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The Country Gentlemaiis Magazine 



and bottom. But the handiest is the original 

 contrivance of Mr Rivers, called at first the 

 " Curate's Vinery," because of its inexpensive- 

 ness, and now generally called the Ground 

 Vinery, a name equally applicable to the 

 variations of it alluded to above. 



Fig. 2 shews the roof-like frame, a con- 

 venient size of which is 7 or 8 feet long, 

 about 32 inches wide at the base, and half 

 as high. The angle of the rafter lines will 

 then be square, and their length about 2 feet. 

 This is wide enough for a single Vine ; a 

 width of over 10 or 12 inches more will 

 give room for two; and if their vigour 

 demands it, a second frame can be placed at 

 the end of the first when necessar}^ Mr 

 Rivers states the cost at 5s. for carpentery, 

 and 4s. for glass. The number and length 

 of the pieces wanted to make the frame is 



Fig. 2. — Rivers' Ground Vinery. 



easily computed from the figure. The stuff 

 may be i^ inch, and 3 or 4 inches 

 wide ; and the bars, made of the form shewn 

 in fig 5 ready for nailing or screwing on, so 

 as to brace the frame sufficiently, may be of 

 strips I inch by 2. They are nailed on on 

 the under side, so as to be flush with the 

 upper face, and give an even bearing for the 

 panes of glass. The strips, s s (fig. 2), by 

 projecting i inch or so, serve as guards to 

 save the glass from breakage by pressure on 

 small clods or inequalities of surface, 

 when the frame is tilted over. It is con- 

 venient and safe to have it open or turn over 

 against a fence. The glazing is extremely 

 simple, the panes being merely laid on the 

 wood and fastened at the corners with flat, 

 double-pointed carpet-tacks, or staples, or 

 pieces of wire bent into that form, as shewn, 

 applied to the corner of a pane, in fig 4. An 

 awl is used in order to insert these staples 

 without risk to the glass. It is best to have 

 glass on the gables ; irregular pieces may be 

 used. If the qlass does not cover the entire 



opening, it is preferable ■ to make the upper 

 part close ; but in practice it is found that a 

 few crevices or holes, even in the top, cause 

 no injury. There is always vapour enough 

 rising from the soil to bathe the leaves and 



Fig-. 3. Wire. 

 Hook. 



Fig. 4. Wire Staple. 



Fig. 5. Sash- 

 bar. 



repress red spiders, if the frame is only close 

 enough to prevent the wind from searching 

 and sweeping it away; and if small panes 

 are used, two or more to a light, the edges 

 need not lap, but merely join. The more 

 fissures for ventilation over the frame the 

 better, if sweeping parching wind is to be 

 effectually debarred. 



The attention required by these frames is 

 much less than even the small amount re- 

 quired by a larger cold vinery. No. water- 

 ing, or syringing, or sulphuring has been 

 found necessary in our experience, although 

 we have occasionally, in a dry time, felt sufii- 

 ciently apprehensive of want of vapour in the 

 air, to pour a couple of bucketsful of water 

 into the soil, and strew some sulphur on the 

 slates. The frames have been left down con- 

 stantly from May to August, with only an oc- 

 casional tilt over, for the purpose of pinching 

 or guiding or tying, or to pull out an intruding 

 v/eed. The slates that lie on the surface 

 under the Vines are easily shifted so as to 

 smother any intruders of this sort. Of course 

 they are not placed quite close together, as it 

 would check evaporation from the soil too 

 much, which is the necessary thing that we 

 employ the glass to retain. 



Finding that some of the crowding leaves 

 become scorched against the glass in the dry 

 September heats, we have since let the frame 

 remain turned over, off the Vines, from the 

 first rains, early in August, after which foli- 

 age is seldom harmed by insects or fungus. 



