UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS . COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE. AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. THE BEST WINE GRAPES EOR CALIFORNIA.— PRUNING YOUNG VINES.— PRUNING THE SULTANINA. By F. T. BIOLETTI. An ideal vine at second winter pruning. BULLETIN No. 193. (Berkeley, Cal., November, 1907.) SACRAMENTO: : : : superintendent state printing. 1907. BENJAMIN IDE WHEELER. Ph.D., LL.D., President of the University. EXPERIMENT STATION STAFF. E J. WICKSON, M.A.. Director and Horticulturist. E. W. HILGARD. Ph.D.. LL.D.. Chemist. W. A. SETCHELL. Ph.D., Botanist. ELWOOD MEAD. M.S.. C.E., Irrigation Engineer. C. W. WOODWORTH, M.S., Entomologist. R. H. LOUGHRIDGE, Ph.D., Agricultural Geologist and Soil Physicist. {Soils, Alkali.) M. E. JAFFA, M.S.. Xutrition Expert, in charge of the Poultry Station. G. W. SHAW. M.A.. Ph.D., Agricultural Technologist, in charge of Cereal Stations. GEORGE E. COLBY, M.S., Chemist. (Fruits, Waters, Insecticides.) RALPH E. SMITH, B.S., Plant Pathologist and, Superintendent of Southern California Pathological Laboratory and Experiment Station. A. R. WARD, B.S.A., D.V.M., Veterinarian and Bacteriologist. E. W. MAJOR. B.Agr., Animal Industry and Manager of University Farm. F. T. BIOLETTI, M.S., Viticulturist. (Grapes, Wine and Zymology.) H. M. HALL, M.S., Assistant Botanist. H. J. QUAYLE, A.B., Assistant Entomologist. W. T. CLARKE, B.S., Assistant Horticulturist and Superintendent of University Extension in Agriculture. JOHN S. BURD, B.S., Chemist, in charge of Fertilizer Control. C. M. HARING, D.V.M., Assistant Veterinarian and Bacteriologist. J. W. MILLS, Assistant Horticulturist, { CUrus Experiment station, Riverside. T. F. HUNT, B.S., " " ) E. B. BABCOCK, B.S., Assistant Plant Pathologist. E. H. SMITH, M.S., Assistant Plant Pathologist. H. J. RAMSEY", M.S., Assistant Plant Pathologist, ) Southern California Pathologi- C. O. SMITH, M.S., " " " ) cal Laboratory. Whittier. R. E. MANSELL, Assistant in Horticulture, in charge of Central Station Grounds. GEO. W. LYONS, B.S., Assistant in Soil Laboratory. RALPH BENTON, B.S., Assistant in Entomology. A J. GAUMNITZ, M.S., Assistant in Cereal Investigations. ^ HANS C. HOLM, B.S., Assistant in Zymology. P. L. McCREARY, B.S., Laboratory Assistant in Fertilizer Control. C. WESTERGAARD, B.S., Assistant in Farm Mechanics.. M E STOVER, B.S., Assistant in Agricultural Chemical Laboratory. [AEL CORR, M.A., Assistant in Cereal Laboratory. D. R. HOAGLAND, A.B., Assistant in Agricultural Chemical Laboratory. D L BUNNELL, Clerk to the Director. TUOHY, Patron, I Tulare Substation, Tulare. J. T. BEARSS, Foreman, \ J. W. ROPER, Patron, ) University Forestry Station, Chico. E C MILLER, In charge, ) I' "Iron, I University Forestry Station, Santa Monica. J [NGHAM, Foreman, ) J HUNTLEY, Foreman of California Poultry Experiment Station, The Station publications (Reports and Bulletins), so long as avail- able, mil be sent to any citizen of the Stale on application. THE BEST WINE GRAPES FOR CALIFORNIA. By F. T. BIOLETTI. The question is often asked: "What are the best wine grapes for California?" It is a very difficult question to answer. If we modify it and ask, "What wine grape is it most advisable to plant?" the diffi- culty is lessened but not removed. The answer will depend greatly on the point of view. For the grape-grower it is one thing, for the wine- maker another, for the consumer still another, and for the good of the industry at large a compromise of all three. For the grape-grower who sells his grapes for so much a ton what- ever the quality, the question resolves itself into, " Which is the heaviest bearer?" For the consumer the question means either "What grape will pro- duce good wine at the minimum cost?" or "What grape will produce the best wine irrespective of cost?" according to the kind of consumer he happens to be. As quantity and quality are to a great extent inversely proportionate, these views are widely divergent. For the wine-maker the question is a little more complicated, but may be stated essentially as, "What grape can I handle with the most profit?" This profit will depend on the difference between the price he is forced to pay the grower for grapes and that which he can persuade the consumer to pay him for wine. For one class of consumers he must get cheap grapes, for the other he can afford to pay almost any price, providing they are of the right quality. For the good of the industry at large it is desirable that varieties should be planted which will produce as large a crop as is compatible with such quality as will maintain and extend the markets for our wine. These markets are varied in character. For some, cheapness is the essential factor; for others, quality. Cheap wines can be produced with profit only from heavy-bearing varieties grown in rich soil; wines of the highest quality only from fine varieties grown on hillsides or other locations where the crops are necessarily less. It is therefore unwise to plant poor-bearing varieties in the rich valleys where no variety can produce a fine wine. It is equally unwise to plant common varieties on the hill slopes of the Coast Ranges where no variety will produce heavy crops. The vineyards of the San Joaquin, Sacramento, and other valleys can not compete with the vineyards of the Coast Ranges in quality, and the latter can not compete with the former in cheapness. Each region has its own special advantages which, if properly used, will make grape-growing profitable in all, and instead of competing each 142 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT STATION. will be a help to the other. The danger to be feared by the grape- - of the Coast Ranges from the production of dry wine in the interior is not