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AMPELIDEZ. IV. Vins. 
the supplies of water with the advancement of the season. But 
when the fruit has begun to change colour, and swell off for 
ripening, the quantity of water hitherto liberally given must be 
lessened by degrees, and towards the coming to full maturity 
must be entirely withheld, that it may not be insipid. The 
operation of engine cleaning must also cease : but previously be 
particularly severe, and be careful to wash the plants well, that 
no vestige of the red spider may be left. 
Ripening of wood.—Abercrombie says, if the fruit be not off 
by the middle of August, the continuation of fine dry weather, or 
the heat dependent on the natural climate, will hardly be suffi- 
cient to ripen the wood; and therefore, as soon as the external 
air declines to 68°, resume gentle fires morning and evening, so 
as to keep the min. temperature to 70°. Give plenty of air in 
favourable weather, and if it continues mild after the fruit is cut, 
take off the glass frames altogether ; but in October the glasses 
should be put on again if the wood is not completely ripe. 
Nicol says, if the lower parts of the shoots be not by the be- 
ginning of August turning brownish, then it is adviseable to 
apply a little fire heat, in order to further the growth of the 
plants, and the perfection of the wood. Less trouble and ex- 
pence for fuel will attend the process of ripening the shoots in 
September than in October. When the growth of the plants is 
over, expose the house day and night, except in rain. 
Exposure and resting of the wood.—Vines which have been 
exposed to the weather, or freely to the dry air in a state of rest, 
when forced, after a proper interval, generally break at almost 
every eye. Butif the plants are in the pinery, the branches must 
be withdrawn from the house after the fall of the leaf, to remain 
outside till the proper time of again beginning to force the plants. 
M'Phail says, “ I advise that the glass frames of grape-houses be 
suffered to remain on all the year excepting in July and August, 
and the grape-vines in pineries should not be taken out to re- 
main for any length of time at any season of the year. It is 
natural for the grape-vine to produce only one crop in the year, 
and when it is accustomed to grow in a hot-house appropriated 
for the pine-apple, its nature is not changed, nor will it offer to 
Put forth its buds before January in hot-houses kept to a heat 
Sufficient to grow the pine-apple, when the pine plants are plunged 
Ma bed of warm tan.” ‘I’. A. Knight is highly favourable to 
putting the vine into a state of repose as early as possible in the 
autumn preceding the season in which it is to be forced. Nicol 
exposes the house day and night, except in rain. After the 
autumn pruning he shuts up the house for 10 days, particularly 
if there be any appearance of frost, admitting air freely during 
the day. The object in this is in order that the pores may con- 
tract and their wounds heal gradually, or otherwise they are apt 
to bleed. 
Forcing vines in a pinery.—Speechly considers that vines and 
bikes may be grown advantageously together; but most gar- 
eners prefer growing them separately. Abercrombie says, if 
ma gardener gets a good fine-flavoured crop of grapes m a 
a)? it is sufficient to confer very great credit on the manager. 
all ail says, in the month of November or December cut down 
the old wood to about the height of the pit, leaving only two 
she’ shoots, the one to bear the crop, the other to be cut 
As ec to grow long shoots to bear the fruit the succeeding year, 
ni as they begin to shoot, let them down from the g ass 
a ch foot, so that they may receive the benefit of warm ar 
un about them; if the stem miss shewing fruit on the fourth 
ong + Joint they will shew none at all, and therefore these 
from ott, be cut out, as they would only take the nourishmen 
ers that have shown fruit. T. A. Knight (Hort. trans. 
' P- 232.) had a Verdelho vine growing in a pot in the stove 
YM the spring of 1823, where its wood became perfectly 
in August. It was then taken from the stove and 
707 
placed under a north-wall, where it remained till the end of 
November, when it was replaced in the stove, and it ripened its 
fruit early in the following spring. In May it was again trans- 
ferred to the north wall, where it remained in a quiescent state 
till the end of August. It then vegetated strongly and shewed 
abundant blossoms, which, upon being transferred to the stove, 
set freely, and the fruit having been subjected to a very high 
temperature, ripened early in February. The plant will retain 
its foliage till April, and will not be prepared to vegetate again 
till late in the spring. The experiment will probably succeed 
well with those varieties of the vine which produce blossoms 
somewhat freely and are of hardy habits; abundant crops of 
these may be obtained at all times of the winter and spring, by 
proper previous management of the plants, and by the application 
of a higher or lower degree of temperature. 
Forcing vines by dung heat,—Justice, Lawrence, and Swit- 
zer state instances of this being done on wooden walls in their 
time. Fletcher, a market gardener near Edinburgh, has prac- 
tised it with great success in a glass-case, keeping constantly, 
till the fruit is about to ripen, a heap of dung or dung and 
weeds in a state of fermentation in the area of the house. J. 
French, about the beginning of March, commences to force by 
introducing a quantity of new long dung, taken from under the 
cow-cribs, which is laid upon the floor of his house, extending 
from end to end, leaving a path next the wall. The dung 
being new, at the beginning a profuse steam arises, which 
is beneficial in destroying the ova of insects, but which 
would prove injurious if permitted to rise in so great a 
quantity when the leaves have pushed forth. In a few days the 
violence of the steam abates, and the buds open, and in the 
course of a fortnight the heat begins to diminish, and then it 
becomes necessary to carry a small addition of fresh dung, laying 
it in the bottom and covering it over with the old. The quantity 
of new dung to be introduced at each turning must be regulated 
by the degree of heat in the house. The temperature kept up is 
pretty regular, being from 65° to 70°.—Anderson, in hort, trans. 
vol. ii. J. Mearns (Hort. trans. 4. p. 256.) approves greatly of 
applying the steam and heat of dung to the forcing of grapes, 
‘and uses it in the earliest part of forcing with great advantage, 
forming a large ridge of it in the back part of his vinery, and 
introducing the recent litter always under the old dung. Dung 
heat is always highly noxious to insects. A method of forcing 
vines in beds raised above dung is described in Hort. trans. 
which does not appear to us worth trying. 
Forcing the vine in hotbed-frames and other glass-cases.— 
T. A. Knight says (Hort. trans.) I have often used with great 
success a frame and hotbed thus formed for forcing grapes, by 
placing the bed at 3 feet distance from the wall, to which the 
vines are trained, and introducing their branches into the frame 
through holes made on the north end of it, as soon as the first 
violent heat of the bed had subsided, the vines having been 
trained toa south wall. The White Chasselas grape thus ripens 
in July if the branches of the vine be introduced in April; 
but the branches that have been forced, having been so c ose y 
pruned, renders them unproductive next season, therefore othe rs 
must be substituted from the wall. Small holes shou e made 
through the sides of the frame, through which the young $ roots 
of the vines can extend themselves in the open air ; for this 
purpose the frames should not be more than 8 or ; fee jong 
and 5 or 6 wide. The holes should of course be ‘ ose: il 
wanted. When the grapes are nearly full grown, anc begin to 
ripen, it will be advantageous to draw ofi the g asse s a og hor 
during the day in fine weather, by which means the f iw 
obtain a degree of perte or that it ra eee e is Ty 
. J. Mean (Hort. trans. 2. p. 9390. 1 d 
or o inilar to that of Mr. Knight’s. This method is parti 
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