250 THE GRAPE. 



&;c., such varieties as the Black Prince, Tramlner and Royal Muscadine, 

 may be grown in the open air by bending down the vines in the 

 month of November, and covering them with tan-bark, or other 

 mulch, and raising them again to their position in April. Free sup- 

 ply of wood ashes and soap-suds will be found requisite to hasten 

 their growth and maturity of fruit, as well as prevent mildew.* 



Cold Houses. — By this term is meant an enclosed structure of 

 wood or brick, with a sloping roof covered with glass. These struc- 

 tures as made at the east, and by a few wealthy men at the west, and 

 represented in the Horticultural journals of the day, are too expen- 

 sive to make the growing of the better foreign grapes general at the 

 west. But expensive structures are not necessary ; many a man at 

 the west has a south side of a building unoccupied ; this may serve 

 as the back of his cold-house, by setting up pieces of four inch scant- 

 ling against the building, nailing boards to it and filling in between 

 with tan-bark, saw-dust, or fine charcoal, he has the back; now, four 

 inch square posts rising four feet from the ground, at a distance of say 

 fourteen feet from the back, boarded on each side, and filled in 

 same as the back, make the front wall ; leaving, however, two spaces 

 six feet from either end, of about two feet square, for hanging 

 shutters. Now the back w^all being ten feet high, the ends are to be 

 made in same way as the front, giving, of course, the ^ope from 

 back to front, and leaving out at one end space for a door-way, and 

 at the highest point of sides near the back at each end, a space for 

 swinging shutters of say two feet square ; these opened will give ven- 

 tilation, in connection wiUi those in the front wall. This done, a 

 joiner will be required to fit on a plate of two inch plank all around, 

 and fit in rafters and sash ; the sash should be the entire length of 

 width of house ; styles four inch wide by one and a half thick, bars 

 one inch wide beveled to half inch on the under side, the upper 

 style or head piece six inches wide, the lower one fourteen inches ; 

 the rafters should be placed so that sash cannot be over forty-two 

 inches wide, or sufficient for five lights wide of six inch glass. When 

 the location of such house is not in a very cold climate, or where the 

 thermometer rarely falls below zero, .cotton cloth dipped in boiled 

 oil and varnished will answer a very good purpose ; but, perhaps in 

 the end not be as cheap, as its durability will only be about two 

 years. Those who wish for more expensive houses, we advice to pur 



* Geo.Hoadley, Esq., says, that in 1820 to 1830 there was growing in the garden 

 where he then resided, in New Haven, Conn., many white grapes, received from 

 David Deforest, as White Sweet-Water, which never mildewed. This garden 

 was sixty or seventy rods from the harbor, (or salt water.) The prevalent 

 winds were from the harbor, in summer, and in storms the shrubbery not unfrc- 

 q'leutly covered with spray. 



