183 

 NOTES ON OPEN-AIE VINES. 



BY E, A. SALISBITET. 



|ANT years ago, the writer of this paper had an extensive 

 range of glass-houses, built chiefly for the cultivation of 

 exotic trees and plants, half of which beiug removed 

 into the open air for seven months, the rafters were 

 devoted to training vines along them ; and the climate 

 being cold and soil unfavourable — namely, one of the more barren 

 districts of Yorkshire — some of the grapes never ripened well, no 

 artificial heat being given, as a far more abundant supply than was 

 wanted, ripened in his other frames and hot-houses. A very 

 large brick building adjoining this range of glass was covered entirely 

 with a single vine of the miller's grape, and as it was ornamental to 

 the building, it was pruned and trained yearly, at no trifling expense, 

 though it very seldom ripened twenty bunches out of from 1000 to 

 2000, which it annually bore. 



A Scotch nobleman, who often visited the place, one autumn 

 made the following remark, and, I believe, nearly in the following 

 ■words : — " When I was a young lad, I remember eating ripe grapes 

 from a vine in the open air near Stirling Castle, which was brought 

 to ripen half its crop in most summers, and a whole crop in warmer 

 summers, by the following treatment : — On the 20th of September 

 prune the vine as you would in the month of December, taking oflf 

 all the leaves and grapes, ripe or unripe, and shortening all the 

 branches to 1, 2, or 3 eyes at most. The following spring it will 

 push its buds a few days before any neighbouring vines pruned in 

 winter. Train it as carefully all summer as if you were certain it 

 would ripen its crop of fruit. Pursue the same system annually, 

 pruning the tree always between the 20th and 30th of September, 

 and in the course of seven years you will be rewarded for your 

 patience and expense witli half a ripe crop in most summers, and a 

 whole ripe crop in warm summers." 



This mode of treatment was immediately begun in his lordship's 

 presence, and five years afterwards some excellent wine was made 

 from the grapes. 



The only remarks I have to add to your intelligent readers are — 



let. That sage prince of gardeners, as Linne called him, Philip 

 Miller, informs us, that if the vineyards in the north of Prance are 

 neglected, it takes seven years' careful pruning and proper treat- 

 ment to make them ripen their crops of fruit. 



2ndly. The experienced President of the Horticultural Society 

 has found that all vegetables, which require to be left in a state of 

 inactivity during the winter, vegetate sooner in spring, if that state 

 of inactivity is brought on sooner in autumn ; hence, though the 

 winter of 1824-5 was so mild that a small-leaved myrtle and 

 geranium zonale survived in the open air, in the court of the writer 

 of this paper, near Bryanstone Square, the spring flowering plants 

 and shrubs, and even the almond trees, blossomed remarkably late, 

 considering the temperature of the season ; and what ia still more to 



