1879. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



15 



atmosphere as soon as it is necessary to increase 

 the heat, and for this purpose a cold frame 

 Avould answer very well in his latitude. 



There are other things that require close at- 

 tention, such as ventilating properly ; shading 

 the plants from the sun, for the glass cannot be 

 whitewashed, as the Grape vines require all the 

 sunlight they can get ; keeping the house clear 

 of insects, particularly the red spider, which 

 will give trouble if not kept in check. I find a 

 very good Avay to do this, is to throw a small 

 quantity of sulphiu" into the hot water pans on 

 the pipes. I know the fumes arising from sul- 

 phur is not very agreeable, but it is better to 

 sutler a little inconvenience in this way, than to 

 let this pest get control of the house. 



I would advise .J. C. S., to take out his old 

 vines, and plant young ones in their places ; and 

 as advised by the Editor, take the canes through 

 the brick wall into the house, and train to the 

 rafters ; or if he prefers it, and has, or can make 

 a suitable soil, plant the vines inside and train 

 as above. Pinch out all the laterals, or branch- 

 es that grow from the axils of the leaves, for I 

 do not believe in the theory of pinching them 

 back to one leaf, and when they start, pinch 

 back again, and so on through the season ; this 

 is all humbug, pinch them out entirely, they are 

 nothing but vexation, and of no moi'taluse to the 

 vine. Let nothing grow but the vine, and be 

 careful not to break it off or injure it in any 

 way, as it is very tender. At the end of the 

 season, if all has gone well with the vines, 

 they will have reached the top of the house. 

 When they have dropped their leaves, cut back to 

 two good strong buds, this will give the roots a 

 good start the next season, and give strength to 

 the vines for their future work. This is the 

 most essential point in successful Grape growing, 

 whether inside or out. Give the vines a good 

 start by letting them make good strong roots, 

 and they will repay the time given them for this 

 purpose. 



In the Spring, when the buds begin to grow, 

 save the strongest shoot for the new cane, and 

 rub out the other, train to the rafters as above, 

 pinching out all laterals. If the vines have 

 done well, they should be about the thickness 

 of a man's thumb, when the wood is ripe, and 

 should be cut back to about four feet from the 

 ground. When they begin to grow again in the 

 Spring, let the shoots grow from the buds at the 

 joints,^but do not alloAV more than one or two of 

 the clusters to mature. The top shoot should 



be trained in line with the cane, as a leader, and 

 must be brought into position gradually, being 

 careful not to break it oft' where it joins the cane. 

 The tips of the other shoots should be pinched 

 oft' when they are about one and a half, or two 

 feet long, or at the third leaf beyond the clust- 

 er, and pinch out all laterals, as they grow, ex- 

 cept the last one ; pinch back to one leaf each 

 time it starts out. Cut back the shoots in the 

 Fall, to two buds, and the new cane to six or 

 eight feet from where the new growth com- 

 menced. The next Spring, let the outer buds 

 on the spurs bear the fruit, and let the inner 

 ones, next the canes grow for the next season ; 

 cut it back in the Fall to two eyes, and cut out 

 the other near the spur just formed, and so on 

 each season. 



Too much care cannot be used in fruiting 

 young vines. Many persons are in too much of 

 a hurry to get a large quantity of fruit, and in 

 that way ruin the vitality of the vines ; this 

 should be avoided as much as possible, by a sys- 

 tematic use of judgement in not allowing them 

 to overbear. A young vine should never be al- 

 lowed to bear until the third or fourth season, 

 according to its strength, and then not more 

 than one or two clusters ; the next season double 

 the quantity may be allowed to mature, and 

 each season afterward increase the quantity as 

 the strength of the vines will allow. 



It would be impossible to have Grapes in cold 

 weather, as .J. C. S., proposes, as they can only 

 be grown in a retarding-house, which must be 

 kept cool as possible during the Spring, so as to 

 keep the vines dormant and retard their growth. 

 Plants could not be grow'n in such a house, be- 

 cause they would not get enough of sunlight, 

 which is essential to their growth and health, 

 and the fire-heat required to keep out frost, 

 would force the vines into growth. 



STRAWBERRY BLICHT. 



BY CHAS. BLACK, HIGHTSTOAVX, N. J. 



We hear complaint from all over our country 

 about the above disease of the Strawberry plant, 

 asking the cause and remedy of the same. It is 

 the general opinion that it is caused wholly by a 

 fungus attacking the leaf. This may be partly 

 the cause, but is my opinion there are other 

 causes. Having watched it for several years past, 

 I have always found it worst, or of any account 

 only in certain seasons, such as the past, when 

 we have a fine March and April and the plants 



