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ON VINERIES. 



COLOURING AND SHANKING OF GRAPES. 



It is very important that grapes, whether they be 



black, white, or grizzly, should be grown to their natural 



colour. All who peruse the Gardener £ Chronicle, and other 



horticultural periodicals, may have seen from time to 



time that much has been written, pro and con, on this 



subject. Having tried many schemes, I will state what 



I believe to be the principal causes of failure in the 



colouring of grapes. Bad ventilation, insufficient heat, 



too much moisture, too much heat, sour and stagnant 



borders, or borders which have been made too rich — 



borders that are made too porous are very bad — a 



want of moisture at the roots, cold rain and snow if 



allowed to percolate into the borders when the stems and 



roots are sometimes in a temperature of from 85° to 90°. 



In the last-mentioned case, the same effect is produced in 



the vine as ivould be upon an individual who had his head 



and shoulders in a warm bed, and his feet and legs out 



through the window, exposed to frost and snow. Scalding. 



the roots with hot stable manure, or drying the border 



too much with hot-water pipes or flues, is sure to produce 



bad colour as well as shanking. Cold draughts, or a 



sudden change of temperature, are also very injurious. 



This is often caused by harsh firing, or the fire perchance 



going out after making it up at night, and a sharp frost 



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