THE FRUITING YEAR. 35 



give off a fine genial heat, which carries with it all 

 the moisture required. If there are means of giving 

 bottom heat, it should be applied so as to raise the 

 temperature of the border where the roots are to 

 60. If this can be done, the heat from the hot 

 leaves may be supplemented by the heating apparatus, 

 so as to keep the atmosphere of the house at 50 by 

 night, and 55 by day, rising 10 by sun-heat. With 

 these appliances, and syringing with tepid water daily, 

 the vines will soon begin to burst their buds ; and 

 as soon as it can be observed that there are two shoots 

 starting from one eye, the weakest should at once be 

 rubbed off with the hand, and syringing discontinued. 

 In its stead a small portion of the hot leaves may 

 be forked over daily; this will afford all the atmo- 

 spheric moisture necessary till after the fruit is set. 

 The moment the bunches can be distinguished, the 

 heat should be raised 5 at night and the same during 

 the day ; and by the time the shoots have run out 

 3 inches, 5 more ; and by a daily rise from this point, 

 till, in the case of Hamburgs and the free -setting 

 class, it reaches 70 at night, when the grapes are 

 in bloom. Muscats set best at 75 at night, and 80 of 

 fire-heat during the day, and up to 90 with sun. My 

 own practice is to take off all the bunches that show on 

 a shoot but one, and to stop the lateral on which it 

 grows two leaves or joints beyond the bunch, and to 

 pinch all sub-laterals at the first joint, and to repinch 

 them without leaving an additional joint. I consider 

 this gives ample foliage for perfecting the fruit and 

 keeping up the vigour of the vine ; and it will be 

 found to be as much as can be properly exposed to 



