V I T 



V I T 



they shoulJ be carefully managed in the summer 

 for a supply of good wood, against the time of 

 their being' forced, divesting them of their fruit 

 for the purpose. 



But when the vines are forced, the only care 

 is to encourage the fruit, without having much 

 retrard to the wood, so that every shoot should 

 be pruned for fruit, and none of them shortened 

 fur a supply of young wood, as they may be so 

 iTianascd by prunina; in the years of their resl- 

 ino', as to replenish the vines with new wood, 

 lliose which are designed for forcing in the 

 spring, should be pruned early in the autuntn 

 before, that the buds which are left on the 

 shoots may receive all possible nourishment 

 from the root, and at the same time the shoots 

 should be fastened to the trellis in the order they 

 are to lie ; but the glasses should not be placed 

 before the vines till about the middle or end of 

 January, at which time also the fires must be 

 lisihted ; for, if they are forced too early in the 

 year, they will begin to shoot before the weather 

 is warm enough to admit air to the vines, which 

 causes the young shoots to draw out weak, and 

 their joints too far asunder to aU'ord a good and 

 full supply of fruit. 



When the fires are made at the above period, 

 the vines begin to shoot the middle or latter 

 end of Feljruarv, which is six weeks earlier than 

 they usually come out against the common walls; 

 so that by the time that other vines are shooting, 

 these will be in flower, which is early enough 

 to ripen them. The fires should not be made 

 very strong in these walls; as, if the air is heated 

 to about ten degrees above the temperate point 

 of the botanical thermometer, it will be suf- 

 ficiently warm to force out the shoots leisurely, 

 which is much better than to force them vio- 

 lently. These fires should not be continued all 

 the day-time, unless the weather be very cold, 

 and the sun does not shine to warm the air, at 

 which times it will be proper to have small fires 

 continued all the day ; for, where the walls are 

 rightly contrived, a moderate fire made every 

 evening, and continued till ten or eleven o'clock 

 at niffht, will heat the wall, and warm the in- 

 closed air to a proper temperature; and as iliese 

 fires need not be continued longer than about 

 the end of April (unless the spring should prove 

 very cold), the expense of fuel will not be very 

 great, because they tii'.y be conirivcd to burn 

 coal, wood, turf, or almost any other sort of 

 fuel : though where coai is to be had reasonable, 

 it makes the evencst and best fires, and w ill not 

 require so much attendance. When tlie vines 

 bes;in to shoot, they must be fre(|ucntlv looked 

 over to fasten the new shoots to the trcliis, and 

 rub off all dangling shoots; in doing of which 



Creat care must be taken ; for the shoots of those 

 forced vines are very lender, and very subject to 

 break when any violence is ofi'ered. 'I'he shoots 

 should also be trained very legular, so as to lie 

 as near as possible to the espalier, and at equal 

 distances, that they may equally enjoy the benefit 

 of the air and sun, which are absolutely neces- 

 sary for the improvement of the fruit. When the 

 grapes are formed, the shoots should be stopped 

 at the second joint bevond the fruit, that the 

 nourishment may not be drawn p'a a>; from tlie 

 fruit in useless shoots, which must be avoided 

 as much as possible in these cases, no useless 

 wood being left to shade the I'ruit, and exclude 

 the air from it by the leaves. 



In speaking of the temperature of the vinery, 

 Mr. Nicol says, "fire should not be lighted the 

 first season, unless it proves cold or wet, and 

 the wood is not ripened in good time ; in which 

 case, a mo erate fire heat, from the first of 

 September, would greatly encourage the gro'.vth, 

 and promote the ripening of tlie wood. And 

 as the plants will bear gentle forcing the 

 third season, it will be advisable (for that pur- 

 pose) to forward them the second in a moderate 

 decree. Forthis purpose, savs he, let moderate fires 

 be made about the first of April, (by which time 

 the plants will begin to vegetate), so as to raise 

 the air of the house al six in the morning and 

 eight at night to about 55''; in the course of a 

 fortnight increase it to 60"; and in another 

 fortnight to 70°; at which let it continue 

 till the first or middle of June, and then be 

 totally discontinued f<jr the season. But in 

 the third season, the forcing may commence on 

 the first of March, without injuring the plants ; 

 and, if carefullv performed, a fair crop of fruit 

 be obtained. Begin then by making and regu- 

 lating the fires, so that the thermometer may 

 not stand above 50 degrees at seven in the 

 morning, and eight or nine at night ; keep it so 

 till every eye in the house is broken; and then 

 gradually increase it to 60, 65, 70, and when 

 the hloom begins to open, to 75 degrees. He 

 has already hinted ihat vegetation in forcing 

 ought to be brought on as it were by stealtli ; 

 which is the cause of his advising the above 

 gradual and progressive rise in the climate of the 

 house ; and w here this is not particularly attend- 

 ed to in the first stage of the operation, disap- 

 pointments will fellow, as the plants will not 

 break their eves (and of consequence not show 

 fruit) regularly." He advises to keep the air of 

 the house as near to 75 degrees, till the fruit is 

 fairly set, as possible, as grapes in gentr.al are 

 found to set best in a mois; heat of about 75 de- 

 grees. But he has found by experience that all 

 the kinds of frontinacs require a much greater 



