CHAPTER VI. 



THE GRAPE. 



The Pruning and Renovation of the Grape Vine. 



Now that glass is so cheap there seems but little reason 

 for growing Grapes out of doors ; yet as it is not at 

 present within the reach of many who like a bunch of 

 Grapes, and who grow them on the walls of the house, 

 some practical advice as to the management of the Vine 

 may be useful. Even now, at this advanced stage of 

 fruit culture, we find Vines of no use beyond being a 

 shade on walls during the summer from want of proper 

 pruning. 



Not long since I was called in to see what could be 

 done with one which was in exactly the same state as 

 Fig. 38, which depicts a worn-out state so far as 

 fruiting goes. Now, whenever a Vine gets into such a 

 condition, whether indoors or out, there is but one 

 remedy for it, viz. to cut it clean back as shown at a, 

 Pig. 38. No half doing things of this sort will suffice. 



The Vine is fond of a dry, high temperature. In 

 the West of England a good crop of outdoor Grapes can 

 seldom be had, notwithstanding that the climate is 

 much milder than in the northern counties. Yet the 

 Grape ripens well and with more certainty there than 

 in the milder counties of Devonshire, Cornwall, &c. 

 The reason is that the atmosphere in the northern and 

 midland counties is drier, and of course not so dense as 

 it is where it is heavily charged with vapour, which 

 impedes the action of the sun's rays. When I first 

 came into Devonshire I was surprised to find that the 



