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FRUITING VINES IN POPS : RE-POTTING. 



Grapes began colouring. Mr. Woodbridge allowed a rise of 5 by 

 fire-heat on dull days, and 10 more by sun-heat, giving more air as the 

 temperature rose. The pots used were eleven inches in diameter. 



After the Vines are placed in heat, water must be very sparingly 

 applied for some time, until the roots commence growing ; otherwise 

 the soil will become sour and the roots will decay, so that it is better 

 to allow them to become a little dry than the reverse. As the plants 

 come into full leaf a copious supply of water will be required. Whilst 

 the fruit is ripening the most extreme care is necessary especially if 

 the crop is a heavy one to maintain the Vines in a thoroughly healthy 

 state. Careless watering, such as allowing the plants to flag one day 

 and to be soddened the next, will destroy the best of crops ; indeed, 

 more failures are attributable to careless watering than to any other 

 cause. Liquid manure should be frequently given to the healthy 

 plants. 



Re-potting is, as a rule, seldom required ; but if a Vine should 

 chance to get into a sickly condition, it is better to re-pot. The best 

 time to do this is about the period of the setting of the Grapes, the 

 roots being then in an active state, so that they soon take to the new 

 soil. If re-potted earlier, we have found them to show badly, and 

 thereby fail to produce a crop. Top-dressings of manure and soil, 

 or of soil mixed with horn or bone shavings, etc., should be freely 

 applied. 



Some difficulty is often experienced in getting the early-forced 

 Vines to break regularly. When this is so, the canes should be bent 

 so that the backward eyes may be the most elevated, which wiJl help 

 them to develop into strong shoots. 



As to their cropping capabilities, a strong Black Hamburgh Vine, in 

 a twelve-inch pot, may be allowed to bear eight or ten pounds weight 

 of Grapes from six to eight fair-sized bunches. A Royal Muscadine 

 Vine should bear from ten to twelve bunches ; but all this is 

 dependent upon the health and strength of the plant. It is better 

 to under-crop than over-crop pot Vines, for the fruit on those over- 

 cropped is sour and useless. 



Modes of Training Pot Vines, etc. The ordinary or utilitarian' 

 method is to train them to a fixed trellis, the Vines being placed about 

 two feet apart, so that when the side shoots with the fruit, etc., are 

 trained out, the whole trellis may be covered. Another mode is to 

 twist the canes coil fashion round two or three strong stakes placed in 

 the pot, thus giving the plants when fully grown the appearance of 

 columnar bushes. Another mode is to train the shoots so as to form 

 a sort of umbrella-shaped head, with the bunches hanging round. 

 These latter are all more or less graceful and ornamental, and the 

 Grape Vine is truly ornamental 



