V I T 



V I T 



Mr. Nicol, where rooted plants are employed,, 

 advises the pits to be halt' filled with vegetable 

 mould, and the plants to be carefully taken out 

 of the pots with thin balls entire, and, unless 

 when rooted, be placed in that manner in the 

 pits, filling them in with vegetable mould, and 

 settling them with a little water. This work, in 

 his opinion, may be performed any time from 

 the beginning of November to the first of March 

 with equal success. 



But though the above distance of planting 

 may be proper when the vines are full grown, 

 it may be beneficial to have them put in at half 

 that distance at first; as a crop or two maybe 

 obtained before it is necessary to thin them out; 

 two of a kind being placed together for the 

 greater convenience of thinning. 



The management of the vines, for the three 

 first years alter planting, is the same as practised 

 for those against common walls, which has been 

 described above, being, however, encouraged 

 as much as possible, and the shoots not left too 

 long, or too many in number on each root, that 

 they may be duly ripened and prepared for bear- 

 ing 1 he fourth year, which is the soonest they 

 should be forced : when any sorls of fruit-trees 

 are forced by fire too young, they seldom con- 

 tinue long in health ; so that what fruit they 

 produce is small, and not well-flavoured. 



By the uuddle of June the grapes will be al- 

 most full grown, therefore the glasses may he 

 kept ofFcontinuallv in the day time, unless the 

 season be very cold and wet, in which case they 

 must be kept on, and only opened when the 

 weather is favourable ; for as the racy vinous 

 flavour of these fruits is increased by a free air, 

 so during the time of their ripening they should 

 have as large a share as the season will admit to 

 be given them. 



Mr. Nicol advises " in the first and second 

 ssasons, to keep the border in a moderately moist 

 state while the plants are growing ; hut, after 

 their growth begins to abate, particularly the 

 second season, to withhold the waterings by 

 degrees till it is quite stopped, in order to make 

 them harden and ripen their shoots for the 

 production of a crop the third year. Water 

 frequently with the drainings of a dunghill. And 

 wash with the hand engine twice or thrice a week 

 in the evening, in order to refresh and keep the 

 plants clean. Steaming is, he thinks, unneces- 

 sary. 



" In the third season, keep the borderalso in a 

 moderately moist state, till the fruit begin their 

 last swelling. Then give large quaniities till 

 they begin to colour ; after which, entirely with- 

 hold it till the crop is gathered; and then give 

 two or three hearty waterings, to recover the 



state the border ought to remain in for the 

 winter." 



He likewise advises " to wash twice or thrice 

 a week till the flowers begin to ojien, then to 

 withhold till the I'ruit is fairly set; washing 

 again till they begin to colour, and then with- 

 hold entirely for the season. And in the inte- 

 rim of washing, to steam every night when the 

 fire is at the strongest, by pouring water on the 

 flues till you cannot see an object at the distance 

 of two or three yards : and repeat this early in 

 the morning, if the temperature of the house 

 require the making of fires, or if there is a suf- 

 ficient heat in the tlues to produce it, even in a 

 middling degree." 



The insects which infest the grape house are 

 chiefly the green fly, thrips, red spider, and 

 wasp. The two first are, Mr. Nicol says, "easily 

 destroyed by a fumigation of tobacco ; the thircl 

 is kept under by the engine in summer ; and 

 the last, by the destruction of their nests, phials 

 filled with honey and water, or sugar and small 

 beer, and bird-lime. All these methods are, 

 however, sometimes ineffectual for the destruc- 

 tion of wasps where they abound in vast quan- 

 tity ; and their fondness for grapes renders it 

 sometimes necessary to inclose the bunches in 

 bags of gauze, or silken paper, which is a mis- 

 fortune ; as the grapes, by being so nmch ex- 

 cluded from the action of the sun and air, fall 

 greatly off in flavour." 



Birds must also be guarded against by some 

 means or other ; such as have been mentioned 

 above. 



All sorts of grapes should continue on the 

 trees till fully ripe. 



It is advised by some, that these vines should 

 not be forced every year, but under good ma- 

 nagement every other year, or every third year. 

 Of course, in order to have a supply of fruit an- 

 nually, there should be a sulHcient extent of 

 walling to contain as many vines as arc necessary 

 for two or three years; and by having the frames 

 in front moveable, they may be shifted from 

 one part of the wall to another, as the vines are 

 alternately forced. These hot-walls are com- 

 monly planted with early kinds of grapes, in 

 order to have them forward in the season ; 

 though some think it hardly worth the trouble, 

 in order to have a few grapes earlier by a month 

 or six weeks, than those against common walls. 

 The sorts of vines most useful in this mode of 

 culture have been mentioned above. 



After these vines are grown to full bearing, 

 they must be pruned and managed after the 

 same manner as has been direcied for those 

 against common walls, with this difi'erence only, 

 that in those seasonii when tbey are not forced. 



