THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 73 



The plan has been abandoned bj me as unsuitable for, and 

 unnecessary in, tliis country. In some situations, where the 

 ground is very cold and wet, and it is particularly desired to 

 grow grapes without regard to the expense, then it may be 

 found advantageous. 



The disbudding of the cane is not advisable ; in England, 

 it may be serviceable on account of admitting light into the 

 grapery ; by Mr. Roberts's plan, a vine is never to have but 

 twenty-one or twenty-three spurs. I prefer to have forty 

 spurs, and, if the fruit is cut away from half of them, so 

 much the better, for they can then be fruited alternately. 



It will be noticed, that it is recommended never to give air 

 in the middle stages of forcing until the thermometer attains 

 eighty degrees ; this is not my practice. In our climate, I 

 would much prefer to give air gradually by opening the lights, 

 or ventilators, a little, as soon as the mercury begins to rise 

 from the influence of the sun's rays, and giving more air as 

 the day advances, having the greatest heat from 10 o'clock, 

 A. M., to 2 o'clock, P. M. ; the same rule to regulate the 

 closing of the windows in the after part of the day. 



The general remarks, as regards the heat from artificial 

 means and the temperature of the house by night and day, 

 are perfectly correct, and the advice given as to forcing, and 

 the care requisite to prevent a check, are well worthy careful 

 attention. It will be necessary to make due allowance for 

 difference of climate, if it is intended to follow out his plan 

 entirely. For instance, he states that it has formerly been 

 the practice to put out the fires in June in the grapery, even 

 if the grapes were not ripe, and attributes to this cause some 

 of the evils to which this fruit is subject under glass, and dis- 

 approves of this management, and goes on to say that the 

 fires must be kept up until the fruit is ripe. It would be ab- 

 surd, in this climate, to follow, literally, this advice ; some- 

 times in May, and frequently in June, we have very warm 

 weather, the mercury rising to 80°, and sometimes to 90° in 

 the open air ; at these times, the heat of the grapery cannot 

 10 



