188 O-F VINES. 



yet could not bag the half of what were ou 

 one wall. 



Where the bunches are very thick, the quickest 

 way is to cover the trees with nets, or buntine 

 (a kind of stuff of which ships colours are made), 

 which will admit a free air to the grapes, and will 

 dry soon after rain. They will also be a good 

 covering for the trees in the Spring, in cold, wet, 

 or snowy weather. Always observe, that the 

 bunches of grapes should be kept under the shade 

 of the leaves till they begin to ripen ; then you 

 may begin to pick off the leaves which covei' the 

 fruit, (leaving those a little above it to be a shelter 

 from the wet and Irost in the nights) ; this will 

 assist the ripening of the fruit ; and take off only 

 a few leaves at a time, according to the quantity 

 of grapes to be gathered at once : by these means 

 your fruit will continue three times as long in 

 succession as it would if the leaves were picked 

 off all at one time. 



I have often seen all the leaves taken off from 

 the fruit soon after it was set, which prevents it 

 from swelling, and the fruit will become hard and 

 small, and will generally crack. 



When the leaves are not too thick, they 

 admit the rays of the sun to pass through, and 

 a warm glow of heat will be reflected from the 



wall. 



You may find it convenient to let the grapes hang 

 as long on the walls as you can : I have often let 



