Culture of the Vine in Pots. 41 



be destroyed, either by a powerful sunshine, or from too damp an 

 atmosphere. 



The cuttings were watered very sparingly until the buds appeared 

 above the surface of the soil ; air was freely admitted during the day, 

 and the bed covered at night, in order to preserve an equal temper- 

 ature as possible. 



March 24, — being fifteen days from the time the cuttings were 

 put in the pots, they made their appearance above tiie surface, were 

 shaded from the sun during the middle of the day, until they were 

 well furnished with roots and the leaves began to expand ; water was 

 then regularly supplied, and plenty of air allowed, to prevent them 

 from being drawn up weak. 



By the 9th of May the vines had grown to the height of from 

 eight to twelv'e inches, and were shifted into pots of six inches in 

 diameter, making use of th.e same kind of soil as the cuttings were 

 put in, at the commencement. In repotting such young vines, they 

 should be handled with great care, as the points of the roots, or spon- 

 gioles, are exceedingly tender, and susceptible of injury ; the leading 

 shoots should also be carefully protected, and all laterals removed as 

 soon as they appear. The success depends much upon keeping up 

 the temperature of the bed, which should rather increase than de- 

 crease as the vines acquire strength ; and, as the least check is very 

 injurious in this early stage of their growth, should the heat begin to 

 decline, it must be renewed by linings ; for it is an essential point, 

 that they be continually kept in a vigorous and rapidly growing state, 

 the object in view being to produce one strong shoot for bearing 

 fruit the following year. 



June '2oth, — the vines were from two to three feet in height, and 

 were again repotted into pots fourteen inches in diameter, and fifteen 

 inches in depth ; the soil used, was composed of equal parts of light 

 loam and leaf soil, with the addition of about an eighth part of the 

 whole of very rotten manure. After potting they were removed 

 into the green-house, and placed over the front flue; the shoots were 

 trained upward in a direction corresponding with the slope of the 

 roof, and ten inches from the glass ; water was supplied frequently, 

 and occasionally hquid manure, till the wood began to ripen; all lat- 

 eral shoots were stopped just above the first bud, which bud, was re- 

 tained to prevent the main eyes from starting prematurel\'. 



July 21th, — the vines had attained the length of six feet; and, as 

 a sufficient length of wood was now obtained, each shoot was stopped, 

 by pinching off the point ; this caused one or two of the uppermost 

 eyes to start, and these were also stopped when they had grown two 

 or three joints. By thus continually stopping the upper laterals, as 

 often as they were produced, the rapid flow of sap upward was 

 checked, and the shoots acquired greater strength and size. When 

 the wood had become perfectly ripened, each vine was cut to the 

 length of five feet, and all the laterals, which had been suffered ta 



