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1 



so CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 



Peters, one Zinftidal, one Med Frontignan, one WilmoCs New Bluek Hamburgh, six 

 Black JIamhurgh. 



I j)lant the vines about the first of April, talcing caro to spread out tin- roofs, that 

 thev may have a free start and not get entangled ; rub otV all the buds except the 

 strongest one at the bottom. Water the vines freely, if. the weather is warm, and 

 keep up a humid atmosphere all the time. Never allow the vines to receive a check 

 after having once started. If it should get too warm, open the house a little at noon, 

 but never let the liousc be open after four o'clock. If you only leave one bud on the 

 vine, you must take great care of it, as it will rub oft" very easy, and then your vine 

 is gone. Water with soap suds every Monday — one pailful to a root — and on 

 Friday with guano. I'ut two quarts of guauo in a barrel of water, stir well, and 

 apply at once. 



About the 20th of April the buds will begin to push. Let the temjierature be 

 pretty high ; it will do no harm. I often find my house as warm as 100°, 110°, and 

 120o, Fahrenheit ; but 80° or 90°, with plenty of moisture, is the best. As the buds 

 begin to push out, raise them to a wire trellis about twelve inches from the glass. If 

 any of the other eyes push, rub them off. Give plenty of air in the middle of the day, 

 sprinkle frequently, and keep up a moist atmosphere. 



■'September 1st. Discontinue watering except with the suds. Pinch off the slioot, 

 which by this time will be twelve or thirteen feet long. 



December loth. Cut off the vine about six feet from the bottom, wash it with mild 

 soap suds, wrap with straw, and lay it down in front of the house. Sprinkle some 

 rat destroyer about, cover the border inside and out with ten or twelve inches of ma- 

 nure to keep the frost from the roots, and the work is done for the season, except to 

 examine the glass to see if it leaks, and open occasionally when the sun is too hot, and 

 to see that the mice do not trouble the vines. 



Second Year. — Open the house as the season advances, so as to air, and that the 

 buds may not burst too soon. About tlie first of April, if the season is favorable, 

 uncover the vines, and let them lie down until all the eyes have pushed an inch ; 

 raise them by degrees, that they may all swell alike ; then fix them to the vine trellis. 

 From the time the house is opened, sprinkle every day, except on damp, cold days, 

 the same as last year. 



May 1st. The eyes have now pushed a foot or more. They are now called spurs. 

 Many of them will show fruit. Pinch off all the fruit except one or two, which may 

 be retained to test the kind. Never let more than three clusters remain on the vine 

 tlie first year of fruiting, and never but one cluster on a spur. Discontinue the 

 syringing of the vine while the fruit is in blow, and keep the house more closed and 

 warm. As soon as the fruit is formed, pinch off the end of each spur about an inch 

 above the first leaf beyond the cluster, and all the other spurs three or four eyes from 

 the vine. Do not allow the spurs to be closer together than eight inclies ; rub off all 

 that are nearer. As the eyes burst and push out, continue to pinch of the shoot, 

 always an inch above the next eye. This you will have to do six or eight times P 

 g the season, to every spur, to keep them in check, or " at home," as it is 



