258 PRACTICAL, FLORICULTURE. 



TRAINING THE VINE. 



In this short treatise I will confine myself to the " spur 

 system," which is that easiest to comprehend by those 

 beginning the culture of the vine. It is done in this way : 

 presuming that the vine has reached its " third season," 

 and has been cut back to say 10 feet from the foot of the 

 rafter, the cane is allowed to branch or spur at each 

 joint or eye, a shoot from the upper part of the cane is 

 allowed to run to the top of the house, which completes 

 the length of the cane. The side shoots, or bearing wood, 

 is cut back or spurred to one eye. The vine is now com- 

 plete. The upper part will bear its first crop on its next 

 season's growth ; the bearing wood when next pruned will 

 be cut back as before to one eye, and so on annually the 

 side branches or bearing wood to be cut back to one eye, 

 the bunches of fruit being borne on the spurs annually. 



IN FORCING VINERIES 



the temperature to start with should be from 50 to 

 55 at night, with a day temperature of 10 or 15 higher, 

 increasing 10 when the buds are fairly broken, which will 

 be in about a month from time of starting; in six or 

 seven weeks more the fruit will be set and the tempera- 

 ture may be raised 10 more, and so continued. Next in 

 importance to temperature is 



MOISTURE. 



The vine luxuriates in what gardeners call a " tropical 

 atmosphere," and during the whole period of its growth, 

 particularly in our arid climate, the grapery should be 

 copiously syringed twice a day with water of the tem- 

 perature of the house, until the first young leaves are 

 formed. Besides this, evaporating pans placed on the 

 pipes should at all times be kept full of water. In cold 



