JULY. 195 



some of them will be equally large. There are two houses exclusively 

 devoted to the Muscat Grape, which is a great favourite with Mr. 

 Assheton Smith. The border, in both houses, occupies the body of the 

 house, excepting the path along the back. The Vines are planted in 

 the middle of the house, two together — one being trained downwards 

 towards the front, and the other towards the back. In one of the houses 

 the Vines have been planted many years, and, notwithstanding that 

 their roots are confined within the limited area of the interior of the 

 house, produce large crops of fine fruit, and the Vines were growing 

 vigorously. This fact should teach us that Vines may be kept for years 

 at the highest pitch of health and productiveness with a very limited space 

 for their roots, when well managed in other respects. The second house of 

 Muscats is planted and trained in a similar manner ; but in the case of 

 these, as the house was larger and the Vines had more room to grow, 

 he has allowed them to pass through the arches of the front wall to a 

 narrow border outside. Nothing can exceed the health of these Vines, 

 nor the quality of their produce. Respecting the economy of planting 

 Vines so thick as Mr. Sandars does, as compared with the ordinary practice 

 of one to a rafter, we are of opinion that for Muscats, and perhaps one 

 or two other kinds of Grapes, this plan has its advantages, as we think 

 heavier crops can be obtained under a given space of glass, than where 

 one Vine only is planted. As to the advantage of having the principal 

 part of the roots of Muscats within the house, there is, in our mind, no 

 doubt whatever, as in this case the roots are under the direct control of 

 the manager. If we remember correctly, the late Mr. John Wilniot 

 was of opinion that for Muscats, planting thick, allowing a limited space 

 to each Vine, and taking five, or six, or eight bunches from each, was 

 the best plan of securing heavy crops ; and we recollect seeing, a few 

 years back, several houses planted in this way at his establishment at 

 Isleworth. The house to produce the last Grapes, which are retarded 

 until the early Grapes come in, is planted with Barbarossa — a variety 

 now admitted to be very valuable as a late Grape, as we have noticed 

 in a separate article in our past volumes. These are turned outside 

 the house after the fruit is cut, and the house is occupied by a variety 

 of forced articles, while the Vines are having their winter. 



There is one point respecting the mode by which Mr. Sandars keeps 

 his late Grapes which deserves special notice. The Grapes, when ripe, 

 are not permitted to remain on the Vines ; Mr. S. considering that 

 when once the fruit is ripe, it can be better and more economically 

 preserved, when cut and kept in a suitable room, than by letting 

 them remain on the Vines. His practice is, therefore, with the last 

 houses of Muscats, &c. — say towards tlie middle of December — to cut 

 the fruit with the wood attached to the bunch ; the cut end of the shoot 

 is closed over with sealing-wax, and the bunches are taken to a dry 

 and dark room, where they are suspended from the ceiling on rods 

 which are placed across the room, and on temporary tressels : the 

 bunches must on no account touch each other, and will require looking 

 over once in a week, to remove any berries which may happen to get 

 mouldy among them. Mr. Sandars informed us he has practised this 

 for years, and keeps the Grapes without shrivelling, and in very good 

 condition for the table, until the beginning of the March, by which time 



