THE GRAPE VINE. 57 



ume of air than a lean-to of the same width, and this 

 is of much importance in vine- culture. In large airy 

 houses grapes are better flavoured, are more fleshy, and 

 consequently hang better through the winter. After 

 considerable experience in grape -growing in lean-to 

 houses, ranging from 6 feet wide to what may be 

 termed large airy vineries, I unhesitatingly recommend 

 that they be built large and roomy. Besides the reasons 

 already named, large vineries can be fired to a given 

 temperature more steadily than small ones, because a 

 large volume of air is not so easily influenced by exter- 

 nal variations of temperature, just the same as a thin 

 wedge of iron is sooner heated and sooner cooled than 

 a thick one. Fig. 7 represents a span-roofed vinery 

 of the dimensions I recommend for ripening grapes 

 late in summer and autumn to hang through the winter. 

 It will be observed that a drain runs in the draining 

 material from the front to the back of the border in fig. 

 6, terminating in an upright shaft just below the hot- 

 water pipes at the back of the vinery and at the front 

 of the outside border, thus communicating with the 

 external atmosphere and that of the vinery. 



These drains should be constructed 6 feet apart the 

 whole length of the border, and be open jointed, so that 

 the air from them can find its way right and left among 

 the open rubble, which should form the lower stratum 

 of the drainage. This is for the purpose of what has 

 been termed aeration, which means the exposure of the 

 soil to the air from under-currents. No doubt, for 

 summer forcing, it is beneficial, especially in wet cli- 

 mates, to open the mouths of the upright shafts in hot 

 sunny weather, thus admitting warm air underneath 

 the border. 



It is a very common error to fix the wires to which 



