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HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



VIT 



bark. "We have found that Vines so cov- 

 ered up keep admirably, and that the plan is 

 less liable to draw vermin than when they are 

 covered with straw or hay. They are usually 

 covered up about the middle of December, 

 and are not uncovered or otherwise disturbed 

 until the first of May, when they are lifted up 

 and tied to the wires, which are one-sixteenth 

 galvanized iron, and run across the rafters fif- 

 teen inches apart and fifteen inches from the 

 glass. The training followed is what is called 

 the "spur" system, which is simply to allow 

 one cane or shoot to each Vine (planted three 

 or four feet apart) and pruning the side-shoots 

 or " bearing- wood " annually back to one eye. 

 In the summer treatment of the Cold Grapery 

 the principle must never be lost sight of that 

 to keep the Vines in perfect health, a tempera- 

 ture of not less than 65 at night, with 15 or 

 20^ higher during the day, is always necessary. 

 Any rapid variation downward is certain to 

 result in mildew. The floor of the Grapery 

 should be kept sprinkled with water at all 

 times, unless in damp weather, from the time 

 the buds start until the fruit begins to ripen, 

 except during the period the Vines are in 

 flower, when it should be dispensed with until 

 the fruit is set. In dry weather, copious 

 watering is necessary for the border outside. 

 The summer pruning of the Grapery consists 

 simply in cutting off the laterals, or side- 

 shoots which start from where the leaf joins 

 the stem, to one leaf. In winter, three or four 

 inches of well-rotted stable manure is spread 

 over the border, and over that six inches of 

 leaves or litter; this is raked off in spring, 

 and the manure forked in, the object being to 

 feed the roots from the top of the border. We 

 are so much impressed with the advantage of 

 covering up the Vines, both tops and roots, 

 that we practice it even with the hardy varie- 

 ties out of doors, with the very best results, 

 having found, by actual experiment, that when 

 covered up they are less subject to mildew. 

 All plants of a half-hardy character may be 

 kept in the Cold Grapery, such as Hoses, Pome- 

 granates, Oranges, Crape Myrtles, Pampas 

 Grass, Tritomas, Carnations, etc., care being 

 taken that the pots or tubs in which they are 

 planted are plunged in leaves, tan, or some 

 such substance, so that the roots do not 

 freeze. The Cold Grapery makes an excellent 

 poultry-house in winter, only, if put to that 

 use, care must be taken that the buried Vines 

 are secure against the scratching of the hens. 

 In the construction of the Grapery for forc- 

 ing by artificial heat, the best plan is the "lean- 

 to" style, previously described. This should 

 face the south, or southeast, so that it will 

 get all the sunlight possible in the win- 

 ter and spring months, for forcing is often 

 begun in December and January, so as to have 

 the fruit ripe in April and May. A skillful 

 grower will usually ripen his crops in four 

 months or a little more, but not all kinds 

 alike, as some naturally ripen earlier than 

 others with precisely the same treatment. In 

 forcing Grapes, it is essential to have the bor- 

 der outside covered up with leaves or manure 

 of sufficient depth to prevent the frost getting 

 to the roots; as, if heat is applied inside to 

 the Vines while the roots are frozen, it will 

 injure them seriously. When Vines are started 

 to force very early, say January 1st, sufficient 

 covering of manure and leaves should be 



VIT 



placed on the border to raise the temperature 

 of the soil to at least 60, if the best results 

 are to be obtained. If started five or six 

 weeks later, so much covering would not be 

 necessary. No matter at what season the 

 Grapery is started, the temperature to begin 

 with, say for the first three weeks, should not 

 exceed fifty degrees at night, with the usual 

 day temperature of 10 to 15 higher, increas- 

 ing gradually until the buds begin to be devel- 

 oped, which will be from five to six weeks, to 

 a temperature of 65 at night, with 15 J higher 

 in the daytime. In another four or five weeks 

 the fruit will be set, when the temperature 

 may run from 70 to 75 at night, with the 10 

 to 15 higher during the day. When the 

 berries are about the size of small peas, it is 

 indispensable to thin nearly half of them out 

 with the Grape scissors, else they will not 

 attain half their size, and the bunches will be 

 so compact that it will be impossible to detach 

 the berries without mashing them. Inex- 

 perienced Grape-growers almost invariably 

 err in leaving the berries too thick on the 

 bunch, and often, also, too many bunches on 

 the Vines, which not only results in the fruit 

 being inferior in quality, but no more weight 

 even is obtained. In regard to kinds to plant, 

 we should here, as in the Cold Grapery, choose 

 a large proportion of the Black Hamburgh, 

 next the Muscat of Alexandria, Maddresfield 

 Court Muscat, and then Treutham Black, Mus- 

 cat Hamburg, Golden Champion, GrosColrnan, 

 Barbarossa and Lady Downes* for late, Chas- 

 selas de Fountainbleau for early, Grizzly Fron- 

 tignan, Alicante, and similar good kinds. For 

 market, Black Hamburgh and Muscat of Alex- 

 andria are found to be the most profitable. 



If proper attention has been given in forcing 

 the Grapery to the right degrees of tempera- 

 ture and moisture, there should be no mildew; 

 but as a preventive in case of accidents, it is 

 safest, as soon as firing begins, to paint the 

 hot-water pipes with a mixture of lime, or lin- 

 seed oil and sulphur. The pipes, when heated, 

 evaporate the sulphur fumes, which are cer- 

 tain to destroy the germs of mildew, and also 

 Bed Spider, which sometimes infests vineries 

 kept at a high temperature. (See Insects.) 

 Accidents often occur by leaving the water in 

 the pipes in the Graperies at the season they 

 are resting and exposed to frost, which is 

 often severe enough to freeze the water, which, 

 expanding, bursts the pipes. It is always 

 safest not to wait until fall to empty them, 

 but to do so as soon as firing is stopped in the 

 spring and summer. It is often customary, 

 after pruning the Vines, to peel the loose bark 

 from the canes and wash them with a mixture 

 of sulphur and lime, to destroy insects ; but 

 there is no necessity for this, in our opinion, 

 if the practice of burying up the stems in the 

 soil is resorted to, as described in our instruc- 

 tions for the Cold Grapery. We have resorted 

 to this practice for many years, aud though 

 we have never either peeled off thorough bark 

 or washed them, we have never been troubled 

 with insects of any kind. 



Vitis labrusca and V. vulpina, the wild 

 Grapes of our own country, are quite dis- 

 tinct species from the wine Grape of Europe, 

 being usually much stronger in their growth 

 with larger and more leathery foliage, and, 

 in their native state, with a peculiar foxy odor 

 or flavor and more or less hardness of pulp. 