competition, but lies in the bad reputation given to California wines by the production of spoiled and inferior wines. If the cheap wines of the valleys are uniformly goo(J and sound the market for the high-priced tine wines of the hills will increase, and large quantities of the Coast Range wines will be used for blending with the valley wine- to give them the acidity, flavor, and freshness which they Lack. In order to obtain these results it is necessary that varieties suited to each region and to the kind of wine should be planted. No variety which is not capable of yielding from 5 to 8 tons per acre in the rich valley soils or from 1^ to 3 tons on the hill slopes should be considered. On the other hand, no variety which will not give a clean-tasting, agreeable wine in the valley or a wine of high quality on the hills should be planted, however heavily it may bear. To plant heavy- bearing inferior varieties such as Burger, Feher Szagos, Charbono, or Mataro on the hills of Napa or Santa Cruz is to throw away the chief advantage of the location. The same is true of planting poor-bearing varieties such as Verdelho, Chardonay, Pinot, or Cabernet Sauvignon in the plains of the San Joaquin. With these considerations in view, the following suggestions are made for planting in the chief regions of California: 1. Vineyard for Sweet Wine in the Interior Valleys. — Red. Proportion. White. Proportion. ,ache \ Palomino \ Alicante Bouschet \ Beba \ Tinta Madeira \ Boal \ Tli" Grenache and Alicante Bouschet are heavy bearers with short priming. The former naturally takes a port flavor and the latter insures sufficient color. The Tinta Madeira, when pruned properly, bears well and will increase the quality of the port wine. The Palomino is one of the heaviest and most regular bearers grown in California and is peculiarly suited for sherry making. It is the principal grape of the Spanish sherry district. The Beba bears nearly or quit' as well as the Palomino and is of rather better quality. Both with short pruning. The Boal bears good crops and gives a sweet wine of high quality. 2. Vineyard for /Jnj Wine in thr Interior Valleys.— Proportion. White. Proportion. Vz \ Burger i . £ West's White Prolific..- £ I Vernaccia Sarda } . The Valdepefiae has been growing for nearly twenty years at the re Experiment Station, and has always given regular and good crops Bulletin 193. THE BEST W INE GRAPES FOR CALIFORNIA. 143 with short pruning. The dry red wine made from it has been in every way satisfactory and much superior to that made from Bouschet, Zin- fandel, or any of the varieties usually grown in the valley, and approaches more nearly than any other variety the wines of the cooler localities. This variety has been planted to some extent in the cooler localities, where it is completely out of place. In Napa its bearing is unsatisfactory and its wine harsh. The vine needs a hot climate to bring out its best qualities. The Lagrain and St. Macaire are valuable on account of their intense color, which at Tulare is equal to that of the Bouschets and is more stable. The St. Macaire is particularly recom- mended on account of its high acidity, which is extremely useful for the region. The Gros Mansenc retains its acid even better than the St. Macaire, and is also deeply colored, but it has not borne quite so well. The Burger has, fortunately, been planted extensively in the hotter parts of the interior, and probably no better choice could be made for the production of a cheap, light, neutral dry white wine in that region. Its acidity, which is excessive in the coast counties, is normal or even low in the interior. For this reason, and in order to give a little more character, it should be blended with such grapes as the West's White Prolific and the Vernaccia Sarda, which retain their acidity at Tulare better than any other white grapes tested. 3. Vineyard for Dry Wine in the Coast Counties, — Red. Proportion. White. Proportion. Petite Sirah | Semillon i Beclan. £ Colombar i Cabernet Sauvignon | Sauvignon blanc '_ £ The conditions of soil and climate in the hills and valleys of the Coast Ranges are so varied that it is much more difficult to give recom- mendations that will be of general use than in the case of the interior valleys. In some parts of some of the valleys the soil is so rich and productive that it is possible to grow grapes as cheaply as in the interior. The grapes recommended for the interior, however, would not in most cases be suitable on the Coast, owing to the difference in climate. As a rule, the grapes which are suitable to the hill slopes will do well in the valley, making up in quantity what they lose in quality. Of the many scores of red varieties which have been widely grown in this region, the Petite Sirah has undoubtedly given the most generally satisfactory results. Some growers are dissatisfied with its bearing, but most report that it produces as much as the Zinfandel. Ungrafted, it requires long pruning. Its wine is of excellent quality, but apt to be somewhat harsh. This harshness can be avoided by careful wine- making and by blending with a smooth variety such as the Beclan. The finest red wines which have ever been made in California are the product of the Cabernet Sauvignon. This variety, unfortunately, has 144 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA — EXPERIMENT STATION. been rejected almost everywhere on account of its light crops. Very satisfactory crops, however, can be obtained if care is taken in selecting cuttings for planting and a suitable system of pruning adopted. This variety, like most others, moreover, bears better when grafted on a suit- able resistant stock. It is very much to be desired that a certain pro- portion of this variety should be planted in all the coast vineyards which are capable of producing a dry red wine of high quality. No white grape has given better results in both crop and quality than the Semillon. The Colombar (sometimes called the Sauvignon vert) has also proved itself a regular bearer, and, while not of such high quality as the Semillon, it blends very well with that variety and serves to modify its aroma, which is sometimes excessive. The Sau- vignon blanc increases the quality of the wine, but like the Cabernet Sauvignon requires careful cutting, selection and pruning to give satisfactory crops. 