240 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



advocated ; and here they are trained to the roof of the pine-stove, 

 or between the vines in one of the early vineries. With ordinary 

 management the growth will be completed by Ihe end of August, 

 and the vines ready for going out of doors the first or second week 

 in September. 



When the young vines are taken out of doors, train them to a 

 south wall, and allow them to remain there for about six weeks, and 

 keep the soil rather dry, to check the growth and thoroughly ripen 

 the wood. The stock of young vines intended for starting in the 

 middle of October of the following year are cut back to a couple of 

 eyes some time in December, taken out of the pots, and after the 

 ball of soil is reduced, root-pruned, and repotted into ten-inch pots, 

 and started in a temperature of about 50°. These should be 

 shifted into the fruiting-pots as soon as they are nicely rooted, and 

 the same attention paid to stopping as already advised. At the 

 first potting these should be kept down, so that the buds are just 

 above the surface of the soil ; and at the second shift the base of 

 the young growth should be just below the surface, which will 

 enable it to emit a nice lot of young roots into the fresh soil. Great 

 stress is laid by some cultivators upon the advantage derived from 

 the use of bottom-heat in growing the young vines, but they are 

 assuredly better without it. The bottom-heat encourages the pro- 

 duction of thick fleshy roots, which frequently perish through the 

 resting season, and are therefore of no assistance to the vines in 

 bringing the crops to perfection. These will complete their growth 

 and be ready for taking out of doors towards the end of July, which 

 gives them a good rest before starting. This is the only reason for 

 two seasons being required to grow them in, as plants can be grown 

 plenty large enough in the first season, and, in fact, I prefer the 

 one-year vines for the other crops ; but there is not sufficient time 

 for them to have a thorough rest between completing their growth 

 and the time for starting. It is of very little use to expect much 

 success unless the vines are thoroughly rested. 



The next subject that must engage our attention is the fruiting 

 process. As already stated, three batches of pot-vines are started 

 here : the first lot in the middle of October, to furnish grapes in 

 February, which come in just before our earliest vinery ; the other 

 two batches are grown for table decoration, and started at intervals 

 of a month each. The vines are pruned and washed, and some 

 eight-inch pots, with large holes in the bottom, are placed on the 

 top of the soil (passing the rod through the hole in the bottom), 

 and filled w ith the same soil as the vines are potted in. These are 

 soon filled with roots, and are of great service in assisting the vines 

 with a fresh supply of food. When this is finished, the vines are 

 placed in a temperature of 45° by night and 50° by day, and 

 the pots partly plunged in a gentle bottorn-heat of about 70°. 

 and frequently syringed. The walls and paths are also sprinkled to 

 keep the atmosphere moist. In a fortnight after the vines are 

 placed in heat, the temperature should be allowed to range between 

 50° and 55° by night, with a proportionate rise by day. This 

 should be continued for another fortnight, and increased to 65°, 



