574 



THE GARDENER. 



[Dec. 



the glass and with a night tempera- 

 ture of 65°. Under such conditions 

 they soon establish themselves, and 

 make a fine succession to earlier 

 potted ones. Any portion of the 

 early-potted suckers that are likely 

 to become severely pot-bound by the 

 usual time for shifting should rather 

 have a small shift at once than be 

 left to get pot-bound and stinted ; or 

 they may be potted into 9- inch pots 

 now, with the view of supplying ripe 

 fruit from November till the end of 

 next year. The surest way of having 

 a constant supply of ripe fruit is to 

 be potting suckers and shifting them 

 frequently throughout the whole year. 

 Attend carefully to fruit now swelling 

 off. Do not allow the soil to get 

 raeally dry ; at the same time avoid 

 keeping it as damp now as in summer 

 or autumn, especially after the fruit 

 has attained full size. Otherwise 

 some sorts will be likely to be black 

 at the centre when cut, which is a 

 frequent result of too much moisture, 

 and the neglect of ventilation in the 

 winter months. Let the heat for 

 these range to 70° in ordinary weather, 

 letting it decline a few degrees dur- 

 ing sharp frosts and high winds. 

 Apply coverings to the glass when 

 this is practicable in preference to 

 hard firing when the weather is 

 severe. See that no portion of the 

 young stock that are well rooted 

 and plunged over hot-water pipes get 

 over dry for a length of time, or they 

 will be likely to start prematurely 

 after being stoved. 



Vines. — Give careful attention to 

 all ripe Grapes still hanging on the 

 Vines. They should be examined at 

 least three times a -week, and all de- 

 caying berries removed. If the Vines 

 are at all thickly set with leaves, 

 let a portion of them be removed, so 

 as to admit a more free circulation of 

 air about the fruit and Vines as a whole. 

 Do not let the temperature decline 

 below 45° at any time, nor run higher 

 than 50°. When the weather is wet 

 or foggy, keep the front ventilators 

 closely shut, with just warmth enough 

 in the pipes to keep the heat as 

 directed, and the air in circulation 

 with a very little air at the highest 

 part of the house, but so that no 

 falling damp can drop into the house. 

 When the weather is dry, increase the 

 heat slightly early in the day, and 

 ventilate more freely. Keep the sur- 



face of borders, and everything else 

 inside the vinery, as dry as possible ; 

 should the border crack, run a little 

 dry earth into the crack. W^here the 

 setting of plants under Grapes yet to 

 cut cannot be avoided, the crop may 

 be cut and kept in a dry room, on the 

 bottling system, now adopted in many 

 cases with success. When the Vines 

 in the early vinery have made about 

 half an inch of a start, raise the 

 night temperature to about 58°, in- 

 creasing it 5° to 8° by day. If the early 

 crop is from pot-Vines, and is required 

 to ripen with the loss of as little time 

 as possible, the temperatiu-e may range 

 a few degrees higher than for per- 

 manent Vines. As a rule, avoid high 

 night temperatures all through the dull 

 sunless months, and reserve the harder 

 forcing for the longer days and brighter 

 sun. All vineries shut up last month 

 with the intention of being started 

 with artificial heat this month, will be 

 much more likely to break freely 

 and regularly if a bed of fermenting 

 leaves and litter be placed on the 

 inside border to be turned over in 

 portions every day. This is not only 

 good practice, as far as the results are 

 concerned, but it saves coal. The 

 outside borders of such vineries should, 

 at least, be well protected from wet 

 and cold, and will be the better of a 

 bed of warm leaves and litter for three 

 months at least, or till the roots of the 

 Vines come vigorously into action. It 

 is, however, our conviction, that to 

 begin forcing permanent Vines with 

 roots in an outside border is a waste 

 of labour and wrong in principle, seeing 

 that as good crops can be produced 

 with far more uniform success and 

 certainty from pot-Vines. Prune all 

 Vines from which the fruit is cut ; 

 divest them of loose bark, and dress 

 them with a thick coating of flower of 

 sulphur, soot, cow manure, and loam in 

 equal proportions, adding about the 

 size of an egg of soft soap to every 

 gallon. This dressing is especially 

 desirable where there has been red- 

 spider last season. At the same time, 

 thoroughly wash all woodwork and 

 glass, and paint it if necessary ; and 

 when all is done, remove the loose 

 surface soil, replacing it with loam, 

 having some bones and horse-droppings 

 mixed with it. See that young Vines 

 intended for planting in spring are 

 secure from frost, that they do not 

 get meally dry at the root, and are 



