THE CULTURE OP THE GRAPE. 105 



In a house that is forced in December or January, every 

 year, ten pounds of grapes are quite as much as each vine ■will 

 perfect, on an average of years. 



Before making the fires, the border must be attended to ; 

 if it was covered in the autumn with coarse litter or leaves, 

 as directed, it should now have a quantity of fresh strawy 

 stable manure added, and well mixed with the litter ; cover 

 the whole border to the depth of eighteen inches, and protect 

 this from the cold rain and snow with boards ; this will eifectu- 

 ally prevent the frost from penetrating to the roots. The 

 management of the vine will be the same as directed for the 

 cold house ; the pruning, thinning, and training must all be 

 done in the same manner. Forcing, earlier than the first 

 March, is attended with much more risk of failure ; the ex- 

 pense and trouble are more, and these are all increased in 

 proportion as you begin before this time, and the amount of 

 fruit which a vine is able to mature is diminished in a similar 

 ratio. 



DIRECTIONS FOR MANAGING THE FORCING-HOUSE. 



Commence forcing your house with a temperature of 40° 

 at night, 60° by day ; admit air freely when the sun shines ; 

 upon the furnace and the flues, place pans of Avater ; the 

 vines should be kept in a horizontal position until they are 

 pushing strong ; syringe or wet them repeatedly during the 

 day, and keep the air of the house moist by watering the 

 floor. After ten days, raise the temperature to 45° by night, 

 65° by sunshine ; continue to keep the house moist until the 

 vines have all broken well, and have been put up to the trellis, 

 when you can lessen gradually the watering ; let the pans of 

 water, on the furnace and flue, be constantly filled while the 

 grapes are growing ; after they begin to color, lessen the 

 number of pans of water gradually, and the moisture of the 

 house, and ripen ofi" the fruit in a dry atmosphere. 



Vines do not appear to be seriously injured by bleeding, 

 14 



