79 



the best management, do not swell to such a size as 

 others ; hence it is necessary to know the medium 

 size to which every variety will swell, and thin accord- 

 ingly. 



Vines in Frames. — The following system of grow- 

 ing the vine in frames, which is well adapted for gar- 

 dens where the quantity of glass is limited, is prac- 

 tised by Mr. Dawson, gardener to Lord Ducie, at the 

 Hoo, Hertfordshire. About the first week in April, 

 a bed of partly-decayed dung, to which a small quan- 

 tity of raw material is added, so as to produce a slight 

 heat, is made at about 18 inches from the wall in 

 front of the selected vines. This bed is built suffi- 

 ciently deep to admit of its being about 3 feet high 

 after settling. The frame used by Mr. Dawson sepa- 

 rates into two portions, so that the lower part can be 

 first placed upon the bed. It contains a trellis upon 

 which the vines are trained, fixed about a foot above 

 the surface of the dung. The upper portion of the 

 frame can be afterwards put on, and secured to the 

 lower by small brackets. The advantage of having 

 the frames constructed in this way, is the ease and 

 safety with which the vine can be taken in ; since, in 

 introducing the shoots of a vine through a hole cut 

 in the back of a frame of ordinary construction, the 

 buds would be liable to be rubbed off. No more care 

 is required, except in stopping, thinning, &c. Air is 

 given freely, but no linings to the bed are required. 