4. Vineyard for Dry Wine in the cooler parts of the Coast Counties. — Red. Proportion. White. Proportion. Beclan | Franken Riesling f Blue Portuguese ^ Johannisberg Riesling .. ... ^ In certain parts of the coast counties, owing to the frequent occurrence of ocean fogs, many varieties of vines do not ripen their fruit properly. By a careful selection of varieties, however, good crops of well-ripened grapes may be obtained. It is in these localities that the finest light wines, those most nearly resembling the wines of the Rhine, can be produced. The Beclan has shown itself especially suited to this region, and has the great advantage of being very resistant to oidium. The Blue Portuguese is a good bearer, ripens easily, and blended with Beclan gives a good wane of Burgundy type. The best Riesling wines are grown near the coast and, undoubtedly, profitable vineyards of the Rhine varieties can be grown in this region if proper methods of grape- growing and wine-making are adopted. Undoubtedly there are many excellent varieties of grapes that could be grown with profit wmich are not mentioned in the foregoing lists. The varieties mentioned are simply those which have given evidence of being most generally adapted to the more usual conditions. Under special conditions other varieties should be added to or substituted for named. In planting a new 7 vineyard it would be well ofien to choose those varieties which are best able, by blending, to correct the defects of the varieties already growing in the district If the bulk of the red grapes are deficient in color, it would be well to plant a larger proportion of deeply colored varieties. If most of the white grapes of the region are of poor quality, lacking in character, flavor, or acidity, a : planting of the finer varieties might be advisable. It is good Bulletin 193. THE BEST W INE GRAPES FOR CALIFORNIA. 145 policy to plant something that has not already been planted in too large quantities, providing it is something suitable and for which there will be a demand. Moreover, a larger number of kinds ripening at different times would be a great convenience in a large vineyard, by allowing the gathering of the grapes to extend over a longer period. Finally, a few suggestions as to what " not to do." Don't plant Mataro, Feher Szagos, Charbono, Lenoir, or any variety which makes a poor wine everywhere. Don't plant Burger, Green Hungarian, Mourastel, Grenache, or any common heavy-bearing varieties on the hill slopes of the Coast Ranges. Vineyards in such situations must produce fine wines, or they will not be profitable. Don't plant Chardonay, Pinot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, or any light-bearing varieties in rich valley soils. No variety will make fine, high-priced wine in such situations, and heavy bearers are essential to the production of cheap wine. Don't plant Zinfandel, Alicante Bouschet, or any of the varieties which have already been planted in large quantities, unless one is sure that the conditions of his soil and locality are peculiarly favorable to these varieties and will allow him to compete successfully. WINE GRAPES RECOMMENDED FOR CALIFORNIA. For Coast Counties. Red Wine Grapes. White Wine Grapes. 1. Petite Sirah. 1. Semillon. 2. Cabernet Sauvignon. 2. Colombar (Sauvignon vert). 3. Beclan. 3. Sauvignon blanc. 4. Tannat. 4. Franken Riesling. 5. Serine. 5. Johannisberger. 6. Mondeuse. 6. Trarniner. • 7. Blue Portuguese. 7. Peverella. 8. Verdot. For Interior Valleys. Red Wine Grapes. White Wine Grapes. 1. Valdepenas. 1. Burger. 2. St. Macaire. 2. West's White Proline. 3. Lagrain. 3. Vernaccia Sarda. 4. Gros Mansenc. 4. Marsanne. 5. Barbera. 5. Folle blanche. 6. Refosco. 7. Pagadebito. For Sweet Winks. Red Grapes. White Grapes. 1. Grenache. 1. Palomino. 2. Alicante Bouschet. 2. Beba. 3. Tinta Madeira. 3. Boal. 4. California Black Malvoisie. 4. Perruno. 5. Monica. 5. Mantuo. 6. Mission. 6. Mourisco branco. 7. Mourastel. 7. Pedro Ximenez. 8. Tinta Amarella. 146 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA K.\ 1'KKI M ENT STATION'. PRUNING AND TRAINING OF YOUNG VINES. The first two or three years of the life of a vineyard are perhaps the most important from the point of view of the profit and satisfaction to be obtained from it later. Vines which are neglected or improperly treated in youth can never be given that shape which is indispensable for the maximum returns and the minimum labor. Thousands of acres of new vineyard have been planted during the last two years, and, without attempting to write a complete treatise on vine J f. pruning, a few practical suggestions regarding I\\l Y/lf the treatment of young vines should be useful. Whatever the variety of vine and whatever the system of pruning to be ultimately adopted, the treatment for the first two and even three years is practically identical. FIRST YEAR. Making Cuttings. — The considerations which should govern us in . the choice and making of cuttings have been given in Circular No. 26, of this Station, " Selection and Preparation of Vine- Cuttings." The mechanical part only is reviewed here. The cuttings should be made from well-ripened canes of medium thickness and of greater or less length, according to the climate and soil of the vineyard in which they are to be planted. The range will be from 10 to 18 inches. Cuttings are most conveniently made by means of ordinary one-hand pruning shears. In mak- ing them, the lower cut should be made just below a bud, and the upper just above a bud. These cuts should be made as near the bud as is possible without danger of destroying or remov- ing the diaphragm (see Fig. 2). It is best to remove the upper bud, either when making the cuttings or afterwards, though this is not absolutely The bud from which growth is expected is the second from the top. The reason for Leaving the internode above is to protect the . ; ,j t , ;|f ] ;))J ,| fc0 insure its strong growth. It is for this reason that Lg m should be left. If removed, the pith in the upper FIG. L. Properly cutl made Bulletin 193. PRUNING AND TRAINING OF YOUNG VINES. 