196 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



are produced in England under cover, 

 because by making an early spring 

 by means of artificial beat, the gar- 

 dener is able to ripen bis grapes by 

 tbe burning sun of our June, July, 

 or August. It is therefore obvious 

 that if we attempt to grow grapes in 

 the open air, we must resort to every 

 method which will have the effect of 

 lengthening the summer, or of in- 

 creasing the temperature to which 

 they are exposed; and by due attention 

 to these particulars many excellent 

 crops of grapes have been gathered 

 in our southern and middle counties. 



Position. — The position most fa- 

 vourable for a vine is against a wall 

 with a southern aspect. Speechly 

 says that he found low walls from 

 five to six feet high the best, as the 

 plants grow stronger and afford larger 

 grapes, because at this height they 

 enjoy the reflected heat of the earth 

 as well as that of the wall. But in 

 most cottage gardens, and many 

 others of greater pretensions, the 

 vines are trained against the house, 

 and when this is the case, widely pro- 

 jecting eaves are very favourable, for 

 besides helping to shelter the plant 

 from frost, they throw the wet clear 

 of the folicige and fruit, which is of 

 great importance, especially during 

 and immediately after the period of 

 blooming. 



Soil. — Thompson tells us, in his 

 "Practical Treatise on the Grape- 

 vine," that the soil used for open-air 

 culture should not be so rich as that 

 employed for it in greenhouses, but 

 should consist of " three-fourths light 

 sandy loam, the other fourth to be 

 made up of old lime rubbish, brick- 

 bats, and burned clay with a small 

 proportion of broken bones. In this 

 compo:5t it will not make such strong 

 canes as in a richer one, but they will 

 ripen better, and have more pro- 

 minent fruit-buds than the product 

 of rich soil." Vines always thrive 

 best in a soil which has a dry bottom; 

 they may be made to grow luxuriantly 

 and produce abundance of fruit in 

 rich deep soils, but that which is 

 produced on a gravelly, chalky, or 

 schistous soil, although less in quan- 

 tity, is invariably of a much finer 

 flavour. In fact the soil and situation 



can never be too dry for the vine, tte 

 finest grapes of the Continent being 

 grown in arid situations, or where 

 the sub-soil is dry. If planted even 

 in a sttitable compost, but when the 

 soil beneath it is rich or wet, the 

 roots will run down deep into it, the 

 result generally being that the grapes 

 will rot and seldom ripen. In Devon- 

 shire, where vines may be seen grow- 

 ing against the houses in almost every 

 garden, it is a common practice with 

 those who do not possess a gravelly 

 sub-soil, to dig a pit under the wall 

 where the vine is to be planted, and 

 fill it in to within eighteen inches or 

 two feet of the surface with brick- 

 rubbish, stones, gravel, broken pot- 

 tery, etc. ; this management prevents 

 the roots from running too deep, and 

 is attended with the happiest results, 

 as the fruit ripens almost every season, 

 and is often in excellent condition for 

 the table by the latter end of August. 

 Protection. — If we wish the fruit 

 of our vines to attain any degree of 

 excellence it will be necessary to con- 

 trive some means for the protection 

 of the buds from spring frosts, which 

 if permitted to attack them, will at 

 least keep them back very much, if 

 they do not spoil them altogether. 

 Various methods are resorted to, 

 such as covering with oiled calico, old 

 fishing nets, tiffany, etc., and every 

 one must use that which happens to 

 be the most convenient ; the most in- 

 genious contrivance, however, which 

 is at present in existence is the in- 

 vention of Mr. Maund, the author of 

 the "Botanic Garden." He having 

 observed that grapes grown on open 

 walls in the Midland Counties are 

 rarely well ripened, adopted the fol- 

 lowing plan to assist the process. He 

 provides a small glazed frame, a sort 

 of narrow hand-glass, and of the exact 

 shape of the span-roof of a green- 

 house ; this is fixed against the wall, 

 and incloses one branch of the vine 

 with its foliage and fruit. " The open 

 part which rests against the wall is 

 thirteen inches wide, and may be of 

 any length required to take in the 

 fruit. The sides are formed of single 

 panes of glass, seven inches wide, and 

 meet on a bar, which may represent 

 the ridge of a roof, the ends inclosed 



