320 



THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Chap. XIX. 



tube made of tin or zinc, and suspended by a wire. They are 

 simple in construction, and may be made by any ordinary tinman. 

 Mr. Kemp bas invented what he calls a Grape-rail, which 

 mainly consists in the substitution of a fine trough for the series 

 of bottles. 



Mr. Wildsmith's Grape-room at Heckfield is 14 feet long by 10 

 feet broad and 8 feet high, and is fitted with three tiers of racks 

 running horizontally round the room. Space is thus provided for 

 a large quantity of fruit. 



Messrs. Tillery, Wildsmith, Nisbet, Simpson, Johnston, and a 

 host of others have all adopted the system as a permanent thing. 

 The particular variety of Grape which 

 seems most fitted for keeping in this 

 way is Lady Downe's Seedling ; but 

 Black Alicante, Barbarossa, Black Tri- 

 poli, Burckhardt's Prince, Eoyal Vine- 

 yard, Gros Colman, Syrian, White Vine, 

 and Trebbiano, succeed well when cut 

 perfectly ripe. Lady Downe's Seedling 

 may be cut as late as the end of February, 

 and will keep good until the end of June. 

 It may be asked why late Grapes should 

 be kept so long when early forced Grapes 

 can be cut as early as May ; but it must 

 be remembered that the diff'erence in 

 cost between keeping late and forcing 

 early Grapes is enormous, whether they are intended for the table 

 or market. Late Grapes, too, carry better to market than early 

 forced ones. 



The advantages of setting both Vines and houses free at so early 

 a period will be appreciated by everybody, more especially by 

 those who are still stricken with the bedding-out mania. It also 

 gives the Vines greater strength, and allows them to do fuller 

 justice to the pains bestowed upon them. The conditions of 

 success are simj)le, and easily complied with. First, the Grapes 

 must be thoroughly ripe before being j^laced in the bottles. 

 Secondly, the house must be suitable, i.e., dry and frost-proof, and 

 not liable to unreasonable fluctuations in temperature which induce 

 decay, especially if the Grapes are not fully ripe when bottled. 



.Mr. Dodd's tube fm 

 li 'ater. 



Grape 



