iThe Canadian Horticulturi^ 



^ol. XXXVII 



AUGUST, 1914 



No. 8 



Growing Grapes Under Glass 



A. J. Logsdail, B.S.A,, Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa 



innd 



REKN HOUSES, in the form of 

 conservatories or forcing-houses 

 are no longer exceptional luxur- 

 Many of our new country homes 

 the larger of our suburban resi- 

 lences now possess some such adjunct 

 the house. These greenhouses are 

 ^evidence of the increasing appreciation 

 feand interest of the public in; horticul- 

 [ture. This growth of interest is particu- 

 Harly noticeable in amateur circles. It 

 lis responsible for many new and ambi- 

 :ious schemes, which are materially 

 )r()adening the whole field of horticul- 

 ture. 



One of the recent ideas is that of a 

 [fruit or orchard house, or a vinery, 

 [it is with respect to this latter phase, 

 'namely that of the vinery, that the fol- 

 lowing remarks have been written. Such 

 suggestions as may be given in this 

 short article have been written in the 

 .hope that they may be of some assist- 

 ince to amateurs who are thinking of 

 growing some of the delicious European 

 grapes (Vitis vinifera) for the first time. 

 The growing of grapes under glass 

 [in England is an old, well established, 

 fand extensive business. Moreover, it is 

 in the hands of men who as horticultur- 

 ists are second to none, and whose ex- 

 perience with the varieties they are now 

 growing can be of material assistance 

 to us in our endeavors along this line. 

 The amateur in making a selection of 

 varieties for himself is liable to be misled 

 if his choice is guided solely by the de- 



Iscriptions of the fruit qualities to be 

 found in catalogues, for many of these 

 varieties are little grown but are still 

 maintained because of their marked 

 adaptability to certain conditions. 

 As this crop is grown under artificial 

 conditions, the matter of climate is not 

 so pronounced as is the case with im- 

 ported fruits grown in the open ; the 

 .chief differences, perhaps, being those 

 'of less atmospheric humidity, and great- 

 er light and heat intensity. Hoth of 

 the.se conditions can be greatly modified 

 by more frequent "damping down," and 

 by the use of a light shade sprayed on 

 the glass. 



A list of the varieties of Vitis vinifera 

 would be legion, but the amateur can 

 console himself with the knowledge that 

 perhaps seventy-five per cent, of the 



total glass crop of Great Britain is pro- 

 duced by only six or eight varieties. 

 These varieties have proved themselves 

 to possess in a marked degree the char- 

 acteristics of vigor, prolificacy, and 

 quality. The varieties in question are: 



m^m pern^i 



L 



Alicante Grapas. No. 1 



This Is a young vine in a twelve inch pot. Note 



the method of training. It is carrying nine 



bunohee of grapes and is somewhat heavily 



loaded to obtain the best results. 



Black Ramboro or Black Hamburg, 

 Mu.scat Hamboro, Alicante, Gros Col- 

 mar, Gros Maroc, Foster's Seedling, 

 Madresfield Court, and Muscat of Alex- 

 andria. The last-named is liable to be 

 somewhat shy in setting fruit under cer- 

 tain conditions. 



The best way to grow the European 

 grape is in a thoroughly drained and 

 carefully prepared vine border, built 

 within the greenhouste and along its 

 sides. The young vines should he plant- 

 ed at least twelve inches from the wall, 

 and if two rods are to be grown from 

 ench vine, the vines should be planted 

 eiiiht feet apart, to allow two feet on 

 cither side of each rod for the growth 

 of the laterals. 



From a dormant condition the vines 

 should 1x3 induced to break into leaf 

 gradually. Undue haste at this time 

 18« 



often .spoils a crop. If budding out is 

 slow or uneven, this may Ije remedied 

 by laying the rods on the ground and 

 syringing more frequently, or syringing 

 with tepid water. 



The average length of time taken to 

 grow a crop of grapes from that of start- 

 ing the canes into growth till the fruit 

 is ready to cut, is usually from five to 

 six months. It depends upon the time of 

 year the crop ripens, after which the 

 vines require a rest, and an opportunity 

 to ripen the- wood made. The grape 

 crop is really a quick crop when com- 

 pared with the crops of other hard- 

 wooded fruits, but it requires continual 

 attention. Successive annual crops are 

 obtained only by experience, often of a 

 most disheartening nature. 



The writer spent several years with 

 one of the largest commercial grape 

 growers in England, who had consider- 

 ably more than twelve thousand linear 

 feet of glass in grapes alone. Annually 

 these vineries would produce crops of 

 perfect fruit, and varying but little in 

 yield from year to year. The estimated 

 standard of yield for such varieties as 

 Gros Colmar, Black Hamboro, and Ali- 

 cante was one pound of fruit to each lin- 

 ear foot of vine rod. Thus a vine bear- 

 ing two main rods each eighteen feet in 

 length, making a total rod length of 

 thirty-six feet, iwould be expected 'to 

 yield thirty-six pounds of fruit. 



During the time of flowering, the .set- 

 ting of the fruit is greatly assisted by 

 gently tapping the canes once or twice 

 a day. Sometimes a rabbit's tail or 

 soft camel's hair brush is u.sed to distri- 

 bute the pollen, and a third expedient 

 is that of dusting the blos.soms with 

 Pampas Grass bloom, and so doing the 

 duty of Nature and the bees ; this has 

 been found to produce the desired re- 

 sult. 



ENRICH THE SOIL. 



'I"he grape is a heavy feeder or, in 

 other words, to produce best results 

 commercial fertilizers require to be liber- 

 ally used. In connection with the use 

 of commercial fertilizers though, the 

 motto of the amateur should be "festina 

 lente." A little at a time given regu- 

 larly will produce far better results th:in 

 liberal applications at distant dates. The 

 grower should bear in mind the different 