147 internode will be exposed to alternate wetting and drying, and may- decay, thus weakening or killing the bud below. In planting, the cutting should be placed with just one bud above the surface of the ground, as indicated by the dotted line in Fig. 1. It is a great mistake to leave more than one bud out of the ground, as this increases the danger of drying out. Pruning Rooted Vines.— A young rooted vine before planting should have all its roots shortened to from 4 to 6 inches, according to their vigor (see Fig. 3, A, B, 'C). If the soil has been very deeply plowed and it is desired to plant the vines with a dibble, there is no objection to cutting back the roots to stubs i of an inch long (see Fig. 3, D). Such a vine will make better growth in deeply prepared soil than one with longer roots planted with a spade in shallow-plowed soil. The top of the vine should be thinned to one cane, the strongest and most upright being left. This cane must be shortened to two good buds, iV. Node. FIU. 2. Structure of Vine Cane. d. Diaphragm. I. Internode P. Pith. making the cut close to an internode, as in making cuttings (see Fig. 3, C, D). The pruning of rooted bench grafts is practically the same as that of ordinary rooted vines, though the cutting back of the single cane to two buds is best deferred until after planting and just as the buds com- mence to swell (see Fig. 3, B). This affords some protection to the graft, and makes it less likely to dry out before the sap starts and the young rootlets are formed. All scion roots (CR) above the union (U) and all suckers (SS) from below the union should be carefully removed (Fig. 3, A). During the summer of the year the vines are planted, no pruning or training of any kind is needed in most cases. For this reason it is nearly always unnecessary to stake the vines when they are planted. The only exception to this is when strong-rooted vines are planted in a rich, moist soil in which they will make a very large growth the first year. In this case it is desirable, though not quite necessary, to stake 14s UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA — EXPERIMENT STATION. the vines immediately after planting and to adopt the method of summer treatment described below for the second year. In most cases it is best to allow all the shoots to remain to feed the vine and to insure a good root growth the first year. Staking. — In the autumn or winter fol- lowing planting, the vines should be staked, either before or after pruning, but in any case some time before the buds start in the spring. B CD FIG. 3. Methods of pruning rooted vines. Rooted vine (bench graft) before pruning— U, union. N\ slock suckers. CR, scion root. Rooted bench-graft pruned for planting. I: »oted cutting pruned for planting. Rooted cutting pruned for planting with dibble. Bulletin 193. PRUNING AND TRAINING OF YOUNG VINES. 149 The kind of stake used will depend on the variety of vine and on the method of pruning to be ultimately adopted. For ordinary short- pruning, the stake should be of such length that, after being driven into the ground, sufficient will be -below the surface to keep it firm and prevent its being loosened by the force of the wind acting on the vine which is tied to it, and sufficient above the surface to extend 1 or 2 inches above the height at which it is intended to head the vines. It should be from li to H inches square, according to its length. In firm ground, for small-growing vines such as Zinfandel, a stake li by li inches and 27 inches long will be sufficient. This will allow 15 inches to be driven into the ground and leave 12 inches above, which is enough for vines to be headed at 10 inches. If the ground is loose or sandy a 30-inch stake driven 18 inches into the ground will be needed. For strong-growing varieties, such as Carignane or Tokay, especially when planted in rich soil, a stake H by \\ inches and 36 inches long will be necessary, and 15 or 18 inches of this should be left above the ground. This will permit the heading of the vines at 15 inches. If the vines are to be trellised with one wire, a 36-inch stake driven 18 inches into the ground is the proper length. If two wires are to be used, a 48-inch stake will be needed, leaving 30 inches above the surface. If the vines are to be pruned long and the canes tied to the stake, a 5-foot stake will usualW be needed, and this must be stronger, 2 by 2 inches square. This stake should be driven 2 feet into the ground. These dimensions are all smaller than are usual in California, but are quite sufficient for all practical purposes. The stake should be placed 1 to 2 inches from the vine on the side opposite to the prevailing heavy winds. The force of the wind will thus keep the vine pressed against the stake and the tying material is less liable to break. First Winter Pruning. — In California, the young vines may be pruned at any time after the leaves have fallen, except