28 THE FORCING GARDEN. 
of air both night and day, it will be found the only 
sure way of colouring Grapes. 
THINNING OUT THE BERRIES. 
There is no doubt that frequently too much of this 
is done. In thinning out the berries care must be 
taken so as not to maim the limbs too much, for if this 
should happen the bunch will suffer from the check to 
the free circulation of the sap to those berries left for 
perfection. I think that some of the defects which 
manifest themselves in various ways may be attributed 
to this thinning out too much. There is no doubt 
whatever but this is the chief cause why Grapes do not 
colour so well as people frequently look for. 
There are some circumstances connected with Grape 
growing under which too much thinning out of the 
berries will conduce very much to a want of colour; for 
instance, through injudicious management of the early 
forcing of the Grape, an imperfect admission of air or 
bad air, insufficient light, an uncongenial state of the 
roots, a want of moisture during the perfecting of the 
berries, or a want of the sun’s influence upon the 
border or ground in which the vines are growing, &c.— 
where any or all of these circumstances meet together, 
combined with too much handling and maiming of the 
limbs of the bunch, the result will certainly be defect 
in colour, shanking off, &e. 
The thinning out of the berries should take place 
as soon as they are about the size of a Sweet Pea, not 
before, nor much after ; and all the thinning out should 
be done at once. 
