American grape training by Bailey L. H. (Liberty Hyde) 1858-1954

Author:Bailey, L. H. (Liberty Hyde), 1858-1954
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Viticulture
Publisher: New York, The Rural publishing company
Published: 1893-03-25T05:00:00+00:00

19. FAN TRAINING, AFTER PRUNING. Digitized by CjOOQIC

CHAPTER IV.

THE DROOPING SYSTEMS.

In 1845 William T. Cornell planted a vineyard in the Hudson River Valley. A neighbor, William Kniffin, was a stone mason with a few acres of land to which he devoted his attention during the leisure seasons of his trade. Cornell induced Kniffin to plant a few grapes. He planted the Isabella, and succeeding beyond his expectations, the plantation was increased into a respectable vineyard and Kniffin came to be regarded as a local authority upon grape culture. Those were the pioneer days in commercial grape growing in North America, and there were no undisputed maxims of cultivation and training. If any system of close training and pruning was employed, it was probably the old horizontal arm spur system, or something like it. One day a large limb broke from an apple-tree and fell upon a grape-vine, tearing off some of the canes and crushing the vine into a singular shape. The vine was thought to be ruined, but it was left until the fruit could be gathered. But as the fruit matured, its large size and handsome appearance attracted attention. It was the best fruit in the vineyard ! Mr. Kniffin was an observant man, and he

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The Drooping System.

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inquired into the cause of the excellent fruit. He noticed that the vine had been pruned and that the best canes stood out horizontally. From this suggestion he developed the four-cane system of training which now bears his name. A year or two later, in 1854, the system had attracted the attention of those of his neighbors who cultivated grapes, and

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