained from the lower buds of the fruit canes.

_Choice of a system._

In choosing a system, we must consider carefully the characteristics of the particular variety we are growing. A variety which bears only on the upper buds must be pruned "long," that is, must be given fruit canes. It should be noted that many varieties, such as Pet.i.te Sirah, which will bear with short pruning when grafted on resistant roots require fruit canes when growing on their own roots. In general, grafted vines require shorter pruning than ungrafted. If pruned the same, the grafted vines may overbear and quickly exhaust themselves.

This seems to be the princ.i.p.al reason for the frequent failure of Muscat vines grafted on resistant stock. The cultural conditions also affect the vine in this respect. Vines made vigorous by rich soil, abundant moisture, and thorough cultivation require longer pruning than weaker vines of the same variety.

The normal size of the bunch is also of importance. This size will vary from one-quarter of a pound to 2 or 3 pounds. It is difficult to obtain a full crop from a variety whose bunches are very small without the use of fruit canes. Spurs will not furnish enough fruit buds without crowding them inconveniently. On the other hand, some shipping grapes may bear larger crops when pruned long, but the bunches and berries may be too small for the best quality.

The possibilities of development vary much with different varieties. A Mission or Flame Tokay may be made to cover a quarter of an acre and develop a trunk four or five feet in circ.u.mference. A Zinfandel vine under the same conditions would not reach a tenth of this size in the same time. Vines in a rich valley soil will grow much larger than on a poor hillside. The size and shape of the trunk must be modified accordingly and adapted to the available room or number of vines to the acre.

The shape of the vine must be such as to protect it as much as possible from various unfavorable conditions. A variety susceptible to odium, like the Carignane, must be pruned so that the fruit and foliage are not unduly ma.s.sed together. Free exposure to light and air are a great protection in this respect. The same is true for varieties like the Muscat, which have a tendency to "coulure" if the blossoms are too moist or shaded. In frosty locations, a high trunk will be a protection, as the air is always colder close to the ground.

The qualities required in the crop also influence our choice of a pruning system. With wine grapes, even, perfect ripening and full flavor are desirable. These are obtained best by having the grapes at a uniform height from the ground and as near to it as possible. The same qualities are desirable in raisin grapes, with the addition of large size of the berries. With shipping grapes, the size and perfection of the berries and bunches are the most essential characteristics. The vine, therefore, should be so formed that each bunch hangs clear, free from injurious contact with canes or soil and equally exposed to light and air.

The maximum returns in crop depend on the early bearing of young vines, the regularity of bearing of mature vines and the longevity of the vineyard. These are insured by careful attention to all the details of pruning, but are possible only when the vines are given a suitable form.

The running expenses of a vineyard depend in a great measure on the style of pruning adopted. Vines of suitable form are cultivated, pruned and the crop gathered easily and cheaply. This depends also both on the form of vine adopted and on care in details.

It is impossible, therefore, to state for any particular variety or any particular location the best style of pruning to be adopted. All that can be done is to give the general characteristics of the variety and to indicate how these may be modified by grafting, soil or climatic or other conditions.

The most important characteristic of the variety in making a choice of a pruning system is whether it normally or usually requires short, half-long, or long pruning. With this idea, the princ.i.p.al grapes grown in California, together with all those grown at the Experiment Station on which data exist, have been divided into five groups in the following list:

1. _Varieties which require long pruning under all conditions._--Clairette blanche, Corinth white and black, Seedless Sultana, Sultanina white (Thompson's Seedless) and rose.

2. _Varieties which usually require long pruning._--b.a.s.t.a.r.do, Boal de Madeira, Chardonay, Chauche gris and noir, Colombar, Crabbe's Black Burgundy, Durif, Gamais, Kleinberger, Luglienga, Marsanne, Marzemino, Merlot, Meunier, Muscadelle de Bordelais, Nebbiolo, Pagadebito, Peverella, Pinots, Rieslings, Robin noir, Rulander, Sauvignon blanc, Semillon, Serine, Pet.i.te Sirah, Slancamenca, Steinschiller, Tinta Cao, Tinta Madeira, Trousseau, Verdelho, Pet.i.t Verdot, Walcherisling.

3. _Varieties which usually require short pruning._--Aleatico, Aligote, Aspiran, Bakator, Bouschets, Blaue Elbe, Beba, Bonarda, Barbarossa, Catarattu, Charbono, Cha.s.selas, Freisa, Frontignan, Furmint, Grand noir, Grosseblaue, Green Hungarian, Malmsey, Mantuo, Monica, Mission, Moscatello fino, Mouris...o...b..anco, Mourisco preto, Negro amaro, Palomino, Pedro Zumbon, Perruno, Pizzutello di Roma, Black Prince, West's White Prolific, Quagliano, Rodites, Rozaki, Tinta Amarella, Vernaccia bianca, Vernaccia Sarda.

4. _Varieties which require short pruning under all conditions._--Aramon, Burger, Chardonay, Chauche gris and noir, Colombar, Crabbe's Black Burgundy, Durif, Black Morocco, Mourastel, Muscat of Alexander, Napoleon, Picpoule blanc and noir, Flame Tokay, Ugni blanc, Verdal, Zinfandel.

5. _Varieties of table grapes which usually require half-long or cordon pruning._--Almeria (Ohanez), Bellino, Bermestia bianca and violacea, Cipro nero, Dattier de Beirut, Cornichon, Emperor, Black Ferrara, Malaga, Olivette de Cadenet, Pis-de-Chevre blanc, Schiradzouli, Zabalkanski.

These lists must not be taken as indicating absolutely for all cases how these varieties are to be pruned. They simply indicate their natural tendencies. Certain methods and conditions tend to make vines more fruitful. Where these occur, shorter pruning than is indicated may be advisable. On the other hand, other methods and conditions tend to make the vines vigorous at the expense of fruitfulness. Where these occur, longer pruning may be advisable.

The more usual factors which tend towards _fruitfulness_ are:

Grafting on resistant vines, especially on certain varieties such as those of Riparia and Berlandieri;

Old age of the vines;

Mechanical or other injuries to any part of the vine;

Large development of the trunk, as in the cordon systems.

The more usual factors which tend towards _vigor_ at the expense of fruitfulness are:

Rich soil, especially large amounts of humus and nitrogen;

Youth of the vines;

Excessive irrigation or rainfall (within limits).

In deciding what system of pruning to adopt, all these factors, together with the nature of the vine and the uses to which the fruit is to be put, must be considered. It is best when the vineyard is started to err on the side of short pruning. While this may diminish slightly the first one or two crops, the vines will gain in vigor and the loss will be made up in subsequent crops. If the style of pruning adopted results in excessive vigor of the vines, it should be gradually changed in the direction of longer pruning with the object of utilizing this vigor in the production of crop.

This change should be gradual, or the risk is run of injuring the vitality of the vines by one or two excessively heavy crops.

Finally, each year the condition of the individual vine should determine the kind of pruning to be adopted. If the vine appears weak, from whatever cause, it should be pruned shorter or given less spurs or fruit canes than the year before. On the contrary, if it appears unnecessarily vigorous, more or longer spurs or fruit canes should be left. Every vine should be judged by itself. It is not possible to give more than general directions for the pruning of the whole vineyard. It cannot be well pruned unless the men who do the actual pruning are capable of using sufficient judgment to properly modify their methods for each individual vine.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XIV.--Eaton (4/5).]