142 THE FLORIST. 



operations avoid any unnecessary treading of the borders, which will 

 tend to make them solid. As the season advances a shght mulching 

 with half rotten dung may be applied ; but unless the season is very 

 dry and hot, water will not be required more than two or three times, 

 except to the border inside, as the outside border will scarcely be yet 

 filled with roots ; still, if the growth during summer is vigorous, such 

 may happen, in which case more water will be required ; that from a 

 iDond, or which has been exposed for a time to the air, so as to become 

 slightly tepid, should be preferred. 



Some time in December or January cut the Vines down to about 

 three feet ; this will allow three or four eyes to be tied to the trellis. 

 By ]\Iarch the buds will be seen to swell, when those below the trelhs 

 should be rubbed off, leaving three or four of the uppermost eyes for 

 breaking ; of these take care of the highest one, which will form the main 

 rod, and one on each side should be left to form a spur to the right and 

 left, and these, as they advance, should be tied out at right angles to the 

 main stem. When they have made five or six joints stop them, unless 

 doubts exist as to whether the Vines are true to their kinds. 



I should not recommend any fruit to be left on this season ; if, how- 

 ever, it is wished to prove them, a bunch may be left on one or both of 

 the side shoots (not on the leading one), and thus an opportunity will 

 be afforded of seeing if all is correct. Under the management of the 

 previous year they will be almost safe to produce fruit, if wanted for 

 trial. 



As the object, this second season of the Vine's growth, will be to get 

 a strong shoot the entire length of the rafters, well furnished with large 

 healthy leaves, I do not advise any fire to be applied, except the weather 

 becomes dull and cold, towards the end of April or early in May; for 

 when once started into active growth, the checks produced by a sudden 

 decrease of temperature might stop the regular progress of the leading 

 shoot, and produce (which is sometimes the case) blindness. Such 

 assistance, however, will only be needed for a short time, when the 

 further assistance of fire heat must be reserved for ripening the wood 

 in the autumn, if this important process is not secured by the natural 

 heat of the season. It should be borne in mind that this ripening 

 process is more difficult to accomphsh when the Vines grow vigorously, 

 and when this is the case, and by the beginning of August the lower 

 part of the main shoot is not then changing to a brown colour, firing 

 should be at once commenced, applying it, however, only on wet and 

 dull days, and not by night, as my former directions point out. 



As in former papers I have given the summer management of the 

 Vinery somewhat in detail, and at the same time have endeavoured to 

 account physiologically for the treatment advocated, I need not further 

 notice the subject, merely reminding my readers that as the Vines the 

 following or third season are intended to carry a crop their entire length, 

 when the leading shoot reaches the top of the house the end should be 

 turned sideways or downwards, and trained either horizontally or down 

 the back wall for a few feet ; this will preserve the eyes at the top from 

 pushing prematurely, as most likely they would if stopped immediately 

 they reached the top of the house. The management of the lateral 



