December 29, 1863. ] JOHKNAL OF HOETICULTTJKE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



505 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



DEC. 29-JAN. 4, ]8Ci. 



David Don dieil, 1S41. Bot. 

 Wauner died. 1695. Bot. 

 Boerhaave born, ICGS. Bot. 

 Laurustinu<> flowers. 



ClBCUMClSION. 



2 Sunday after Cueistmas. 

 Bear&foot flowei s. 



Average Temperature 

 near London. 



36 3 ears. 



Day. 



42.8 

 44.5 

 44.1 



43.7 

 42 ^ 

 42.9 

 42.4 



Nieht. 

 33.8 

 32.8 

 33..^ 

 31.3 

 3(1.8 

 31.2 

 31.4 



Mean. 



S8.0 

 38.0 

 38.8 

 37.5 

 3fi r, 

 37.0 

 36.0 



Davs. 

 10 

 14 

 11 

 12 

 14 

 IS 

 IG 



Sun 

 Rises. 



m. h. 



Oaf 8 



9 8 



S 



9 8 



9 8 



S 8 



Sun 

 Sels. 



m. 



h. 

 56af3 



57 3 



58 3 



59 3 

 Oaf 4 



1 4 



2 4 



Moon 

 Rises. 



Moon 

 ttets. 



m. h. 



is 8 



1 10 



7 U 

 mom. 



12 



21 1 



C2 2 



m. b. 



51 9 



U 10 



SO 10 



SO 10 



12 11 



35 n 



2 



,, . I Clock 



"?°" » before 



-*««• I Sun. 



19 

 20 

 21 

 22 



c 



24 



25 



Day of 

 Year. 



363 

 364 

 365 

 1 

 2 

 3 

 4 



From ohsprratinns taken near LonOon (Inline tlie last thirtT-si.'i years, the average day temperature of llie week is 43.3", anil its nieht 

 temperature 32!J- The greatest hLttas 57'. on the 3rd. ISOO ; ani the l.west cold, 4», on the 2nd, 1854. The greatest fall ol rain was 



O Cfi It,..!. 



0.86 inch 





EENEWES'G VIj^ES WITHOUT LOSING A 

 CROP OF GKAPES. 



EOM the nature of 

 /. '^t^ ^ , tlie manv in- 



have recently 

 teen made by 

 amateurs and 

 oticrs wLo 

 Lave not liad 

 much experi- 

 ence in renewing Vines 

 andA'ine-borders, a few re- 

 marks on the subject may 

 at present be of service. In the case 

 of those whose supply of Grapes de- 

 pends on one or at most two vineries 

 this operation, even when in a high 

 degree necessary, is delayed in many 

 cases from one season to another, 

 because the owners cannot mate up 

 their minds to the dreaded loss of 

 a year's crop, scanty and inferior 

 though that crop might be. Apart 

 from this consideration I would be 

 the last to recommend the destruc- 

 tion of a set of "\'ines however old, if 

 all that is needed to restore them to 

 vigorous fruitfuluess be to lift the 

 roots, and give them a new and pro- 

 per border, as recently described in 

 these pages. But there are many 

 cases where, through a wrong start 

 and after-mismanagement. Vines are 

 reduced to such a state that no hope 

 could possibly be entertained of its 

 being more desirable to go on with 

 them than to plant afresh. To say the least of it, a crop 

 the season after lifting and replanting them could not 

 be reasonably expiected ; for I have seen Vines in wet 

 pasty borders with nothing in the way of healthy fibres 

 but a lot of bare black roots, and when in that condition 

 it would reciuire dexterous management indeed to make 

 the Vines bear fruit the same season. True, the loss of 

 one season's crop under such conditions may not be 

 worthy of consideration when weighed against the good 

 results which might eventually follow, yet, in many 

 cases, the fear of this loss is found sufficient to prevent 

 the Vines being meddled with at all. 



The tjuestion which at once presents itself in such 

 cases is, Can the loss of a crop, even for one season, not 

 be avoided by any other method or scheming that can 

 be adopted .-^ There are many who are perfectly able 

 from their own experience to answer that any such loss 

 is not at all unavoidable, and who would be able to 

 describe how the improvements necessary can be well 

 carried out, not only without causing the loss of a crop, 

 >'o. 144.— Vol. V,, New Series. 



but, on the contrary, so as to be productive of a positive 

 gai» the first year. 



Let us first take the case of what — with the class for 

 whom these remarks are intended — is considered an early 

 vinery, one from which all the fruit is cut by the end of 

 Junej and suppose that it has been considered advisable 

 to renew the A'ines and border to the very foundation. 

 Let tlie forcing commence this year on the 1st of January, 

 so that with ordinary forcing the crop can be all used 

 before the 1st of July. In the meantime the soil and 

 ch-aining material should be all in reachness, or sufficient 

 at least to make half the border immediately the Grapes 

 are all cut, when the old border is to be replaced with a 

 new one, and young Vines substituted for the old. Two 

 Vines for every light, presuming the lights are 4 feet 

 wide, should be prepared in the following way :— Select 

 the required number at once from Vines that have been 

 raised from eyes in the spring of 1S63, and cut them far 

 enough down, so that, after they are planted in the new 

 border, hist year's wood will extend up the front light to 

 the bottom of the rafters. Set them aside in the coolest 

 available place where they will not be exposed to severe 

 frost, such as a shed open to the north. To prevent 

 them from getting too drj- at the root, and from requiring 

 much attention in this respect, plunge the pots in mode- 

 rately damp soil or rotten tan. In spring, when they 

 have burst their buds and given signs of growth, they 

 should be totally shaken out of their old soU, and planted 

 in shallow boxes formed of pieces of double lath or hazel 

 rods in the same manner as Orchid-baskets are often 

 made. These receptacles may be about 18 inches long, 

 14 inches wide, and 6 inches deep. Into these the" Vines 

 should be carefuUj- planted, and they must then be 

 removed to a cool, light, airy house or pit, where with 

 but ■ver}' little attention they will progress slowly, making 

 comparatively short but strong, vigorous, young growths 

 bjr the end of June, when it is supposed all will be ready 

 for them in the vinery for which they are intended. In 

 planting them, the strong wickerwork with which their 

 roots are encased can be easily removed, piece by piece, 

 without injuring the young roots. One of them should 

 lie planted at each rafter, and one at the middle of each 

 light. As soon as they are planted give a goqd watering 

 of tepid water to settle the new soil about their roots. 



All is now in readiness for a rapid march to the top of 

 the house ; a smart temperature and an ordinary amount 

 of moisture should be steadily kept up till the Vines 

 reach the top of the rafter ; then the moisture should be 

 decreased gradually, and a free circulation of warm air 

 kept up by opening ventilators at top and bottom, by 

 whicli means a well-ripened strong growth may be secured 

 by the end of October. One-half of the Vines should be 

 stopped as soon as they reach within 3 feet of the top of 

 the house, with the object of obtaining well-fiUed-up 

 fruit-buds to fruit in the following season. The other 

 half of the "\'ines may be allowed to ramble after reach- 

 ing the top of the house, but not to such an extent as 

 wUl crowd the other Vines or even themselves with 

 fohage. As soon as the leaves drop off cut down the 

 Ko. 796.— Vol. XXX., Old Series. 



