GRAPES. 357 



VINERY. 



The attainment then, of fine grapes can only be accom- 

 plished by having the vine in a vigorous and flourishing state. 

 In the vinery, and as soon as the vines are planted out, one 

 good shoot must be trained to each rafter, or other place 

 intended for its support ; and at the end of the year, or as 

 soon as the leaves are fallen off, it should be cut down to 

 the bottom of the rafter. In the spring the two uppermost 

 shoots must be trained at length, cutting off any other which 

 may be produced from the lower eyes. 



When these two shoots have cast their leaves in the au- 

 tumn, one of them should be cut down to two eyes, leaving 

 the other shoot to ten, twelve, or fifteen eyes according to its 

 strength. 



This, according to Mr. Speechley's method, is the com- 

 mencement of an alternate system of fruiting one shoot this 

 year, to be cut down for the purpose of furnishing a supply 

 for the next. 



If the number of eyes left upon the long shoot be not too 

 great, they will all push and show fruit, one or two bunches 

 from each eye ; which, for the first crop, had better perhaps 

 be reduced to one, and this at the time after the berries are 

 set, as it will then be seen which is likely to form the best 

 bunch, leaving that, and cutting the other away, stopping 

 the shoot at the same time two joints above the fruit. The 

 uppermost eye will push again, which must be treated as 

 described before for laterals. 



When the berries are as large as small peas, they must 

 be thinned out by the scissors : this operation must be re- 

 peated as they advance in size, taking care to cut out the in- 

 terior ones, and leaving the outermost. This practice will, 

 in all cases, give the greatest dimensions of which the bunch 

 is capable. When the bunch is a shouldered one, the shoul- 

 ders should be expanded and supported by strings, and when 

 finally thinned out, the berries should be kept at such a dis- 

 tance as not only not to touch each other, but to have some 

 considerable space between them. By this means the ber- 

 ries will not only acquire the greatest possible size, but fe the 

 highest degree of both colour and flavour: besides this, 

 any bunch of grapes, deprived of one third of its original 

 number of berries, by judicious and timely thinning, will 

 weigh fully as much when matured, if not much more, than, 



