i88 Commercial Gardening 



without being pricked up afresh, it is a good plan to give a mulch of 

 spent mushroom manure; this will keep the border nicely open and 

 moist. Most growers like to give a mulch of well-rotted manure at 

 some time during the season, and a favourite time is after the stoning 

 time, when the berries begin to swell again. One disadvantage of this 

 practice is the number of little flies which immediately cover the glass 

 and the grapes, marking the latter badly and detracting seriously from 

 their appearance. If this mulch must be put on, it is better to do it 

 when the Vines are started. 



Starting" the Vines. A fortnight before the Vines are to be started 

 a good watering is given if the borders are dryish. The house is shut 

 up and kept close to induce the sap to begin to move. At the end of 

 the fortnight the heat is turned on gently and another watering with 

 warm water given; unless the Vines are being started naturally, when 

 cold water will do at all times. The rods are syringed twice a day, 

 and the best tool for the purpose is one of the knapsack sprayers, fitted 

 with a Mistifier Junior spraying nozzle. This nozzle can be adjusted to 

 give a jet very like a syringe, and the saving in time and the avoidance 

 of the sloppiness of the syringe is well worth the outlay. To ensure 

 the rods being thoroughly wetted the house is worked both ways. The 

 night temperature at this time should be from 45 to 50 F., giving a 

 little air at 70 F. during the day. As the Vines break, the spraying is 

 discontinued on all but bright days, or the buds will sometimes rot out, 

 and the night temperature is gradually raised to 55. When all the 

 buds are fully broken the spraying is discontinued, and the borders are 

 damped down through a fine rose. As little water should be used as 

 possible as long as the surface of the borders and the pipes are damped 

 all over. This should be done every morning, and on bright days twice 

 or three times according to the state of the air in the vinery, the last 

 damping being given when the house is shut up. This should be done 

 about an hour before the sun is off the glass. As growth proceeds the 

 temperature is raised to 60 to 65 at night and 75 by day, with air 

 being given at that temperature in mild weather. Cold draughts must 

 be avoided; and the particular bugbear of the grower is an east wind 

 and a hot sun, such as is often experienced in the spring. The only 

 thing is to give just so much air as possible without draught, keep the 

 pipes as cool as possible, and damp down frequently. As soon as the 

 buds have broken, the rods are tied up into place, and any buds which 

 are not required rubbed out, leaving the one nearest to the rod if possible, 

 i.e. if it looks strong and likely to fruit well. When the laterals are 

 long enough to show three leaves beyond the bunch they should be 

 stopped at that point, and about ten days after be tied down. Private 

 gardeners only bring the laterals down part of the way at the first 

 tying, but the market man generally does it in one operation, and a 

 careful man will do it without breaking out any laterals worth men- 

 tioning. Alicante is a bad variety to tie down, but if the house is 



