Propagation of the Grape Vine. 127 



the peduncles or stems of the bunches, and a great many of the 

 most promising are irrecoverably lost. I believe there is no practical 

 gardener, however careless an observer he may be, but has repeat- 

 edly noticed, after pinching of the tendril or claspcr, (which every 

 bunch of grapes is provided with, no doubt by a wise law of nature, 

 for its protection ; when the vine is trained to trellises under glass, 

 the tendril is of no use, so that it is, if I mistake not, universally 

 pinched off with the finger and thumb,) the disease to strike the wound- 

 ed part, and soon consume the remainder of the tendril ; finally, the 

 stem of the bunch is smitten, and the cultivator has the mortification 

 of being an eye witness of the whole cluster of fruit gradually going 

 to decay. Sometimes the tendrils upon healthy vines become fruc- 

 tiferous, and bear a few berries at their extremities. Nevertheless, I 

 should prefer to take them off, as generally, the bunch is large enough 

 without them, and always much handsomer in shape. 



The ideas of cultivators are at variance, as to the nature of this 

 disease that affects the vine ; some say that it arises from the roots 

 being planted in a soil, that is not congenial to their growth ; but 

 when we know that the border is well drained, and the compost is 

 allowed by scientific practitioners to be (without one instance of fail- 

 ure) an excellent one for the growth of the vine, we must look for 

 the remedy elsewhere. I will briefly state my opinion on this subject. 

 It is a fact beyond a doubt, that it either arises from a fold atmos- 

 phere in the house, or a sudden check of the vital principle in the 

 vine ; in a word, a regular course of treatment should be pursued, 

 from the vines first swelling their buds in the spring, to the ripening 

 of the fruit ; all stagnant air must be eradicated, and a free circulation 

 ol fresh air given daily. Even in rainy, damp weather, the vinery ought 

 to be ventilated, at the same time keeping up a good brisk heat, to 

 counteract the dampness. The house should be kept perfectly sweet 

 and clean, taking away all the prunings of vines and other vegetable 

 substances, immediately after the work is done. This is the preven- 

 tive I should recommend, and 1 have no doubt that if it is strictly 

 attended to, the disease will rarely or ever make its appearance. 



The vines that have been raised from the eyes, can now be planted 

 in the border. However, as they are growing in pots, they could 

 be placed in the vinery, and by good treatment will continue to grow 

 freely; it is also to be remembered that the whole growth of the vine, 

 so far, is from artificial treatment, so that we should be careful in not 

 giving the roots a severe check, by removing them from the pots into 

 the border too soon. The middle or latter part of June will be 

 early enough, waiting until the soil becomes naturally warm, and 

 there is some prospect of a continuance of fine weather. When 

 planting tlie vines, it will be necessary to be very careful in turning 

 them out of the pots, to keep the ball of earth entire. For a grapery, 

 I should recommend the vines to be introduced into the house every 

 two and a half feet, through holes made in the front wall, to be left 