in sections very subject to spring frosts, where it is sometimes advisable to defer the pruning until after the top buds of the canes start. The way the vines are to be pruned will depend altogether on the growth they have made. If the growth has been small the tops are pruned exactly like rooted vines before planting. All the canes are removed entirely, except the strongest, and this is cut back to two buds, as in Fig. 3, C, D (see Fig. 4, a). Any vines which have made a strong growth and possess at least one cane of which a sufficient length is well ripened may be pruned for tying up. All the canes are removed entirely, except the strongest, and this is cut back to 10, 15, or 18 inches, according to the height at which it is intended to head the vine (see Fig. 5, a). The top cut is made 150 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA — EXPERIMENT STATION through a bud. just as in making cuttings. This will facilitate tying up and insure the healthy growth of the top bud. Sometimes, even when the vine has made sufficient growth, the canes are prostrate or crooked and none can be tied up straight to the stake. In this case the vine must be pruned like a weak vine — that is, thinned to one cane and this cane cut back to two buds. In no case should two canes of any length be left, and in all cases where it is impossible to obtain the full length of well-ripened wood for tying up, the cane should be cut back to two buds. It is very bad practice to leave some of the canes of intermediate length, as this causes FIG. 4. Treatment of an average vine during second season. a. Winter pruning. b. Spring pruning— removal of suckers (S) and thinning of shoots (W). C. Summer treatment— tying to stake and topping. the vines to head out at various heights and produces an irregularity of shape which can never be remedied and which interferes with regular pruning, cultivation, and other vineyard work. The idea to be kept in mind is to cut back each winter nearly to the ground — thai is, to two buds until a cane is produced with a length of well-ripened wood and good buds equal to the height at which the vine be headed. It is very important that this cane should be straight, healthy, and well-ripened, as it is from it that the trunk of the mature develop-. All the vines on which a cane has been left should be fully tied up. Two tics will be needed in most cases. A half hitch should be made around the cane below the swelling left by the bud which has been removed, and the cane tied firmly to the top of the stake. Bulletin 193. PRUNING AND TRAINING OF YOUNG VINES. 151 Another tie is made about half-way down the stake. The lower tie need not be very tight, and in any case the tying material should not be passed completely around the cane, except above the top bud, or the vine will be strangled when it commences to grow (see Fig. 5, a). Any kind of string or twine, sufficiently strong to withstand the pressure of the growing vine in a heavy wind, may be used. Binding- twine, or a single strand of good baling rope, is suitable. No. 16 or 17 galvanized wire is preferred by some and is better than string, if care is taken to remove the bottom ties the following year before they strangle the vine. . Wire is a little more expensive and takes a little longer to put on than string, but holds the vines better and can be used for several years. SECOND YEAR. Summer Pruning. — The treatment during the second and third spring and summer is of great importance to the future welfare of the vine. A little judicious care at this period will avert many troubles in later years. It will be necessary to go over the vineyard four or five times to do the suckering, topping, and tying which are necessary. The shoots starting from the vines which have been cut back to two buds should be thinned to a single one. This thinning should be done as soon as possible in such a way that it is never necessary to remove a shoot more than 3 or 4 inches long (see Fig. 4, />). If the thinning is deferred until the shoots are a foot or more long the vine will be weakened by the removal of so much foliage. If the thinning cannot be done early, it is better not to do it at all. The object of this thinning is to throw all the force and growth of the vine into the cane which is to form, finally, the trunk of the vine. If it is done too late not only does the growth not go into this cane, but the vine is weakened so much that this cane does not grow so w r ell as it would have done without thinning. The first thinning can be done with the first hoeing, and the second with the suckering. The suckering consists of the removal of all shoots which come from below the ground. These also should be removed as early as practicable, both to avoid weakening the vine by the removal of mature leaves and also because a young sucker is much more easily separated from the vine at this time. Every sucker must be cut or broken off at the point where it originates. If a little piece of the sucker is left, several new suckers will start at the same place. The more completely the suckering is done during the first two years, the less trouble in this respect there will be in later years. This is particularly true of grafted vines. A few weeks after the first thinning, the single shoot 1 which has been left will have grown 10 or 15 inches. At this length it should.be tied up to the stake (see Fig. 4, c). If this tying is neglected or deferred 152 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT STATION. too long, a heavy wind is very liable to break off the whole shoot. A piece of string tied rather Loosely about the middle of the shoot is all that is needed. If the vines are to be headed high (18 inches) another tie near the top of the stake may be necessary later. For vines