GRAPE VINES STARTING AND WATERING. 291 



Muscadine, and Swectwater grapes, such as White Froiitignan, Royal Muscadine, and 

 Black Hamburgh, is about five months. These and other varieties advised for early 

 forcing, if started early in December, will ripen the fruit in May, succeeding the vines 

 in pots ; if started early in January, grapes will be ready for cutting in June ; by starting 

 early in February, they will be ready at the beginning of July ; by starting early in 

 March they will be ripe towards the end of July ; and if the vines are allowed to start 

 naturally at the end of March or early in April, they will perfect their crops in August 

 and September. Sufficient time is thus allowed for the grapes to become mature and fit 

 for table. Late houses of Hamburghs are sometimes retarded by free ventilation in the 

 early stages so as to have the fruit ripe towards the close of September, or even later, 

 but this only answers in favourable localities. 



Muscat of Alexandria and all late grapes require six months for ripening, and it 

 should always be completed by September. To have Muscat of Alexandria ripe in 

 June the vines should be started early in December. Madresfield Court, though classed 

 as a Muscat, will ripen with the Sweetwater grapes, and the Black Muscat ripens in 

 advance of the Muscat of Alexandria. This grandest of all grapes can seldom be had 

 in the best condition before July, and the vines should always be started sufficiently 

 early for the crops to have August and September to perfect in. The more time the vines 

 are given under solar influence the finer are the grapes and the better they will keep. 

 All late vineries should be started in March. The vines then have the best six months 

 for perfecting their crops. It is preferable to start them earlier rather than later, for 

 those which start naturally late in March or early in April often require considerable 

 fire heat to ripen the grapes, and then they do not keep well. 



Vines forced for the first time do not start into growth so soon as those which have 

 been forced the previous year. The former should not be hard forced, but given more 

 time. There is usually a difference of about three weeks between the two in the time 

 of the grapes ripening. Vines which have been systematically forced commence growth 

 freely at the usual time of starting without much heat. 



Watering. The inside borders must be brought into a thoroughly moist state before 

 starting the vines. If the borders have become so dry as to crack, they will need 

 repeated applications of water. This should never be less in temperature than the mean 

 temperature of the house, and it is better if 5 warmer. From the time the vines are 

 started into growth till the grapes are perfected, there must be adequate moisture in 

 the soil. Until the leaves attain full size the demand for water is not great, for the 



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