THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 61 



shanking or slirivelling, (as has been frequently witnessed at 

 this place, by many gentlemen, gardeners and amateurs,) 

 ■what is not commonly seen till the fourth or fifth year after 

 planting. Presuming your vines were turned out last au- 

 tumn,* your border renovated, &c., the middle of February 

 will be soon enough to start your young canes this season, as 

 it AYOuld be very injurious to them to carry a heavy crop of 

 fruit, and be started very early. Use caution, begin steadily, 

 and you will be better able to succeed permanently, and may, 

 in succeeding years, begin a few weeks earlier each year, by 

 practising which, you will bring them steadily into a proper 

 state, by degrees, for early forcing. 



" Proceed as before advised, and lay on, to the depth of 

 two feet or two feet six inches, and four feet wider than you 

 think the extremity of the root reaches, of hot stable manure 

 and collected leaves ; the leaves will assist the manure in giv- 

 ing out a more steady heat, and not so likely to vary with the 

 weather, and, if thatched with straw or covered -with any 

 other light material, would retain its heat much longer. Let 

 the temperature at night be kept low, say 45'^ or 48° ; 

 it may range in the day 16°, 20°, or 25° higher by sun 

 heat, with air, syringing the canes with tepid water three or 

 four times in the day, maintaining a very humid atmosphere, 

 by throwing water on the pipes or flues, and sprinkling the 

 pathways. I caution to work steady, so as to break the whole 

 of the eyes upon the young wood, (there will be no doubt of 

 the spurs,) for, bear in mind, you, at winter pruning, left no 

 more eyes than you absolutely wanted ; therefore, proceed 

 cautiously, — you cannot afford to leave one unbroken ; if that 

 were the case, they might break the next season, but they 

 would leave an unsightly and perceptible gap the whole of 

 this year. If all has gone on well, in the course of three 

 weeks or a month, your buds will be in motion, and, as soon 

 as you fairly perceive that, sling them up to the wires, two 

 feet from the glass, raising the extremity of the lead within 



* This can never be done to advantage in our northern States. 



