320 THE FRUIT GROWER'S GUIDE. 



rows of racks must not be less than 4 feet 6 inches. For the finest late grapes the 

 bottle-rest bar may be fixed on a level with the under side of the rail, so as to let the 

 bottle project more (d\ and leave not less than two joints of wood and laterals above the 

 bunch (e), which occupies 21 inches; therefore, the rows of racks must be 6 feet asunder. 

 The uprights for the detached racks may be 4| inches by 3 inches, narrow face outwards, 

 with scalloped rails similar to the side racks, but alternate ; the bottle-rests should be 

 4| inches wide, and flush with the uprights, and holes made on alternate sides to corre- 

 spond to the scallop. 



In Fig. 100 only a small portion of the end of the grape room at Floors Castle is 

 represented. It portrays, however, Mr. Street's method of keeping grapes, of which he 

 observes : "The plan I adopt is very simple, and I find it answers well, as I always 

 keep the grapes fresh and plump in the berry till the early varieties are ready for 

 cutting, about the middle of May. It will be seen from the illustration that the bottles 

 are fixed in shelves made purposely for keeping grapes. The bottles are filled with 

 clean water, with two or three pieces of charcoal in them to act as a purifier. I always 

 cut plenty of wood with the grapes, say a foot to 18 inches beyond each bunch, and as 

 much as possible from the spur to the bunch, leaving two or three buds to prune to. 

 I think this adds greatly to the keeping of the grapes. With some bunches it is 

 impossible to get the wood long enough to go into the bottle that is from the spur ; in 

 that case I find they keep just as well by inserting the wood from the bunch or lateral 

 end in the water. I make a rule of examining my grapes once a week, filling all the 

 bottles that require water, and cutting- out all bad berries. The grape room is kept 

 dark and cool, never using artificial heat only during damp or very frosty weather. 

 By following that plan I have kept Lady Downe's grapes till June 10 fresh and plump 

 in the berry." 



"Several gardeners," states Mr. E. Inglis, " will be found who have a few bunches 

 of grapes hanging, but have no grape room to take them to. It is our practice to cut 

 all that remains after Christmas, and place them at the driest end of the fruit room, 

 where they keep fairly well for six or seven weeks. [We have kept Lady Downe's 

 grapes in an ordinary fruit room till June.] Instead of a proper grape rack, we suspend 

 the bottles from the front of the fruit shelves, as shown in the sketch (Fig. 101, page 321). 

 The bottles are placed about 7 inches apart. Two ordinary carpet-tacks are driven 

 into the front of the shelf, 1 inch apart, for each bottle. A piece of ordinary binding 

 wire is fixed to one tack, a bottle is placed in the desired position, and the wire pulled 



