i88i.] 



CALENDAR. 



45 



the frost kill vermin. The vermin 

 that infest Vines that cannot take 

 care of themselves in a time of 

 frost we have yet to discover. In 

 other cases the saving of fuel is the 

 consideration — a very questionable 

 saving ; for we have seen the joints of 

 hot-water pipes split when caught by 

 frost ; and we have known the Vines 

 themselves hurt, to say nothing of the 

 bad effects of frost on plaster, brick- 

 work, &c. We prefer keeping the 

 water in the pipes, throwing the 

 vinery open at all ventilators and 

 doors, letting wind blow through it, 

 and lighting fires in time of severe 

 frost to keep the pipes and everything 

 else safe. Besides, thus managed, 

 the vineries can be made use of in 

 many ways for storing plants on which 

 there are neither thrip, spider, nor bug. 

 Do not lose a day in pruning Vines 

 whenever they are clear of fruit. The 

 system of pruning best suited for such 

 varieties as Muscat of Alexandria, 

 Black Hamburg, Lady Downes, Ali- 

 cante, Gros Colman, and most Vines, 

 is the close spurring system — i.t., 

 cutting back every year to the lowest 

 eye on last year's growth. Such sorts 

 as Golden Champion, Duke of Buc- 

 cleuch, Muscat Champion, Gros Guil- 

 laume, do not fruit so freely as a 

 rule on the close spurring system as 

 when two or three eyes are left. These 

 do best of all on the long-rod system, 

 only in wide vineries with long raft- 

 ers, when a young rod is run up the 

 whole length of a 20 - feet roof, the 

 lower portion of the Vines frequently 

 does not start its buds so freely, espe- 

 cially if started with fire-heat. The 

 best way in the case of such Vines is 

 to have the fruiting canes 4 feet or 44 

 feet apart, and to have a wood pro- 

 ducing one between each, with a 

 growing point at the bottom of the 

 rods, and one half-way up the lower 

 growth, to grow, say 10 feet, and be 

 stopped, and the next growing point 

 to run to the top, thus giving two 

 short rods that are more likely to 

 start equally into growth along their 

 whole length. At pruning-time fruit- 

 ed Vines are cut down 10 feet from 

 the top, and the bottom growth is cut 

 to the bottom of the roof, so that 

 while one set of canes are bearing on 

 young growths, the other set are pro- 

 ducing these growths for the follow- 

 ing year. This is a simple and safe 



plan with the varieties that do best on 

 the rod system. Rub off all buds from 

 the spurs of Vines that are far enough 

 advanced to see in which bud the 

 most compact bunch is coming. Do 

 not quite close the ventilators at any 

 time after Vines have broken into 

 growth, unless it be when there oc- 

 curs a very stormy cold night. We 

 never syringe Vines after they are 

 fairly started, unless under very 

 exceptional circumstances. We have 

 to do with a sunk range of vineries, 

 where the pipes are quite close to the 

 foliage, and these are the only vineries 

 where red-spider ever puts in an ap- 

 pearance, or is expected. Invari- 

 ably spider begins the whole length 

 of the vineries just over these pipes. 

 Sometimes we have sponged the 

 leaves, at other times we have 

 syringed with clean water to get rid 

 of it. In the other vineries, where 

 the pipes are away from the Vines, 

 we have not seen a spider since they 

 were built in 1870, and the Vines are 

 never syringed after the growths are 

 half an inch long ; indeed one house 

 is never syringed at all. We damp 

 the floors in the afternoon, and shut 

 the house up closely for an hour or 

 two, and in that way they get the 

 refreshing influence of the moisture 

 without the many evils of syringing. 

 Peaches. — There are few things 

 more injurious in the early stage 

 of Peach-forcing than anything ap- 

 proaching high night - temperatures. 

 The night - temperature in mild 

 weather should never exceed 50°, 

 and when cold, 45° by means of fire- 

 heat, until the blooms are open. 

 High temperatures produce blooms 

 with debilitated organs, and the fruit 

 does not set properly. It also causes 

 the wood-buds to come away too much 

 in advance of the bloom, which is 

 very undesirable. Trees that have long 

 been accustomed to an early start do 

 not need high temperatures to excite 

 them, and if they did, it should be 

 applied by day. Keep a moist genial 

 atmosphere, and syringe the trees sev- 

 eral times daily till the bloom opens. 

 When the bloom is fully expanded, 

 and the pollen develojjed, keep the 

 house warmer by day — it may run 

 to 60°, except in very cold weather 

 —and the atmosphere buoyant and 

 moving by means of ventilation, but 

 always avoiding draughts of frosty 



