V I T 



V I T 



a week, which will forward the swelling of the cording to the distance between the bunches, and 

 fruit. Vines require a great deal of watering ; a little on the outside of the fruit at each end j 

 but when the fruit is fully swelled, you should both ends being sealed with some common 

 leave it off, particularly when the nights begin to sealing-wax, such as wine merchants use fur 

 get cold, as it would hurt the flavour of the fruit, scaling their bottles with, which you may buy 

 " In order to preserve the grapes, as soon as at the wax chandler's ; then hang them across a 

 the large flv makes its appearance, plenty of line in a dry room, taking care to clip out, with 

 bottles a little more than half filled with some a pair of scissars, any of the berries that begin 

 sweet liquor should be provided to entice the to decay or become mouldy, which if left would 

 flies to enter them, where they will be drowned, taint the others. In this way he has kept grapes 

 The bottles should be hung on the nails at pro- till the sixth of February ; but if they are cut 

 per distances all over the vines, and also some before the bunches are too ripe, they may be 

 of them placed at the bottom of the walls. The kept much longer than that period, 

 blue flv comes much earlier than the wasp, and " They may also, he says, be kept by pack- 

 is no less destructive to the fruit. It is there- ing them in jars, (every bunch being first wrap- 

 fore necessary to hang up the bottles betimes, in ped up in soft paper), and covering every layer 

 order to destroy as many of them as possible be- with bran, which should be well dried before it 

 fore the wasp makes its appearance, to have the is used, laying a little of it in the bottom of the 

 bottles ready for this second enemy. jar ; then a layer of grapes, and so on, a layer 



" When the grapes begin to ripen, the birds of bran and of grapes alternately, till the jar is 

 begin to attack the fruit ; when it is necessary filled, then shaking it gently, and filling it to 

 to bag some of your fine handsome bunches, the top with bran, laying some paper over it, 

 but to bas them all would be an endless trouble andcovering the top with abladder tiedfirmlyon 

 v. here there is a full crop and a large garden. to exclude the air ; when the top or cover of the 



" Of course where the bunches are very thick, jar should be put on, observing that it fits as 

 the quickest way is, he says, to cover the trees close as possible, placing them in a room where 

 with nets, or buntine (a kind of stuff of which a fire is kept in wet or damp weather." 

 ships' colours are made), which will admit a free Forcing of Vines. — This is performed in dif- 

 air to the grapes, and dry soon after rain. They ferent sorts of buildings, contrived for the pur- 

 willalsoiuihespring,hethinks,beagoodcovering pose; such as hot walls and vineries, as well as- 

 for the trees, in cold, wet, or snowy weather. The by hot-houses or stoves. See Vinery. 

 bunches of grapes should always be kept under In the former cases, when the borders have 

 the shade of the leaves till they begin to ripen ; been prepared and made up in the manner di- 

 vhen you may begin to pick off the leaves rected under the head Vinery ; when proper 

 which cover the fruit (leaving those a little plants of one or two years growth in pots can- 

 above it to be a shelter from the wet and frost in not be procured, cuttings, Mr. Nicol says, 

 the nights) : this will assist the ripening of the should be made use of. Others, however, pre- 

 fruit ; and take off only a few leaves at a time, fer cuttings in all cases, planting two in each 

 according to the quantity of grapes to be gathered hole, to guard against failure, the weakest, where 

 at once ; by these means the fruit will continue both grow, being afterwards removed. These 

 three times as long in succession as it would if should be planted about the beginning of April, 

 the leaves were picked off all at one time. He being chosen from good bearing vines, and such, 

 has often seen all the leaves taken off from the shoots as are well ripened, otherwise they never 

 fruit soon after it was set, which prevents it from make good plants. The distance they should be 

 swelling, and it becomes hard and small, and allowed to remain is about six feet. In planting 

 generally cracks. When the leaves are not too them out, holes should be opened with a spade, 

 thick, they admit, he says> the rays of the sun about eighteen inches deep ; the cuttings beinc 

 to pass through, and a warm glow of heat will laid in the holes a little sloping, the earth beino- 

 be reflected fiom the wall. then filled into the holes, and gently pressed 



" It is often convenient to let the grapes hang with the foot to them, and raised in a heap so as 

 as long on the walls as possible; he has often just to cover the uppermost eyes, afterwards ap- 

 let them hang till the middle of November, only plying a little mulch on the surface of the 

 covering them w ith nets, or buntine. But when ground about them to prevent the sun and air 

 the frost begins to set in sharp, they should then from drying the earth ; and when the sprint is 

 be gathered. Where there are several bunches vervdry,alittle water should begivenonceaweek.. 

 on one branch it may be cut off, leaving about Under this management they usually make 

 ux inches in length, or more, of the wood, ac- strong shoots the first summer,. 



