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ON VINERIES. 



faces the north. Dry fern packed tightly round the pots 

 is a very good material to use, as it keeps the roots from 

 drying too quickly, and prevents them from receiving a 

 sudden check. I have succeeded in ripening grapes in 

 sixteen months from the time the eyes were put in pots to 

 strike ; and I won the first prize for grapes on pot vines, 

 treated in this way, at Chiswick, near London. (See list 

 of prizes and remarks in the Gardeners 1 Chronicle, in the 

 month of June 1853.) 



The readers of this article will perceive the necessity of 

 ripening the vines, for the first succession, as early as pos- 

 sible. They should have two months' rest at least previous 

 to the first or second week in October. After this they 

 may be taken into the forcing pit, or house, which should 

 have been well cleansed previously, and painted if necessary. 

 If sufficient attention has not been paid to the instruc- 

 tions given above, it will be found very difficult to got 

 the vines to break or burst their buds. In order to 

 get grapes ripe in pots by the end of March or the first 

 week in April, it is necessary to commence forcing 

 them gently in the first week of October. I have 

 ripened them in less time by forcing hard, but they were 

 never so fine. This was effected by plunging the pots 

 in half -spent bark or oak leaves, which give a gentle 

 bottom-heat, — say from 60° to 65°, — taking care only to 

 have a slight circulation of top heat in the pipes or flues, 



with a little air on night and day, for the first fortnight 



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