240 THE FLORIST. 



HINTS ON GRAPE GROWING.— No. II. 

 By a Gardener in the Country. 

 In a recent Number I ventured a few remarks on Grape growing, 

 which I now follow up by adding others, among which I must first say 

 something about the kind of house requisite for the purpose, confining 

 myself to what only is necessary, my object being to show how good 

 Grapes can be obtained, at a tolerably cheap rate. Now respecting 

 shape, much may be said to but little purpose. There are good Grapes 

 to be seen in Vineries of very different forms — curvilinear or arched 

 roof, ridge and furrow, span roof, and the common lean-to. But it 

 often happens that people who see finer Grapes than their own in 

 Vineries of a different construction, jump to the conclusion that their 

 house is in fault, and forthwith the bricklayer and carpenter are at 

 work, to remedy an evil which most likely lies at the door of something 

 else. Anon, they perhaps may see yet finer Grapes than the former 

 even, in a house very different in shape ; and here, again, knowing 

 people guess the secret by which such fine Grapes are obtained is in the 

 house, which is " just what they always thought a Vinery should be," 

 and they are silently thinking how to remodel their own, to the new 

 standard of excellence, which their neighbours suggest. To obtain 

 good Grapes, as regards the shape of the house, two important 

 points are necessary : — 1st, that it be so constructed in reference to 

 shape and aspect, that the largest quantity of light may have free 

 admittance ; and 2dly, that it be well ventilated. In putting up a 

 Vinery, therefore (supposing it to be a lean-to), it should either face 

 directly south or a few points to the east or west of south. Ridge and 

 furrow, or span roofed Vineries, should for the same reason have their 

 gable ends north and south, or nearly so. Houses of this construction 

 admit more light during the fore and afternoon than lean-to's, and 

 scarcely so much at noon, which is, however, hardly worth noticing ; 

 fi-om occurring at a time of the day when it has reached its maximum 

 brightness, a slight diminution at that time is not felt. But your 

 readers must remember that the internal area of Vineries has much 

 to do in making them light or the contrary ; for instance, let us take 

 a Vinery w^th a glass roof containing 600 or 700 superficial feet 

 admitting light, and that the interior area of the house is 4000 feet ; 

 and next suppose the surface of the glass, made to inclose an internal 

 area of 6000 feet (by altering the angle of the roof), it will be self- 

 evident the amount of light transmitted by the roof will be much the 

 same in one case as in the other ; yet the smaller internal area \\411 be 

 lightest in proportion to the lesser space it contains ; and that Vines, or 

 any other plant gro^\'ing in the house will be benefited accordingly. 



Respecting the second point I named — ventilation — I must observe 

 that all trees having to mature hard wood cannot weU do so A\athout 

 free exposure to the air day and night ; and I can hardly tell your 

 readers the good trees derive fi'om the winds, which shake and keep 

 their leaves and branches in motion. Now it cannot be expected that 

 the Vine, which has solid wood to form like the rest, should alter its 



