288 



JVotes on the Vine. 



Vol. X. 



Notes on the Vine. 



By John M'Donald. 



Dr. Lindley, a received authority at the 

 present time, says, " the system of English 

 grape-growing- requires to be changed." As 

 I have for some years thought so too, and 

 acted conformably to the idea, I may, per- 

 haps, be allowed to say a few words on what 

 I have in practice found to be a simple and 

 sure method of growing the Vine well and 

 profitably. If we may judge from the com- 

 motion making by the Polmaise system, and 

 Hoare's new work, the Vine culture, like 

 the Pine culture, is destined to be revolu- 

 tionized, and made, in the first place, a nine 

 days' wonder to the mere looker-on, and 

 perhaps many years' annoyance to the prac- 

 tical man. 



The Vine is undoubtedly accommodatino" 

 and ductile in its nature, beyond, perhaps, 

 any fruit-bearing plant we possess, other- 

 wise it would never do so well under such 

 and so many various treatments. Still there 

 is undoubtedly a right way. My own expe- 

 rience, combined with fourteen years' obser- 

 vation, puts it in my power to say that deep 

 borders of retentive or highly manured soils 

 are not, as is often maintained, the most 

 suitable medium, nor the most profitable, in 

 which to grow the Vine. It must be obvi- 

 ous to all who may give themselves the 

 trouble to think or observe, that grapes 

 growing on vines in such borders, are in 

 general, and in cold, wet seasons, particu- 

 larly, apt to be ill-coloured, of indifferent 

 flavour, and with a strong tendency to shri- 

 vel prematurely, while the young wood, in 

 all but the earliest forced house — which un- 

 der such circumstances, will be small and 

 long-jointed — will require much firing to 

 ripen it; which artificial heating, if accom- 

 plished by the medium of smoke-flues, will 

 be sure to encourage the generating and 

 ravages of red spiders and such pests. 



Therefore, seeing such to be the produce 

 and consequences of deep rich borders, and 

 a high dry atmosphere, theory would lead 

 us to conclude that shallow borders of light 

 porous soil would be the most fit and prosper 

 medium into which to plant, and that a high 

 day temperature, with abundance of air, 

 and a low night temperature, with abun- 

 dance of moisture, and a close, calm atmos- 

 phere, would be the most proper climate in 

 which to grow the vine; theory, I say, would 

 lead, and did lead me to conclude thus years 

 ago ; and in practice I have had ample proof 

 of the correctness of such surmises. 



When I entered into the charge of the 

 gardens at Riccarton, in May, 1S42, I found 

 the vines growing in v/ide and very deep 



borders of rich, heavy, and retentive soil ; 

 where, notwithstanding the drougiit and 

 warmth of that summer, they made wood, 

 the best cane of which was scarcely the 

 thickness of an ordinary geosc-quill ; and 

 leaves, the largest of which would scarcely 

 cover the palm of the open hand; and fruit 

 small, with a great tendency to shrivel, the 

 very best of which was but ill-coloured and 

 of indifi^erent flavour. I certainly felt vexed 

 and annoyed at the circumstance, but had 

 the consolation — if so it may be called — of 

 being informed by my employers, that such, 

 and no belter, had been the crops and a])- 

 pearances of the vineries for many previous 

 and successive years. Next autumn I pruned 

 the vines severely, and early in spring, 1843, 

 I lifted their roots, excavated out the soil in 

 which they were plar.te'd, to the depth of 

 thirty inches, then trod and beat into a 

 pretty firm floor, with a good slope out- 

 wards, the surface at which I had then ar- 

 rived, and upon which I laid a stratum, one 

 foot in depth, of old peas sticks; above which 

 I placed a stratum of decaying tree leaves, 

 and some partly decomposed herbaceous re- 

 fuse, mixed with light, rich, but very sandy 

 soil. On this stratum I laid the roots, and 

 over these I put about a foot of the original 

 soil, made lighter by the addition of a consi- 

 derable quantity of lime rubbish, sand, and 

 thoroughly decayed leaves — indeed, upwards 

 of one-third part of the one foot thick stra- 

 tum over the roots was composed of these 

 light, poor materials. The consequence has 

 been that now, in autumn, 1844, — eighteen 

 months after the operation — the canes all 

 over the houses are round, firm, short-joint- 

 ed, plump-eyed, having leaves from eighteen 

 to upwards of twenty inches direct across, 

 and fruit of first-rate quality. My employ- 

 ers, and many others who have tasted of it, 

 say so. Some canes of the last year's 

 growth, have this season borne twelve 

 pounds' weight of fruit; and some canes of 

 this year's growth will, next year, e.'isily, 

 and well, bear and mature twenty pounds of 

 fruit. 



- Making this assertion of the capabilities 

 of an annual cane, leads me, in conclusion, 

 to attempt to give you a sketch of my mode 

 of training and pruning the vine, as it is 

 different from the modes practised in this 

 locality. 



During the first year — it matters not whe- 

 ther the plant be a younw one, or a cut-over 

 old plant — one shoot, and only one, is trained 

 up direct under the rafter; one, of course, 

 from a different root being trained up under 

 the centre of tlie sash; and so on, one under 

 each rafter, and one under each sash, all 

 over the house, and all trained and treated 



