THE FLORAL AYORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 239 



after they are established in the sized pots referred to above. 

 After arriving at this stage, they require two shifts only ; the 

 first into ten-inch pots, and the second into others three inches 

 larger in diameter, which are quite large enough for all ordinary 

 purposes. It is necessary to observe, in connection with this point, 

 that at all stages of their growth the vines must be repotted im- 

 mediately the roots begin to run round the sides of the pot, and 

 on no account must they be allowed to become pot-bound; for when 

 the supply of food is exhausted the bark soon becomes set, and the 

 canes commence to ripen prematurely ; and when the young rods 

 begin to ripen before they are half-grown, they seldom make canes 

 sufficiently strong to produce a good crop of grapes the following 

 season. It is from checks of this description, and letting the plants 

 suffer from dryness at the root, that many growers fail in growing 

 the canes to a fruiting size the first season, and require two years 

 from the time of striking the eyes before they can look for any fruit. 

 The whole of my vines are grown to a fruiting size the first season,with 

 the exception of about a couple of dozen for starting in the begin- 

 ning of October for the earliest crop ; and this batch is raised from 

 eyes put in a month later than that specified above, and the vines 

 are cut down the following autumn, root-pruned, and repotted. 



Vines in pots will seldom carry and finish off well more than 

 from six to eight bunches, and to do that not more than eight feet 

 length of rod is required ; therefore all the wood beyond that length 

 has to be cut away. Now a very common practice, and one which 

 cannot be too strongly condemned, is to allow the vines to grow 

 unchecked, and then at the winter pruning to cut them back to the 

 length required. By this system the whole of the best buds and 

 those most likely to produce good bunches are cut away, and small 

 weakly bunches are the natural result. To do away with the neces- 

 sity of having to cut away the best portion of the wood, and at the 

 same time to strengthen as much as possible that portion whereon 

 the fruit is expected, considerable attention must be paid to summer 

 pruning. The vines should be stopped three or four times during 

 the growing season. Those growing with ordinary vigour are 

 stopped at every three feet, and those which may happen to be 

 rather weak are stopped at two feet. When vines are pinched back 

 so closely as this, some little care must be exercised in dealing with 

 the laterals, or there will be a risk of the main buds starting. But 

 the safest course to pursue is to let the laterals run out with from 

 three to four leaves each before the first stopping, and afterwards 

 stop the second crop of laterals at one leaf from the point where 

 they emanate from the original laterals ; and it should be borne in 

 mind not to stop the laterals and the main growth at the same time. 

 It is hardly necessary to say that attention must be paid to keeping 

 the plants regularly supplied with water when in full growth, to 

 prevent the wood ripening off before it has reached its full size. 

 The importance of training the young vines close to the glass, and 

 giving them the advantage of a full exposure to all the light and air 

 consistent with their tender and delicate condition, so as to keep 

 them as short-jointed and hard as possible, cannot be too strongly 



