14 THE BOOK OF THE GRAPE 



CONSTRUCTION OF THE VINERY 



If the site on which it is proposed to erect vineries is 

 near the highest known water-line in that particular part, 

 and there is no choice of sites, it will be necessary to 

 allow for this closeness to the natural water level in 

 constructing the vinery by having one or more steps, 

 according to circumstances, leading up to the house from 

 the ground-line outside, so as to allow of the base of the 

 border being made above the ascertained water-level, 

 thereby preventing the possibility of the vine roots being 

 submerged at any time. 



Where it can be done, a good sized forcing house, 

 liberally supplied with hot - water pipes, should be 

 erected in preference to low, narrow, and consequently 

 short-raftered structures, which means short-rodded 

 vines and fewer bunches of grapes. Therefore, a lean- 

 to vinery should be about sixteen feet wide inside 

 between the front and back walls, the latter being, 

 say, fifteen feet high, and the height of the front 

 sashes from one and a half feet to two feet, the 

 length being anything between thirty and two hundred 

 feet, according to circumstances. A house of this size 

 will afford a roof angle of about thirty-five degrees 

 to sun and give a length of rafter of nearly twenty 

 feet. Such a house affords ample scope to the vines 

 to* extend sufficient growth to maintain them in a 

 vigorous, healthy condition. Instead of constructing 

 the vinery of sashes resting on heavy rafters, light 

 rafters, one and a half inches by three inches, should 

 be employed, these being strengthened by and nailed 

 to purlines amid rafters and supported vertically by 

 lengths of gas tubing one and a half inches in diameter 

 (outside measurement), resting on brick piers at intervals 

 of ten feet, and having a y-shaped piece, quarter inch 

 by one inch, of iron inserted in the top to grip the 



