i88i.] THE ART OF COLOURING GRAPES. 413 



black Grapes will colour witliout direct sunlight on tlie fruit, but the 

 Muscat of Alexandria and its allies of the same colour will not ; they 

 must therefore be trained wider apart, and, if necessary, the leaves 

 where they shade the bunches must be tied back. I think, too, that 

 no class of Grapes better pays for an extension of growth beyond the 

 bunch than this ; 6 feet apart is near enough for the rods, and the 

 growths should be allowed to meet, but not to overlap or become 

 crowded." — Wm. Taylor in Journal of Horticulture. 



[Mr Taylor's remarks are well worthy the careful consideration of all 

 who are interested in the colouring of Grapes, and are entirely in accord- 

 ance with our own experience and observation. " The good substan- 

 tial leafage in full sunlight" is nearly the whole secret of colouring 

 Grapes well. Of course it is indispensable to ventilate, ttc, on sound 

 principles ; but all other conditions that can be afforded will fail 

 if the foliage is not healthy (the Grapes in proportion to it, of course), 

 and well exposed to sunlight. A rather striking illustration of the 

 potent and indispensable necessity of sunlight on the foliage in laying 

 on good colour has come under our observation in a vinery where Black 

 Hamburgs are grown. The house is a three-quarter span, running east 

 and west, and the north is steeper than the south side, and consequently 

 has less chance of light. When the season happens to be bright and 

 sunny, the Grapes on the north side colour very much as those on the 

 south ; but in summers such as this and 1879, they are brown Ham- 

 burgs on the north and black ones on the south. There is no inequal- 

 ity of ventilation, for the top ventilation is all on the north side, and 

 there is bottom ventilation there also. There is one black Grape, viz., 

 Gros Colmar, that we have always found to colour the quickest and most 

 perfect when the bunches are exposed to direct sunshine, the same 

 as is acknowledged to be best for Muscats. The crowding system 

 of Vine-growing cannot be too severely condemned. It produces a 

 less robust foliage, and prevents the free circulation of air about it. 

 Vines planted at 4 feet will, moreover, produce as great a w^eight 

 of fine Grapes ; for the amount of crop perfected as it ought to be, 

 depends on the amount of fine strong foliage more than on anything 

 else. Dryness of soil at the time of colouring is undoubtedly a great 

 evil, for it is just at this time that Grapes increase very much in size, 

 as well as put on their colour. There is, of course, a medium in the 

 matter of moisture; for we have seen Grapes fail to colour in exces- 

 sively wet seasons, when the border was constantly heavily rained 

 upon for a long time, and no other cause could be thought of than 

 over-much wet and absence of sun. During such seasons it would be 

 well, if practicable, to throw off the excess of moisture during the 

 colouring period. And perhaps this is the only time that a well- 

 drained border is much benefited by a waterproof covering.— Ed.] 



