v r t 



V I T 



Mr. Nicol, where rooted plants are ernpWed, 

 advises ihe pits to be half filled with vegetable 



mould, and the plants to be carefully taken out 

 or the p.t- with thin balls entire, and, unless" 

 when rooted, be placed in that manner ia the 

 pits, filling them in with vegetable mould, and 

 settling them with a little water. This work, in 

 his opinion, may be performed any tune from 

 the beginning of November to the lirst of March 

 with equal sue 



But though the above distance of planting 

 mav be proper when the vine-; are full grown, 

 it may be beneficial to have them put in at half 

 that distance at lirst; as a crop or two maybe 

 obtained before it is necessary to thin them out; 

 two of a kind being placed together for the 

 greater convenience of thinning, 



The management of the vines, for the three 

 first vears alter planting, is the same as practiced 

 for those against common walls, which has been 

 described above, being, however, encouraged 

 as much as possible, and the shoots not left too 

 long, or too many in number on each root, that 

 thev mav be duly ripened and prepared for bear- 

 ing the fourth year, which is the soonest they 

 shouid be forced : when any sorts of fruit-trees 

 are forced by fire too young, they seldom con- 

 tinue long in health ; so that what fruit they 

 produce is small, and not well-flavoured. 



By the middle of June the grapes will be al- 

 most full grown, therefore the glasses may be 

 kept off continually in the day time, unless the 

 season be very cold and wet, in which case they 

 must be kept on, and only opened when the 

 weather is favourable ; for as the racy vinous 

 flavour of these fruits is increased bv a free air, 

 so duriug the time of their ripening they should 

 have as large a share as the season will admit to 

 be given them. 



Mr. Nicol advises ' : in the first and second 

 seasons, to keep the border ;na moderately moist 

 state while the plants are growing; hut, after 

 their growth begins to abate, particularly the 

 second season, to withhold the waterings by 

 degrees till it is quite stopped, in order to make 

 them harden and ripen their shoots for the 

 production of a crop the third year. Water 

 frequently with the drainings of a dunghill. And 

 wash with the hand engine twice or thrice a week 

 in the evening, in order to refresh aud keep the 

 plants clean. Steaming is, he thinks, unneces- 

 sary. 



" In the third season, keep the border also in a 

 moderately moist state, till the fruit begin their 

 last swelling. Then give large quantities till 

 they begin to colour ; after which, entirely with- 

 hold it till the crop is gathered; and then g:\c 

 two or three hearty waterings, to recover the 



state the border ought to remain in for the 

 winter." 



lie likewise advises " to wash twice or thrice 

 a week till the flowers begin to open, i:. 

 withhold till the fruit is fairly -' i -. wa 

 again till they begin to colour, and then with- 

 hold entirely for th Vid in the inte- 

 rim of washing, to steam every night when the 

 fife is at the strongest, by pouring water 00 the 

 lines till you cannot see an object at the distance 

 of two or ihrc yards: and repeat this early in 

 the morning, it the temperature of the house 

 require the making of tires, or it there is a suf- 

 ficient heat in the flues to produce it, even lit a 

 middling degree." 



The insects which infest the grape house arc 

 chiefly the green fly, ilirips, red spider, and 

 wasp. The two first are, Mr. Nicol says, "■ 

 destroyed by a fumigation of tobacco ; the third 

 is kept under by the engine in summer ; and 

 the last, by the destruction of their nests, phials 

 filled with honey and water, or BUgar and small 

 beer, and bird-lime. All these methods are, 

 however, sometimes ineffectual for the destruc- 

 tion of w asps where they abound in vast quan- 

 tity ; and their fondness for grapes renders it 

 sometimes necessary to inclose the bunches in 

 bags of gauze, or silken paper, which is a mis- 

 fortune; as the grapes, by being so much ex- 

 eluded from the action of the sun aud air, fall 

 greatly ofTin flavour." 



Birds must also be guarded against by some 

 means or other ; such as have been mentioned 

 above. 



All sorts of grapes should continue on the 

 trees till fully ripe. 



It is advised by some, that these vines should 

 not be forced every year, but under good ma- 

 nagement every other year, or every third year. 

 Of course, in order to have a supply ot fruit an- 

 nually, there should be a s ifhcient extent of 

 walling to contain as mam v i u • a a* are at W 

 for two or three \ ears ; and by having the ti 

 in front moveable, they may be slutted from 

 one part of the wall to another, as the viiu 

 alternately forced. These hot-walls are com- 

 monly plan ted with early kinds of grapes, in 

 order to have them forward in tin 

 though some think it hardly worth the trouble, 

 in order to have a few grapes earlier by a m 

 or six weeks, than those common \ 



The sorts of vin useful in this mode of 



culture have been mentioned abo 



are grown to full 

 they must be pruned and ill .:> | tue 



same manner as has been tor th.isc 



against common walls, with this difference t 

 that in those reasons when tnej are not forctd. 



