December 21, 1874. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



559 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



CECEUBEB 24—30, 1874. 



Great Frost, 1819, commenced. 

 CHaisTMAS Day. 

 St. Stephens. Bonk HoUdaj. 

 1 scndav afteb christmas. 

 Innocents Day. 



Bojal Society established, 1660. 



Arerage Tempera- Rain in 

 ture Dear London. 43 years. 



Day. Night. 

 40.0 I 31.3 



43.4 

 43.2 

 43.0 

 42.6 

 43.9 

 44.4 



29.4 

 31.4 

 29.7 

 29.5 

 33.0 

 31.7 



Mean. 

 37.0 

 36.4 

 37.3 

 86.4 

 36.0 

 38.5 

 38.1 



Days. 

 26 

 17 

 18 

 23 

 21 

 19 

 15 



Son 

 Rises 



Son 



Sets. 



Moon 

 Rises. 



m. h. 

 7»t8 

 8 8 

 8 8 

 8 8 

 8 8 

 8 9 

 8 9 



m h. 

 52 af 3 

 5:{ 3 



m. h. 

 58af 4 

 21 6 

 44 7 

 3 9 

 19 10 I 22 

 31 11 I 5 

 mom. 45 



Moon 

 Seta. 



m b. 



SOatO 



Moon's 

 Age. 



CI oet 

 af ter 

 Son. 



Days. 

 15 

 16 

 17 

 18 

 19 

 20 



c 



9 

 before 



50 



1 20 



1 49 



2 19 

 2 48 



Da; 



of 



Tear. 



858 

 359 

 860 

 361 

 862 

 363 

 364 



B3.1 . 



From observations taken near London daring forty-three years, the average day temperatare of the week Is 42.6 >; and its night temperature 



VINE-PRUNING AND WINTER-DRESSING.— No. 2. 



"''-^ Y last paper referred almost entirely to 

 young Vines : a few thoughts may be now 

 seasonably directed to the treatment applic- 

 able to older canes, which may have covered 

 the roof for years. This is just the period 

 that amateurs' (that is, unforced) Vines 

 require attention. Vines for earlier work 

 are of course dressed and finished for their 

 resting period. To such these grains of 

 instruction do not refer, as they are already 

 in the hands of competent men who give the necessary 

 attention peculiar to the state of the Vines and require- 

 ments. But in the matter of cool-grown unforced Vines 

 DO unnecessary delay should be permitted in pruning 

 after this period. A good rest is the best preparation for 

 future work. Winter pruning is frequently unreason- 

 ably deferred, and is the main source of the bleeding 

 ■which so often perplexes the uninitiated in practical Grape- 

 production. This procrastination is traceable mainly to 

 either of these two causes — the owner has not confidence 

 to use the knife himself, or has not a man within call to 

 ■whom he can comfortably entrust the work. We will 

 seek to help him over the difficulty. In such a ease the 

 combined observation of master and man — the exercise 

 of their thinking powers — a sharp knife and a number of 

 the Journal, will aid to a right diagnosis and the treat- 

 ment to apply suitable to the particular case under con- 

 sultation. 



Vines which on the single rod have reached their full 

 extremity, and have been spurred close in, and still go 

 on bearing, showing no signs of waning vigour and pro- 

 ductiveness, prove that past treatment has been right, 

 and that any change of system would be extremely im- 

 prudent. Such Vines will be in a border not made of light 

 turfy loam, which nurse up Vines characterised by quick 

 fame and quick failure, but are in more solid lasting stuff 

 of an infinitely better sustaining power. Such Vines wiU 

 carry short-jointed wood, and show their bunches at the 

 third, or at the most fourth, leaf. Vines in that state 

 invite close pruning — as close as you like ; and if the 

 border is dressed every autumn with a thick covering of 

 good spit manure, and lightly, very lightly, pointed-in 

 the following autumn with a dressing of bones and good 

 loam, previous to putting on the manure covering, it is 

 impossible to say how long such Vines wUl retain their 

 pristine habit of fruitfulness. They are in a iirst-rate 

 state, and will bear a lifetime. Alter nothing. Stand 

 firm on the plan that serves well. However, only about 

 one vinery in two is in that good state. 



