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261 



are contemplated, is not to leave them 

 longer than four or five feet, and to re- 

 move all the buds but the uppermost. 

 These rootless cuttings are coiled into 

 long narrow pots, being so placed that 

 the bud of the apes of the shoot, al- 

 though the highest part, is still two 

 inches beneath the surface of the soil; 

 at the same time sufficient room is left 

 beneath the coil for the roots to extend 

 themselves. These cuttings being put 

 in between the middle of January and 

 the end of March, are plunged at once 

 into a hot-bed between 90^ and lOOo, 

 where they remain until they require 

 more pot-room. They are then shifted, 

 and placed in a suitable situation until 

 again excited in November or December. 

 When the cutting begins to grow, the 

 shoot is trained upright, until it is seven 

 or eight or ten joints long, when the top 

 is pinched off. After this stopping the 

 laterals are displaced as they appear; 

 and if the vines have done well, two or 

 three of the buds will also be excited 

 at the same time, in which case the 

 shoots are cut down to the lowest ex- 

 cited eye. The single shoot is then 

 trained upright and divested of all late- 

 rals and tendrils. None of the plants 

 are allowed to grow longer than from 

 four to six feet, at which length the tops 

 are pinched off, the uppermost lateral, 

 which is also stopped at the first joint, 

 being left to carry off the remaining 

 sap. 



" At this season the plants are re- 

 moved to a warm and sheltered situa- 

 tion in the open air ; and when the 

 leaves fall they are headed down to 

 one, two, or three joints, according to 

 their strength, and are placed against a 

 northern aspect. When cold weather 

 sets in they are taken back to a shel- 

 tered spot, and plunged in the ground 

 to protect the roots, the pots being 

 mulched over, and the rods covered to 

 protect them from frost. 



" When these yearling potted vines 

 are brought early into action, it is re- 

 commended to bow a piece of wire 

 above the pot with both its ends run- 

 ning down the inside, of sufficient height 

 to allow the whole length of the stem to 

 be attached to it, as represented in the 

 accompanying figure. 



" The buds from the stem being thus 

 bent, break more regularly ; and when 

 this is effected the vine is united, and 

 secured to an upright stake or sloping 



trellis. To prevent evaporation the stem 

 is wrapped loosely in moss, which is 

 kept constantly moist until the grapes 

 are set, when it is removed. The plants, 

 up to this period, are encouraged by 

 bottom-heat and shifting; and the quan- 

 tity of fruit is regulated by the size of 

 the pot and the quality of the vine." — 

 Card. Chron. 



Seed. — To raise new varieties seed 

 from the largest, earliest, and best rip- 

 ened berries must be separated fron» 

 their pulp, and kept until the February 

 following; then to be sown in "pots 

 filled with light fresh mould, and plunged 

 in a moderately warm hot-bed. Tliey 

 will come up in four or six weeks; and 

 when the plants are about six inches 

 high, they should be transplanted singly 

 into forty-eights, and afterwards into 

 pots of larger size. 



"Water gently as circumstances re- 

 quire; allow abundance of light and 

 air, and carefully avoid injuring any of 

 the leaves. Cut down the plants everv 

 autumn to good buds, and sulfer only 

 one of these to extend itself in the fol- 

 lowing spring. Shift into larger pots, 

 as occasion requires, till they have 

 produced fruit. This, under good ma- 

 nagement, will take place in the fourth 

 or fifth year, when the approved sorts 

 should be selected, and the rest de- 

 stroyed, or used as stocks on which to 

 graft or inarch good sorts." — Enc. of 

 Gard. 



If a hybrid grape be required, the 

 stamens of the female parent must be 

 cut away with very sharp-pointed scis- 

 sors before their anthers have burst. 



