GRAPE 



GRAPE 



679 



iof 2 feet between, and opposite each space a vine 

 ,|s to be planted inside the house, as hereafter de- 

 scribed. Strong capstones, thick enough to come slightly 

 above the surface of the border and about 18 inches 

 wide, are then laid from pier to pier. On such a founda- 

 tion a superstructure can be erected with some confi- 

 dence. For the base of the superstructure masonry is 

 preferable, about 18 inches in height being necessary 

 before the glass work begins. A hollow wall, constructed 

 of hard brick and cement, is desirable, and openings 

 should be left for ventilation. The upper surface of 

 ithese walls should be covered with cement. If con- 

 structed of wood, the same general plan should be car- 

 Tied out, using the most durable kind only. 



Aside from its durability, masonry has an advantage 

 over wood in being a better equalizer of temperature, 

 and the heavy back wall of a lean-to house can be made 

 of great value for this purpose. The general plans of 

 the superstructure are shown in the illustrations. It 

 should present as much glass surface as possible. The 

 frame can be of iron or wood, as preferred. Light, heat 

 and moisture are the great features desired, also a gen- 

 erous supply of air under favorable conditions. The 

 glass should be of good quality, otherwise blisters will 

 burn the foliage and fruit. Small ventilators covered 

 with wire gauze should be built in the foundation walls, 

 and large ones at the upper part of the house. Ventila- 

 tion should always be free from a draft or sudden 

 change of temperature. A draft is just as unpleasant 

 to a sensitive vine in a house as it is to a human being, 

 ,and if subjected to it disease is sure to follow, mildew 

 1 being the first evidence; and yet a generous supply of 

 air is a prime requisite in growing Grapes under glass, 

 especially during the ripening period. Previous to that 

 time the lower ventilators should be very carefully used, 

 some growers never opening them until the Grapes be- 

 gin to color, and the new growth and foliage are some- 

 what hardened. More or less air is always admitted 

 around the glass in a very equable manner and thence 

 to the upper ventilators. 



The modern heating apparatus, consisting of a boiler 

 in an adjacent pit for heating water, with circulating 

 pipes throughout the house, as shown in illustrations on 

 Greenhouse, is a very perfect and economical supplier 

 of heat, and it should be erected by a practical builder. 

 A little heat at a critical time will often save a house 

 full of Grapes, and, while it can be dispensed with, its 

 advantages are very material. 



It is possible to fruit Grapes in benches in pots, re- 

 ' moving the pots when the fruit is past, and using the 

 house for other purposes (Fig. 977). 



The Border. A good border is of great importance, as 

 no permanent success can be obtained 

 without it, and probably the difference 

 between success and failure more 



often lies here than in any other 

 I feature. / 



It is a good plan to construct 

 ', vineries so that their borders can 

 , be somewhat elevated above the 

 I surrounding ground, as better 



drainage is thus secured, and 

 I good drainage is imperative 

 I (Fig. 975 K The border 

 j should fill the house in- 

 side and extend outside 



adjacent to where the 



vines are planted at 



least 6 feet when first 



made, and to this 



outside border ad- 

 ditions should be 



made every two 



or three years 



of from 2 to 4 



feet until 



width of 20 feet 



is secured. The 



t^m"; ' -p > - ith - 



rich, provided the material is well decomposed. A 

 mixture of six parts good loamy turf from an old 

 pasture or piece of new ground, and one part of well 



prepared manure, one part old plaster or mortar, and 

 one part of ground bone, all to be well composted to- 

 gether, will meet all the requirements. If the subsoil is 

 clay, a foundation of old brick and mortar is very desir- 

 able to insure drainage. The border above this should 

 be from 2 to 3 feet in depth. No trees or shrubs should 

 be permitted to extend their roots into it, a very com- 

 mon cause of trouble, and nothing whatever should be 

 grown on it, although the temptation to try a few melons 

 or some lettuce is often too great to be overcome, and 







977. Even-span house, with the vines plunged in pots. 



these probably do a minimum of damage. In such a 

 border, if properly supplied with water, the vine roots 

 will remain at home, and not go wandering off into 

 trouble. Where extra early work is not desired, no at- 

 tempt should be made to keep the frost entirely out of 

 the border during the winter, as this is apt to result in 

 a heavy, sodden surface in spring. It is better to spade 

 it up roughly just before winter and cover with a good 

 coat of manure, permitting the frost to enter the ground 

 some inches. In the spring it is dug over again and, 

 when raked off, presents a rich, lively surface. The in- 

 side border is to be covered with a coat of well-rotted 

 manure, and spaded up and well watered at the time of 

 starting the vines. For midseason work, from February 

 15 to March 1 is the proper time to do this in New York 

 state, the inside border carrying the vines nicely until 

 the outside border is in shape a month or more later. 

 Then without hard forcing early Grapes can be brought 

 in by the last of June or July, and the later ones through 

 the following two or three months. It is much better to 

 store late Grapes in modern Grape rooms, where they 

 can be kept fresh and plump for several months through 

 the winter, than to attempt extra early work by starting 

 vines in heated borders in November and December. 



The Vines. The amateur should purchase these from 

 some nurseryman of established reputation. Vines 1 or 

 2 years old are better than older ones. For supporting 

 the vines, light cast-iron brackets are secured to the 

 rafters, and these support wires running lengthwise of 

 the house about 15 inches from the glass, and to these 

 wires the vines are tied as fast as they grow. The vines 

 are to be planted inside the house about a foot from the 

 front wall and about 4 feet apart, placing one opposite 

 each opening in the foundation as before described. It 

 is not desirable to plant them along the back wall of a 

 lean-to house. They should be cut back to two or three 

 buds near the ground, and when these start the strong- 

 est shoot only is selected for training and the others 

 rubbed off. As this shoot advances it is tied to the wires, 

 and it may reach the limit of the house by July 1, or 

 perhaps not until September 1, depending on the care, 

 the vigor of the vine, and the border. Once there, the 

 end is pinched and the cane continues to strengthen and 

 increase in size and store up material in the lateral 

 buds until the end of the season, when it is taken down 

 and pruned to one-third its length, laid on the ground 

 and covered from the sun for the winter. Care should 

 be taken that mice do not eat out the buds, as once out 

 they can never be restored. In the spring of the second 

 year, or as soon as it is desired to start the vines, they 

 are tied up again, and the terminal shoot again trained 

 to the top of the house, where it is stopped as before. 