which are making only a moderate growth this is all the treatment needed during the summer. Strong-growing vines in rich soil, however, should be topped. ping. — The object of this topping is to force the shoot to send out laterals at the right height above the surface of the soil, to be used as Treatment ol average vine during the third season, or of a vigorous vine during the second. a. Vine pruned to one cane and tied to stake. b. Removal of suckers (S) and lower shoots (W) in spring, o. Vine in summer at time of pinching. -pur- during the following year. This topping is an operation which a good deal of judgment. If the topping is done too soon, laterals will not start, but a new terminal shoot wall be formed. This j- not a serious defect, however, but simply necessitates a second top- ping two or three weeks later. Neither will the laterals start if the topping Lfi done loo Late, or if they start they will not mature, and the weakened by the removal of foliage without any compensating advantage. Until experience has shown the proper time for the variety and locality, it is best to top when the shoot has grown to from 8 to 12 the top of the stake, and if necessary top again later. Bulletin 193. PRUNING AND TRAINING OF YOUNG VINES. 153 The shoot should be topped within 1 or 2 inches of the top of the stake, if the stakes have been chosen and driven as advised above (see Fig. 4, c). This will insure the growth of laterals just where they are needed for the next winter pruning. The vines on which a cane has been left and tied up during the pre- ceding winter must be treated a little differently. The removal of underground shoots or suckers is the same. Instead of thinning out the shoots to a single one, as for the vines just described, all the shoots should be left to grow, except those too near the ground (see Fig. 5, b). As a rule, all shoots between the ground and the middle of the stakes should be taken off. It is even more important that this should be done early than in the case described above. If the lower shoots are allowed to become large and then removed, not only is the vine weak- ened by the removal of mature leaves, but the stem of the vine is suddenly exposed to the direct rays of the hot sun and is very liable to injury. This injury does not show by a peeling off of the bark as with fruit trees, but by a general weakening and dwarfing of the vine. The shoots coming from the upper half of the cane are to form the spurs for the following winter pruning, and can often be left to grow without further treatment. If the growth is very rapid and succulent, however, it is necessary to pinch them, or the first heavy wind may break them off (see Fig. 5, c). Pinching consists of the removal of 1 or 2 inches of growth at the extreme tip of the shoot. This delays the growth in length temporarily and gives the shoot time to strengthen its tissues before its length gives too much leverage to the wind. This pinching usually has to be repeated at least once. Pinching may be replaced by topping a few weeks later, but the latter is somewhat weakening to the vine. In all summer pruning — that is, removal of green shoots and leaves — of young vines, two things should be kept in mind: First, that all summer pruning is weakening; second, that the object of summer prun- ing of young vines is to direct the growth as much as possible into those parts which are to become permanent portions of the mature vine. The weakening effect is almost nil if the shoots or tips are removed when they are very small, but may be very serious if large shoots are removed or heavily topped. When a large shoot covered with leaves is removed it is a total loss to the vine. When a small shoot is removed the food materials which would have gone into that shoot are diverted to the shoots that remain, and the vigor and size of the latter are increased. 154 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA — EXPERIMENT STATION. llllRI) YEAH. Winter Pruning. — After the leaves have fallen at the end of the third summer every vine should have a well-formed, straight stem with two, three, or more canes growing from the upper part, and the formation of the "head" or crown should commence. Any vines which have not been brought to this condition must be pruned like two- or one-year- old vines, as the ease may be. If the work up to this point has been well done, the formation of the head is a simple matter. It consists in leaving two. three, or four spurs, FJG. 6. Three-year-old vines after pruning. a. A verage vine with two spurs. b. Vigorous vines with three spur:- removed the following year. c. Vigorous vine with three spurs. th,e lowest of which is to be arranged as symmetrically as possible near the top of the vine. The ■ nger the vine, as evidenced by the number, length, and thick- of the canes, the larger the number of spurs and buds that should be Left. A spur consists of the basal portion of a cane, and normally of two full internodes. This leaves two buds besides the base bud. The number of bud- to Leave on a spur depends on the strength or thickness of the cane from which the -pur is made. A thin, or weak, cane should lit back to one bud or even to the base bud. A strong cane, on the other hand, should be Left with three buds besides the base bud. The pruning of each vine requires judgment, and it is impossible to Bulletin 193. PRUNING THE SULTANINA. 155 give an inflexible rule to follow. The ideal of a perfect vine should be kept in mind and each vine pruned as nearly in accordance with this ideal as circumstances permit. Fig. 6 and the illustration on the cover represent nearly perfect three-year-old vines consisting of two or three symmetrically placed spurs of two buds each near the top of the stem. Sometimes it is necessary to leave a spur lower down (see Fig. 6, 6). This spur will be removed the following year after it has produced two or three bunches of grapes. Sometimes a vine may be very vigorous but have only two canes properly placed for making spurs. In this case the spurs should be left longer — three buds and even in extreme cases four buds long. PRUNING THE SULTANINA.