86 FRUITS AND VEGETABLES UNDER GLASS 



of lack oi" sufficient sunlight. This makes it impossible to produce satisfactory 

 canes. If the grower has a small house at command, with plenty of heat, sun- 

 light, moisture, etc., and can devote it wholly to the young vines, ti\en there 

 is no reason why he should not be able to grow first class canes. 



Grape vines may be grown from eyes struck in January, if given extra 

 good treatment during the Spring and Summer months, so that the cane will 

 be strong enough for fruiting the following season. Be sure to get the wood 

 thoroughly ripe, and here a good, light house with plenty of sun will show results. 

 I do not greatly believe in the drying system; neither should the pots be allowed 

 to get dust dry at any time. While at rest, with no foliage to draw on the mois- 

 ture, they require very little water at the root; but when the plant has only the 

 pot to depend on for moisture at the root this drying process may be overdone. 

 I have often noticed that when the soil in the pot was kept just on the moist 

 side the roots looked much " happier" than when extra dry. The Grape vine 

 fruits freely in the open air, while not going through the drying process; this 

 should be a lesson to us. 



While vines of sufficient strength may be grown in one season to bear fruit 

 the following year, yet, if there is any doubt as to their strength, it is far better 

 to cut them back again to three or four eyes, and then grow on the second year. 

 If properly cared for, the vines will make extra strong material for fruiting. 

 This is what we call two-year-old, cut-back. 



Pot vines, when well grown, make a handsome showing, but, if neglected 

 in any way, they are a miserable failure. A fairly rich compost should be given 

 from five-inch pots up; a compost of sod land, plentifully supplied with 

 fibrous roots through the sod, is good for pot work. The soil need not be too 

 heavy, for the growing vines require a liberal supply of water. Add to this sod 

 one third part of well decayed farmyard manure, with a sprinkling of bone and 

 three or four pounds of Thomson's vine manure to an average wheelbarrow 

 load of soil. This will make a fairly good compost for the vines. If it is too 

 heavy, add some charcoal and sand, lime rubble, or anything that will keep 

 the soil open and porous. If this compost is of such a nature that it can be 

 used in a fairly rough state, the vines will root very rapidly through it and make 

 a quick luxuriant growth. They must be repotted before they get in any way 

 pot-bound, or they will get a severe check. As the vine is a liberal feeder, plenty 

 of space must be provided for the roots. The correct shift, as a rule, is from 

 three-inch into five-inch, from five-inch into seven-inch and from seven-inch 

 into nine-inch, and, if started very early, they may receive another shift into 

 eleven-inch or twelve-inch pots. In this latter case the canes should be strong 

 enough to produce a crop of Grapes the following season. But if the eyes are 

 started later, potting up to a nine-inch pot is all that is necessary, although 

 this kind of stock would have to be held over. Cut back during the Winter to 

 within a few inches of the pot, then grow on again another season. Under 

 this treatment the vines, soon after they have been introduced to heat and 

 before they break into growth, may be taken out of the pots, the old soil reduced, 

 and repotted in pots of about the same size, or smaller, if necessary. Then, as 

 the roots get active again, repot up to twelve-inch pots. The main object in 