Let us look at another and common type. The Vines 

 have been regularly spurred for years ; they used to bear 

 well, but latterly have failed. They grow freely enough — 

 too freely. They have stout tendnls, large spreading, but 

 thin and rather flimsy foliage, make gross shoots, but are 

 shy at showing bunches, which they only do at the fifth 

 and sixth leaf. Short-spur pruning of such Vines is not 

 the best — the Vines themselves tell that as plain as Vines 



No. ;17.— Vol. XXVn., New Sbeies. 



can speak. Just take one of the free-growing shoots 

 outside the house, and train it in the full sun to npen. 

 Shorten it but very httle, and ten to one it will show 

 bunches at every eye. The roots of such Vines have 

 eaten out the dainty food of the light turfy border, which 

 has not been replenished by top-dressings, and have gone 

 below on a foraging expedition. They find something, 

 but it is very crude, and require to make much fohage 

 to elaborate, purify, and nourish. They cannot do this 

 under a system of close pruning and pinching. They 

 may be brought back to a state of fruitfulness by spurring, 

 but the remedy must be applied to the roots. Remove 

 old soil and apply fresh, give a moist surface heat by 

 fermenting material, and a network of feeders will soon 

 be there, and may be enticed upwards to any height 

 requu-ed. Get these to the surface, and keep them there 

 in sweet nourishing soil, and the top growth will change 

 to short-jointed robustness, and the foliage will become 

 dark, thick, and of leathery texture, of medium size. 

 With that practice, well and carefully done, a young 

 shoot may be trained from the bottom of the old rod, and 

 be treated as a young Vine on the spur plan, and good 

 fruit is certain. 



We will assume, however, that this heated top dress- 

 ing cannot be given (neither should it, except under the 

 ey'e of a thorough practicalist), and see if Grapes cannot 

 be got by a less simple means— that is, by a looser freer 

 plan of pruning. Let some young shoots be laid-in at 

 intervals much after the manner of Peach-pruning. Spur 

 some, but leave some. In the meantime start another 

 cane from the bottom for a new Vine. Take away sur- 

 face soil, and replace with a foot of spit manure. Let the 

 new shoot have hght. Avoid overcrowding as a scourge, 

 but let it be avoided by disbudding and leaving a few 

 shoots, rather than by lettmg many push and attempt to 

 keep them within bounds by pinching. There is a vast 

 difference between those two plans preventing overerowd- 

 ' ing to be kept in mind. It is a vital difference. It 

 amounts to this : Letting young wood grow freely, but 

 very thinly, instead of letting eyes push in all directions 

 to be stubbed-in continually to get light, but is in three 

 weeks darker than ever. Which is the sensible pla,n to 

 get fruit from a long-jointed exuberant-growing Vine? 

 Surely by very thin relays of young wood, having light 

 and air to mature it, and a removal of useless rods and 

 spurs. If a Vine will make exuberant growth it must 

 have room to grow. I know of no other rational way of 

 treating it. Let it have room to extend new canes, and 

 light and air to mature them, and I have never yet seen 

 an instance where Grapes did not follow. I am not of 

 those who advocate the spur systern on the one hand or 

 the extension plan on the other as being the best under 

 all circumstances. I admit no solitary inflexible rule as 

 apphcable in all cases. Each plan is right when rightly 

 appUed, and of this the Vines are the best, the surest 

 index. Lead them, if possible, into the condition re- 

 quired, and if this cannot be done, follow their dictates, 

 and profit by their suggestions. A Vine takes an im- 

 mense time to wear-out by the plan of renewal by young 



No. 1S69.— Vol. LIT., Old Sebles. 



