GRAPE VINES FORCING. ^3 



be had from vines in large pots grown in unheated or moderately heated structures, for 

 it is only a question of variety, management, and feeding. 



Early Forcing with Bottom Heat. A low three-quarter span-roofed house, about 8 

 feet 3 inches wide, is the best for very early forcing. It must face due south. Span- 

 roofed houses should have the ends east and west. The north slope of the roof answers 

 for black grapes, but white varieties must have the south side. All very early-forced 

 vines do best with bottom heat. An admirable plan of securing early grapes is to plant 

 the cut-back vines out (instead of transferring them to the fruiting pots), 2 to 2 inches 



Fig. 97. SPAN-ROOFED PIT FOR EARLY-FORCING POT VINES. (Section through 12, Ground Plan, Vol. I., page 71.) 



(Scale : inch = 1 foot.) 



References : g, 9-inch loose brick pedestal ; h, pit for fermenting material ; i, vine stood on pedestal ; j, roots after 

 the vine is in growth encouraged over the pots' rims; k, roots from base of pot ; I, slate slab on edge ; ?M, hot-water 

 pipes ; n, path ; o, trellis; p, side lights ; q, top lights. Planted-out iu span-roofed house, or three -quarter span-roofed 

 pit: r, back wall in dotted outline of three-quarter span roof; s, fixed back light of the span roof; <, planted-out 

 vine ; w, bed ; v, chamber with hot-water pipes. 



apart in a prepared bed, about 1 foot deep, with 3 inches of rather rough old mortar 

 rubbish for drainage, resting on the open-jointed covers of a hot-water chamber. In 

 that way the vines are as well under control as if they were in pots, make better canes, 

 and start promptly when wanted. 



There is more art in preparing the vines for early forcing than in forcing them, for 

 most failures are due to ill-formed buds, badly ripened wood poorly stored with assimi- 

 lated matter, and insufficient healthy fibrous roots. It is of no use whatever attempting 

 to convert manifest failures (poor canes) into successes, nor to force the best canes 

 without command of a light, well- ventilated, and properly heated structure. A span- 



VOL. II. S 3 



