172 Shriveling of Grapes. 



elaborate their sap. If we had a command of light the same 

 as we have of heat, then we might make the borders as rich as 

 we liked ; but, as our supply of light is limited, it is certainly 

 wrong to supply more food than they have light to properly 

 digest. 



The suggestion of your Cotswold correspondent is, I think, 

 worthy of attention. Leaving all the berries on the bunches 

 leaves more channels for the distribution of the cambium, and 

 may be the means of preventing the disease ; but, if the early 

 thinning of grapes causes the disease, how is it that the early 

 forced vines, which are pruned and thinned exactly in the same 

 way as the later ones, are not subject to it ? And how is it that 

 late vines which are grown under glass without any ai-tificial 

 heat are not subject to it ? The time of beginning to force has, in 

 my opinion, a great deal to do with the shriveling of the berries, 

 as I have proved by experience. 



J. B. W. and 1 are of diametrically opposite opinions : he 

 says that want of food is the cause; and I, that the cause is over- 

 abundance of food. VVe therefore cannot both be right. As 

 the disease makes its appearance only in dull cloudy seasons, I 

 am led to conclude that more food is supplied than the leaves 

 have light to decompose; and that this superabundance of 

 crude sap causes a stagnation to take place throughout the 

 whole plant, in consequence of which the fruit ceases to advance, 

 and shriveling commences. 



This, in a few words, is my opinion ; and, until I see a better 

 propounded, I shall adhere to it. My borders are well drained, 

 and made with turf taken from the deer park, mixed with road 

 sand, hotbed manure, leaf-mould, and coarse lime rubbish, 

 mixed well together, not chopped fine, but left rough to keep 

 the borders open and porous. The roots are close to the 

 surface, and the borders are never dug, but merely forked over 

 about a couple of inches deep to admit the air. They are 

 thatched early in autumn, to protect the spongioles from the 

 heavy rains of autumn and winter. This I consider an essen- 

 tial point in vine culture, where the vines are planted outside. 

 They are pruned upon the spurring system : one rod is allowed 

 to each rafter, and the spurs are cut to one eye. My rafters are 

 15ft. in length: to each rafter I allow eight bunches of Ham- 

 burgs, Frontignans, Muscadines, and Svveetwaters ; six of the 

 Muscats ; and four of the Syrian. To reduce the bunches to 

 this number, I have to cut off from twenty to thirty bunches 

 from each rafter. My berries are from 3 in. to 3^^ in., and some 

 few 4 in. in circumference, and well coloured. The vines have 

 been planted twenty years next June, and their stems measure 

 from 5 in. to 8 in. in circumference, according to the sorts. I 

 state this to show J. B. W. that my vines have not been grown 



