168 . STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



GRAPES UNDER GLASS. 



BY MR. ARTBMUS SIGLER OF ADRIAN. 



A suitable place for a glass house should be free from the shade of trees 

 aud from roots of shrubbery of any sort. Sunlight, air, and moisture are 

 some of the most essential elements of success. The soil for grapes is 

 one more of the important features to be considered. I would recom- 

 mend a preparation of well decayed sod, taken from some low, rich pas- 

 ture land, and I would add as much barnyard manure as sod and mix 

 them thoroughly together. Collect as many bones as you can get, and 

 place them in the bottom of the pit, which should be eighteen inches or 

 more in depth. Then cover over with the above compost. 



If I were to build a small house, say twenty to twenty-five feet long, 

 in the first place I would set Black Hamburg, and the second I would 

 set the same, and for the last one I would set Black Hamburg also. But 

 if I were to build one fifty feet long or more. I would add just two more 

 varieties, and they would be White Nice and Barbarossa. This is the 

 list recommended by the well-known nurserymen, Elwanger & Barry of 

 Rochester, New York; and the experience I have had with the different 

 varieties has led me to the same conclusion. 



This list is for a cold grapery, where there is no artificial heat used. 

 The roots should be set on the inside of the house, close to the sill, and 

 ten feet apart. As they grow, pull off all the shoots but one, the first 

 year, and tie up the one to the trellis, which should be wire, as that seems 

 to be the cheapest and most suitable. Ne^-er allow the vines to come 

 nearer than sixteen or eighteen inches of the glass, as the sun's rays are 

 likely to scorch the leaves. 



Use plenty of water, by spraying the vines daily, in order to keep up 

 a humid atmosphere, so that the l3uds will develop more evenly. This 

 should be kept up until they show signs of blossoming. 



Then withhold the spray from the vines, for it will blast the fruit and 

 cause it to fall off. At this stage of growth it is best to dust the vines 

 thoroughly, all over the leaves and clusters of fruit, with sulphur, to pre- 

 vent mildew on the leaves and fruit, for this is one of the worst enemies 

 to contend with in raising this kind of fruit under glass. 



In the meantime the ventilators should be kept open from early morn- 

 ing until four or five o'clock in the afternoon, then close them for the 

 night. 



I have practiced trimming the vines through the growing season by 

 pulling off the lateral shoots, which I think is all right and proper; also 

 to cut off all surplus shoots that will not be needed for next season's 

 fruiting. It is a question in my mind whether it is practicable to cut off 

 the branches at the third leaf beyond the fruit. I have experimented 

 both ways, and if there is any difference it is in favor of letting them 

 grow as long as nature and good care will allow them. After the hard 

 frosts have killed the leaves and they have fallen off, I take my pruning 

 shears and trim the vines for the next season, and before hard freezing 



