140 



THE GARDENER. 



[March 



and admits more air, especially when 

 it does get dry, and the water and air 

 rot the tibre much sooner than when 

 tirmly potted. If the soil is dry, we 

 ram with a wooden rammer. It is 

 of importance that the organic matter 

 in the soil should be as little exhausted 

 as possible when the strain of fruit- 

 producing takes place, and this is best 

 secured by firm potting. At one time 

 when practising under the clearer sky 

 of East Lothian, we put early Queens 

 into 11-incb, and Cayennes and other 

 strong growers into Ti-inchand 13-inch 

 pots ; but in a dull moist climate we 

 would never exceed 10-inch pots for 

 early Queens, and 11 -inch pots for 

 Cayennes and others. AVe have 

 proved these sizes give quite as fine 

 fruit, and the plants yield more readily 

 to the application of means for starting 

 them into fruit. In plunging the plants, 

 and presuming that full space can be 

 given them at once, do not place Cay- 

 ennes and Rothschilds closer than 2 feet 

 each way : Queens will do at 22 inches. 

 Nothing is gained by crowding but 

 drawn and unfruitful plants that never 

 yield fine fruits. Give them a bottom- 

 heat of 85°, and a night temperature 

 of G5°. If the soil be dry at potting time, 

 and the weather be March-like, water 

 them in five or six days after they are 

 potted. Keep the atmosphere moist, 

 and in very bright days sprinkle the 

 plants gently at shutting-up time, let- 

 ting the heat run to 80° for a time. 

 Do not give much air for a short time, 

 or until the plants begin to grow, when 

 it must be gradually increased and reg- 

 ulated according to the state of the 

 weather. See former Calendars for dir- 

 ections about fruits that are ripening. 



Vines. — Crops in pots that have 

 been required to ripen early, may be 

 pushed forward freely as soon as the 

 stoning process is complete. Advance 

 the night temperature to 70° when the 

 weather is mild; but if the generally 

 cold east winds of March prevail, and 

 the days be sunless, it is better to 

 force more gently, and make up time 

 afterwards. Take advantage of every 

 sunny day to shut up early, and hus- 

 band the sun -heat for the night, so 

 that the least possible fire-heat may be 

 required . This rule applies to Vines in 

 all stages. We consider it much more 

 preferable to push the Vines on in the 

 interval between the stoning and the 



commencement of the colouring than at 

 any other stage before or after. Near- 

 ly all Grapes, and es})ecial]y black 

 ones, colour better in a moderate tem- 

 perature, and well shaded with foliage, 

 than iinder circumstances the reverse 

 of these. As soon as colouring begins 

 in very early crops, give air a little 

 more freely, and gradually decrease 

 the air moisture, leaving the air on 

 continuously night and day. A con- 

 stant watch must be kept over Vines 

 in pots, to see that they never get a 

 check for want of water. They should 

 be nourished by rich top-dressing, and 

 waterings of guano, soot, and sheep or 

 deer dung water alternately. Attend 

 to all Vines in diff"erent stages of 

 growth, according as they may need 

 disbudding, stopping, tying dovi'n, or 

 thinning of bunches and berries. These 

 operations should always be promptly 

 attended to; then the energies of the 

 Vine are not needlessly expended. 

 Heavy cropping should be avoided as 

 one of the greatest evils and mistaken 

 practices of Grape-growing. In the 

 first place it usually defeats the end 

 held in view by those who practise it, 

 for the Grapes are never so large and 

 good in quality as under moderate 

 cropping ; and in the next place, the 

 Vines always succumb to the strain 

 sooner or later, and oftenest sooner. 

 It is difficult to give rules for weight 

 of crops. Vines planted 4 feet apart, 

 and allowed to carry plenty of foliage, 

 can carry a much heavier crop with 

 impunity than Vines at 24 feet. Vines 

 at the latter distance apart should 

 never be allowed to carry more than a 

 pound of fruit to every foot length of 

 rod. Pay particular attention to in- 

 side borders of early vineries that have 

 a good })roportion of roots, and see that 

 they are never allowed to get dry. On 

 the other hand, where heavy sprinklings 

 are given several times daily, take care 

 that the soil is not kept in a too wet 

 puddly con dition. This constant heavy 

 sprinkling is in our opinion an evil prac- 

 tice that does much harm to the roots 

 and foliage of Vines, especially if free 

 ventilation is not attended to. If any 

 late Grapes are hanging on the Vines 

 they should now be removed to a dry 

 room, where, if there be only a few 

 bunches, they will keep for a time 

 without being bottled ; but if there be 

 more than a score of bunches, bottle 

 them by all means. Now is a good 



