74 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 



be kept under 100° -w-hile the sun is sliining upon the house, 

 and any heat m the flue, or boiler and pipes, would increase 

 the difficulty. The fact is, such ad\ice will not do ; you must 

 regulate the heat by the thermometer, and, in warm weather, 

 at this season of the year, make, or omit to make, the fires, 

 \ as the temperature of the external air may be. 



Mr. Roberts says, " that shanking and shrivelling have been 

 discarded by his plan of keeping the roots of the \me in a 

 somewhat corresponding temperature with that to which the 

 top is exposed." It has occurred to me, that the great 

 excitement given to the roots of the vine, by the manure 

 heaped upon them, and consequent vigor of the vme, may 

 have been the cause of the fruit not shanking or shrivel- 

 ling. 



Mr. Roberts's idea may be the correct one, and yet shank- 

 ing and shrivelling be avoided without using this method. 

 If it is true, as Mr. R. states, that this difficulty is caused 

 by too low a temperature at the roots of the vine, as 

 compared with that in which the tops are situated, may not 

 this be avoided by having a lower temperature in the grapery, 

 particularly in the night ? I have, for many years, thought 

 that this evil was often caused by too great heat, followed by 

 too low a temperature. I can, at any time, cause these 

 troubles in the forcing-house to appear, but am not always 

 able to avoid them. A grapery without artificial heat is more 

 subject to shanking than the forcing-house, notwithstanding 

 the temperature of the earth, at the season of the year when 

 such a house is hable to the attacks of this disease, is much 

 higher, and the roots of the vine are enjoying a temperature 

 relatively to the tops almost correspondent with vines in open 

 culture. 



I have observed that, in a house where there was no means 

 of warming it by fires, the crop of fruit has sufiered most 

 when, after a continuance of hot, bright, and dry weather, in 

 August, or early in September, we have had a succession of 

 cold, dark, and rainy days. In this case, the cause is, appa- 



