It has from time immemorial been considered excellent practice to remove the tendrils from growing grape vines. It seems scarcely credible that a practice so universal with the best grape growers, and which hashitherto been unquestioned, should really be a bad one. But this is what the Journal of Horticulture has mustered up the courage to say:

"We do not consider it a good plan to pinch off the tendrils from the leading growths of young vines so closely as is practiced by many persons. We remember once noticing some thousands of remarkably fine vines in pots in Mr. Rivers' nursery at Sawbridgeworth. The pots were standing on the hot water pipes, and the growths trained about 18 inches apart up the roof above. The grower of these vines was justly proud of his work. They bristled with tendrils, some of them a foot long, and nearly as thick as quills. From a few of the vines, however, the tendrils had been pinched off closely, with the object of noting the effect. Only a dozen or so were so treated, and in every instance they were weaker than the others, which led the cultivator to remark: 'Depend upon it if you want the vines to grow strong and well you must let them put out their horns.' "