CULTURE OF THE VINE. 9 



out the upright sashes from the outer wall, which must be 

 done from the end of the house, then disengage the vines from 

 the wires to which they have been trained, and dispose of 

 them by securing them to the pillars, or any other convenient 

 plan which may suggest itself. This can be readily done 

 without the vines undergoing that twisting and distortion so 

 liable to bruise and injure them when taking them out of 

 houses, as they are usually built. In the present case all that 

 difficulty is removed, without any danger of checking a free 

 circulation of the sap ; and when the vines are thus disposed 

 of, and the front sashes slid into the groove of the inner wall, 

 the house is not only enclosed and in a fit state to apply to 

 any other purpose, but the top lights, by projecting over the 

 outer wall, will be a great advantage to the dormant vines by 

 the protection thus afforded them from heavy rains, and also 

 preventing icicles from hanging about them, whereby, accord- 

 ing to my belief, they receive more injury than from any other 

 cause. A free circulation of dry and cold air is highly 

 beneficial to them ; at the same time, a protection from too 

 much moisture is necessary, and, by adopting the above plan, 

 they will have the advantage of both. 



Having thus arranged the vines for their season of rest, it 

 may not be here out of place to enlarge a little on the different 

 purposes to which the vacant house may in the meantime be 

 applied ; for instance, where early vegetables are required, such 

 as French beans, cucumbers, or perhaps strawberries, you are 

 thus afforded every facility of producing them. The same 

 facility is afforded with flowers ; a supply of roses, pinks, 

 lilacs, &c., can easily be had : in short, the advantages to be 

 gained by judicious management of the unoccupied vinery will 

 be considerable, and it will, I think, be admitted that they 

 prove more than equivalent to the trifling additional expense 

 of the building. The period at which the grapes are required 

 to be ripe must be the guide as to the time of taking the 

 dormant vines again into the house, for the purpose of 



