188 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 



glass covering is a material aid in developing and matur- 

 ing the fruit. I am inclined to think that the foreign 

 kinds, at least many of them, can be cultivated with great 

 success by this simple method. As our sashes are mostly 

 in use in April, and perhaps in May, if we delay to apply 

 them to the frame until June, we shall still find them of 

 great service : they materially hasten the maturity of the 

 fruit, drawing the heat of the sun, and confining the radi- 

 ating heat and moisture of the earth ; they are a great 

 protection against mildew and other evils during summer; 

 and they are also a guard against autumn frosts. If our 

 rows are six feet apart, then our sashes will cover just 

 half the surface of the ground ; but, if the rows should be 

 only five feet apart, we should still have walks between 

 the rows, of two feet in width, after the sashes are applied, 

 which will be sufficient for ventilation, and for conve- 

 nience in working. It will undoubtedly be best to have 

 the north side of the sash a little the highest, both for the 

 purpose of taking the sun's rays more directly, and also in 

 order to shed the rain. When the sashes run east and 

 west, they will not be constructed properly to shed rain ; 

 but, if well painted, the slight lodgement of water will be 

 no serious detriment. The pouring of water from the 

 edge of the sash will be a greater evil, and, in some 