* This variety has shown itself extremely irregular in bearing in many vineyards of California. The variations in the crop of different years in the same vineyard, of adjacent vineyards in the same district, and of different vines in the same vineyard are very much greater than is usual with most other varieties. The cause of this seems to be due, in great part at least, to defective pruning. If we inquire into the history of any Sultanina vineyard we find very commonly the following sequence of events: During the first four, five or six years the vines were pruned short, grew with extraordinary vigor, but produced very few grapes. The following year the owner, hearing that long pruning was necessary, left two, three, four, or more canes four or five feet long and tied them up vertically to a high stake. This usually resulted in a large crop. The same method, as nearly as practicable, was followed during subsequent years, with gradually diminishing success, until about the third year of long pruning the crops had become unsatisfactory again. The reason for this sequence of events is easy to comprehend when we understand the principles of long pruning and the special charac- teristics of the Sultanina. This variety bears well only on long canes, so that so long as short pruning is practiced the crops are unsatisfactory. The first year in which long canes are left the crop is good, because a large proportion of the canes tied up consist of bearing wood. Provision is seldom-made, however, for the growth of new canes from the stump to furnish bearing wood for the following years. The result is, that after the second or third year all the bearing wood is at the top of the stake, and the vine must be pruned short again or suckers and watersprouts left as long *This is the correct name of the "Thompson's Seedless." 156 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT STATION. canes. Whichever of these two alternatives is chosen the result will be unsatisfactory. A common condition of a Sultanina vine after the first year of long FIG. 7. Sultanina vine showing effect of tying fruit canes in a vertical position. (From a photograph.) .'•kers and watersprouts. F. Strong fruit wood. /. Weak fruit wood. C. Fruit canee of the previous year which have just borne a crop. pruning is shown in Fig. 7. If the fruit canes (C, C) of the previous years are removed, nothing remains but the unfruitful suckers and irsprouts (8, 8). If the old fruit canes (C, C) are left there is an Bulletin 193. PRUNING THE SULTANINA. 157 abundance of fruit wood (F, F), but it is so near the top of the stake that if fruit canes are left there is nothing to which to tie them. If this fruit wood is left and pruned short we get a vine like that shown in Fig. 8, which is worse than an ordinary short-pruned vine. This condition may be avoided for a year or two if, besides the fruit FIG. 8. Last stage of a Sultanina vine which has been pruned long and the canes tied up vertically. canes (C, C), we leave also some short spurs of one or two buds on the main stump. The canes from these spurs will consist of fruit wood and they may be used for fruit canes the following year. Unfortu- nately these spurs are so shaded by the foliage on the fruit canes that they do not always produce vigorous wood, and finally they fail to grow at all. 15S M\ ERS1 CI OF ( ' A 1 .1 FORNIA EXPERIMENT STATION. Two methods have been successfully u>rd to insure the growth of new fruit wood every year in a position where it can be utilized. The first consists in bending the fruit canes into a circle, as illustrated in Fig. 9. This diminishes the tendency of the sap of the vine to go to the end of the fruit canes. The consequence is that more shoots start on the lower parts of the fruit canes. All the shoots on these canes are made weaker and more fruitful by the bending, and at the same time the sap pressure is increased and causes strong shoots to start from the wood spurs left near the bases of the fruit canes. These shoots are used for fruit canes at the following winter pruning, and new wood spurs are then left for the next year. The tying and bending of the fruit canes require great care, and repeated suckering and removal of watersprouts are necessary to insure a strong growth of replac- ing canes on the wood spurs. This method can be used successfully only by skillful hands. The other method re- quires some form of trellis The most prac- ticable trellis is a wire stretched along the rows at about \\ or 2 feet above the surface of the Boil. For very vigorous vines in rich soil a second wire 12 inches above the first is advisable. The pruning is the same as for the method just described. The fruit canes, however, instead of being benl in a circle and tied to the stake, are placed in a horizontal position and tied to the wire. The horizontal position has the same effect as curving in promoting the starting of FIG. 9. Showing method of bending fruit canes to growthoi shoots from replacing spurs. Bulletin 193. PRUNING THE SULTANINA. 