1882. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



335 



Blodgett's Golden Octohfr Cling.— Three peaches 

 — weight, 4 oz. each. Tree 16 years old— bear- 

 ing 13 years. Tree measures 38 inches in cir 

 cumference 2 feet from surfiice ; least diameter, 

 12 inches below branches, one branch 24 inches 

 in circumference 5 feet from surface. 



Blodgett's Golden Freestone. — Three peaches, 

 these small — usual weight, 4 oz. ; many 8 oz. 

 Tree 16 years old — bearing 14 years. Measures 

 30 inches 24 inches from surface. 



Blodgett's Crimson Cling. — Three peaches, 

 average weight, 3^ oz. ; these, the last on the 



have been advocating the use of steam for heat- 

 ing hothouses. From my own observation, 

 where steam was used for the above purpose, the 

 operator was very often in very hot water. 



Beds or Borders. — For the earliest house there 

 should not be any outside borders. The border 

 inside ought to be raised as for rose beds, but of 

 greater depth, say about twenty inches, with hot 

 water pipes beneath, and of course the drainage 

 must be of the most perfect kind. The soil 

 should be thus composed : One-half strong brown 

 loam, one-fourth light sandy earth, an eighth 



tree, belong to September 20th ; very fine for part of leaf mould, an eighth part decayed cow 

 putting up. Tree 16 years old— bearing 14 years. ! manure; a moderate quantity of ground bone 

 Tree measures 24 inches 24 inches from the I may be added, or old lime rubbish will be better, 

 surface. ! as the bone is apt to generate a species of grub 



Blodgett's Crimson i?'rees/one. — Two peaches, | which may be injurious. This bed or border is 

 last of season ; average weight, 3J oz; belongs under full control, and the vines can be rested 

 to September 20th. Tree 16 years old— bearing | sooner than if their roots extended outside the 

 14 years. Tree measures 26 inches in circum' 



ference 2 feet from surface. 



Miss Percival, White Freestone. — Average 

 weight, 3 oz. ; bears very heavily this year; often 

 weigh 7 to 8 oz. Tree 16 years old — bearing 14 

 years. Measures 21 inches in circumference 

 1 foot from surface. The Percival was greatly 

 injured by overbearing and the storm, yielding 

 7 bushels this year. 



CRAPE CULTURE UNDER CLASS. 



BY JOHN EGAN. 



In mj' opinion there is no subject in horticul- 

 ture which has been more thoroughly ventilated 

 than that of grape culture. The most eminent 

 horticulturists, both in Europe and America, 

 gave it profound attention. Therefore, it seems 

 to me that 1 have accepted a very difficult task 

 in trying to make intereoting so well worn a sub- 

 ject. To try to give the full routine of culture, 

 would make this article too prosy, therefore I 

 will confine myself to its most important points, 

 and will begin with the proper structures for 

 this purpose. 



The forcing house wherein grapes are intended 

 to be grown for the table in April or May should 

 be a lean-to, of whatever length required, twelve 

 to fourteen feet high, and of proportionate 

 width, and set to a due south aspect. For later 

 crops the house may be a double span, running 

 north and south. The retarding house should 

 face the west. As to heating by hot water, it is, 

 1 think, unnecessary to say much, being brought 

 to very great perfection. Some persons are and 



grapery; consequently we can obtain much 

 earlier fruit. Many know with what difiiculty 

 their vines are induced to start with their roots 

 in a cold base ; this and the practice of pruning 

 before the foliage has entirely fallen, are the 

 causes of this difficulty, and valuable time and 

 fuel are lost thereby. For second early crops 

 this kind of border will not be necessary, and 

 those as at present in use are without doubt as 

 good as may be. The object in having a border 

 outside the house was, that when the roots had 

 filled the inside one they would find their way 

 outside. But in most of the houses I have had 

 in charge, I found hardly any inside the house; 

 they had nearly all found their way to the out- 

 side. The proper place to plant, in my opinion, 

 is at the centre of the house, and as they pro- 

 gress in growth, to lay down or bury three feet 

 of the cane annually ; in two years they will 

 appear as if planted originally at the foot of the 

 rafters. There will be no loss of fruit by this 

 mode, as some apprehend, as the layering will 

 not be performed until after the vines are pruned 

 in December. Mulching the inside and keeping 

 it so for a year or two will encourage the roots. 

 There is objection to borders outside the house, 

 as they are exposed to heavy rains, and being 

 generally very rich, retain moisture a great 

 length of time, and so injury to roots is apt to 

 occur, and this may happen just as the grapes 

 begin to color, and shanking and shriveling of 

 the fruit often follow. There ought to be some 

 protection used in these cases, so as to throw off 

 superabundant moisture. 



Ventilation. — Most of the grape houses erected 



