470 THE GROUND VINERY. 



crop. After the crop is set and swelling, weak manure given at each 

 alternate watering is a material element in the production of fine 

 fruit, and a light crop is the secret of large bunches and finely coloured 

 and matured berries. Vines forced early are rarely fit to force a 

 second season, but we have occasionally used them, and obtained a 

 fair crop of fruit. In such cases we always allow the leading shoot to 

 grow to the length of four feet, and then shift into a large pot, cut off 

 the lateral shoots, and coil the old wood into the pot as in the preced- 

 ing season. (W. P. Ayres, in Field.) 



The Ground Vinery. This simple mode of cultivating grapes has 

 attracted some attention of late. The best ground vinery is the bar- 

 less ground vinery, so called from being glazed with a single row of 

 large panes of glass without any sash bars as in the original ground 

 vinery. . To permit of slipping in the glass with ease a rather deep 

 groove is made at the top, into which the glass slips and falls back 

 again into its appointed bed, and no putty is used except at the bottom, 

 the panes fitting closely to each other. One side of these vineries does 

 not open with a hinge, as in the patent kind, but being made in seven 

 feet lengths, there is no difficulty in quickly taking them off when 

 anything requires to be done to the grapes, and that is only likely to 

 happen when they want thinning, or the vines stopping at wide 

 intervals. Ventilation being free, and syringing or watering not being 

 required, it will not often be necessary to take off the vinery from the 

 bricks, which raise it a little from the earth. They are much neater- 

 looking than ground vineries with bars, while of course the flow of 

 light to the vine, or whatever crop may be inside, is perfectly un- 

 interrupted. 



Mr. Rivett, Eailway-bridge, Stratford, Essex, is the maker of these, 

 and the scale of prices is very reasonable indeed. The frames are 

 usually sent by goods train, and the glass packed in boxes ; but the 

 manufacturer informs us that some people get their own glass and 

 glaze the frames, as the glass may be obtained in some places as cheap 

 as by having it sent from London. To send the frames glazed to any 

 distance would, of course, be anything but wise, and they would most 

 likely all get broken ; but to places immediately around London, or 

 within easy distance of the manufactory, they could be sent with 

 safety, though here too it is doubtful if it would not be better to send 

 the frames unglazed, and have them finished when placed in position, 

 as the panes are large. 



Apart from grape-growing, even in the largest gardens in the land 

 ihey will be found most useful during our wretched winters and 

 cutting springs, for the protection of such stuff as small salading, &c., 

 and not a few other uses which will soon suggest themselves to the 

 amateur when once he makes the acquaintance of this simple ground 

 vinery. Parsley, for instance, is often taken up and potted, to ensure 

 having a supply in case of hard weather ; but placing one of these over 

 it will quite suffice for the usual run of our winters, while numerous 

 batches of seedlings and half-hardy things will be the better for their pro- 

 tection ; and of course they may be taken off the vines when they have 



