4 £6 THE FORCING GARDEN. [oCT. 



the shadow of an excuse for the sloven ? or where 

 are the arguments of the advocate for grapes and 

 peaches growing quite naturalli) in a hot-house ? 



In a properly constructed grape-house, and if the 

 plants be trained up the roof, (see Section I. on the 

 Construction of the Grape-house), there should be 

 three ranges of bearing shoots, viz. one range, at 

 bottom of the trellis, from end to end of the house, 

 reaching from within two feet of the ground, five 

 or six more feet upwards j a second, reaching from 

 a foot, or perhaps two feet under the tops of these, 

 that is, from within seven or eight feet of the ground, 

 to the distance of fourteen or fifteen feet upwards 

 from it ; and a third range, reaching from a foot or 

 two under the tops of these last, to the uppermost 

 row of wires on the trellis : the shoots of the first, 

 or lower range, being headed at about five or six 

 feet ; those of the second or middle range, at about 

 seven or eight ; and those of the third, or upper- 

 most, at about nine or ten feet in length ; all a foot 

 or two more or less, according to circumstances, ac- 

 cording to their strengths, how low- or how high 

 upon the plants they have issued, and how far they 

 have sprung, and are fully matured. The distance 

 at which these shoots should be placed from each 

 other, in their respective ranges, is about thirty 

 ifiches ; which distance is necessary to give room 

 to the stubs of next year, on which the clusters are 

 to hang;, as in this season : and which distance mav 

 be varied a few inches, according to the kinds of 

 grapes, some growing stronger than others» 