159 more shoots on the fruit canes and the consequent production of more bunches of grapes. At the same time the buds on the wood spurs are forced to start, and not being shaded they tend to grow vigorously. It is best to tie the shoots from the wood spurs in a vertical position to 1 \ the stake, and they should not be topped. This is a modification of what is known as the Guyot system of pruning, and is not only theo- retically correct, but is easy to explain to pruners, and can be carried out much more perfectly than the first method with ordinary labor. Whatever system of winter pruning is adopted with the Sultanina, 160 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA — EXPERIMENT STATION. careful summer pruning, suckering, sprouting, and topping are neces- sary for the best results. This variety has a tendency to send out large numbers of suckers from below ground and watersprouts from the old wood. These shoots are usually sterile, grow vigorously, and unless removed in time divert the energies of the vine from the fruit and fruit shoots. Two or three times during the spring the vineyard should be gone over carefully and all sterile shoots which are not needed to balance the vine or to replace weak or missing arms should be removed. This removal of shoots should be done in such a way that no shoot longer than 12 inches is ever removed. If the water- sprouts are allowed to grow large their removal weakens the vine. The shoots which are to give fruit canes for the following year should not be topped. The shoots from the horizontal fruit canes on the trellises, however, will set their fruit better and are less likely to be broken by the wind if they are pinched or topped early. No summer pruning of any kind should be done while the vines are blossoming, or for a week or ten days before the blossoms open. STATION PUBLICATIONS. STATION PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE FOR DISTRIBUTION. REPORTS. 1896. Report of the Viticultural Work during the seasons 1S87-93, with data regarding the Vintages of 1894-95. 1897. Resistant Vines, their Selection, Adaptation, and Grafting. Appendix to Viticultural Report for 1896. 1898. Partial Report of Work of Agricultural Experiment Station for the years 1895-96 and 1896-97. 1900. Report of the Agricultural Experiment Station for the year 1897-98. 1902. Report of the Agricultural Experiment Station for 1898-1901. 1903. Report of the Agricultural Experiment Station for 1901-1903. 1904. Twenty-second Report of the Agricultural Experiment Station for 1903-1904. TECHNICAL BULLETINS— ENTOMOLOGICAL SERIES. Vol. 1, No. 1 — Wing Veins of Insects. No. 2 — Catalogue of the Ephydridae. BULLETINS. Reprint. Endurance of Drought in Soils of the Arid Region. No. 128. Nature, Value and Utilization of Alkali Lands, and Tolerance of Alkali. (Revised and Reprint, 1905.) 133. Tolerance of Alkali by Various Cultures. 140. Lands of the Colorado Delta in Salton Basin, and Supplement. 141. Deciduous Fruits at Paso Robles. 142. Grasshoppers in California. 144. The Peach-Worm. 147. Culture Work of the Substations. 148. Resistant Vines and their Hybrids. 149. California Sugar Industry. 150. The Value of Oak Leaves for Forage. 151. Arsenical Insecticides. 152. Fumigation Dosage. 153. Spraying with Distillates. 154. Sulfur Sprays for Red Spider. 156. Fowl Cholera. 158. California Olive Oil; its Manufacture. 159. Contribution to the Study of Fermentation. 160. The Hop Aphis. 161. Tuberculosis in Fowls. (Reprint.) 162. Commercial Fertilizers. (Dec. 1, 1904.) 163. Pear Scab. 164. Poultry Feeding and Proprietary Foods. (Reprint.) 165. Asparagus and Asparagus Rust in California. 166. Spraying for Scale Insects. 167. Manufacture of Dry Wines in Hot Countries. 168. Observations on Some Vine Diseases in Sonoma County. 169. Tolerance of the Sugar Beet for Alkali. 170. Studies in Grasshopper Control. 171. Commercial Fertilizers. (June 30, 1905.) 172. Further Experience in Asparagus Rust Control. 173. Commercial Fertilizers. (December, 1905.) 174. A New Wine-Cooling Machine. 175. Tomato Diseases in California. 176. Sugar Beets in the San Joaquin Valley. 177. A New Method of Making Dry Red Wine. 178. Mosquito Control. 179. Commercial Fertilizers. (June, 1906.) 180. Resistant Vineyards. 181. The Selection of Seed- Wheat. 182. Analysis of Paris Green and Lead Arsenate. Proposed Insecticide Law. 183. The California Tussock-moth. 1S4. Report of the Plant Pathologist to July 1, 1906. 185. Report of Progress in Cereal Investigations. 186. The Oidium of the Vine. 187. Commercial Fertilizers. (January, 1907.) 188. Lining of Ditches and Reservoirs to Prevent Seepage Losses. 189. Commercial Fertilizers. (June. 1907.) 190. The Brown Rot of the Lemon. 191. California Peach Blight. 192. Insects Injurious to the Vine in California. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT STATION. CIRCULARS. No. 1. n O. 4. 5. 10. 11. 12. 13. 15. 16. 17. IS. 10. 20. 21. Texas Fever, Blackleg. Hoc' Cholera. Anthrax. Contagious Abortion in Cows. Remedies for Insects. Asparagus Rust ' Reading Course in Economic Entomology. ( Revision. ) Fumiuation Practice. Silk Culture. The Culture of the Sugar Beet. Recent Problems in Agriculture. What a University Farm is For. Notes on Seed-Wheat. Why Agriculture Should be Taught in the Public Schools. Caterpillars on Oaks. Disinfection of Stables. Reading Course in Irrigation. The Advancement of Agricultural Education. Defecation of Must for White Wine. No. 23. 24. 25. 2Q. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. Pure Yeast in Wineries. Olive Pickling. Suggestions Regarding Exam- ination of Lands. Selection and Preparation of Vine Cuttings. Marly Subsoils and the Chlo- rosis or Yellowing of Citrus Trees. A Preliminary Progress Report of Cereal Investigations, 1905-07. Preliminary Announcement Con- cerning Instruction in Prac- tical Agriculture upon the University Farm, Davisville, California. White Fly in California. The Agricultural College and Its Relationship to the Scheme of National Education. White Fly Eradication. Packing Prunes in Cans. Cane Sugar vs. Beet Sugar. Copies may be had on application to Director of Experiment Station, Berkeley, Cal.