We know there are a few persons who believe in permitting the vine to set and ripen all the fruit it will; but we also know that whenever we have watched the practice of such advocates, it has resulted within a few years in either mildew of leaf and fruit, rot, or an imperfect ripening of more than one half the fruit. Our oldest and most experienced vignerons; those who have unwit-tingly practiced a year or two of overloading the vines; all vegetable physiology and study of the natural laws of life and health, tell us that an undue exhaustion of the system must, if continued, soon be followed by disease or premature death. Acting upon these teachings, the true vineyardist - he who owns his vines and expects to continue yearly gathering the fruit therefrom - will now go over them carefully, note the strength of the vine, and judging with good common -sense knowledge of supply and demand, remove at once all apparent superfluous or overloading number of bunches while they are yet but in the blossom, and have not drawn from the regular supply food belonging to the vine.

Young vines are especially injured by allowing them to fruit freely; and many a one, because his canes are good and strong the second year from planting, permits them to fruit eight or ten bunches, and thus reduces their natural amount of vitality not yet fully gained or matured. In vegetable life an over-exhaustion, while the plant is young and immature, is just as permanently injured as over-working, or in any other way exhausting the natural system of animal life before it has reached maturity.