304 THE GRAPE. 



Culture uxder glass without artificial heat. The great 

 superiority of this fruit when raised under glass, renders a vine- 

 ry an indispensable feature in every extensive garden. Even 

 without fire-heat grapes may, under our bright sun, be grown 

 admirably ; the sudden changes of the weather being guarded 

 against, and the warmth and uniformity of the atmosphere sur- 

 rounding the vines being secured. In the neighbourhood of 

 Boston, cheap structures of this kind are now very conmion, and 

 on the North River, even the Muscat of Alexandria and other 

 sorts which are usually thought to require fire-heat, ripen regu- 

 larly and well, with moderate attention. 



A vinery of this kind may be erected so as to cost very little, 

 nearly after the following manner. Its length may be thirty 

 feet ; its width sixteen feet ; height at the front, two feet ; at the 

 back twelve feet. This part of the structure may all be built 

 of wood, taking, for the frame, cedar or locust posts, setting 

 them three and a half feet in the ground, the portion rising 

 above the ground being squared to four or five inches. On 

 these posts, (which are placed six feet apart,) nail, on both 

 sides, matched and grooved planks, one and a quarter inches 

 thick. The space between these planks not occupied by the 

 post, fill in with dry tan, which should be well rammed down. 

 The rafters should be fixed, and from three to four feet apart. 

 The sashes forming the roof, (which are all the glass that will 

 be necessary,) must be in two lengths, lapping in the middle, 

 and arranged with a double groove in the rafters, so that the 

 top and bottom ones may run free of each other. The building 

 will, of course, front the south, and the door may be at either end. 



The border for the grapes should be made partly on the in- 

 side and partly on the outside of the front wall, so that the roots 

 of the vines may extend through to the open border. A trellis 

 of wire should be fixed to the rafters, about sixteen inches fi'om 

 the glass, on which the vines are to be trained. Early in the 

 spring, the vines, which should be two year old roots, may be 

 planted in the inside border, about a foot from the front wall — 

 one vine below each rafter. 



Soil. The border should be thoroughly prepared and pulver- 

 ized before planting the grapes. Tw'o thirds of mellow sandy 

 roam mixed with one third of a compost formed of well ferment- 

 ed manure, bits of broken charcoal, and a little lime rubbish, 

 ibrms an excellent soil for the grape in this climate. If the 

 soil of the garden is old, or is not of a proper quality for the 

 basis of the border, it is best to prepare some for this purpose by 

 rotting and reducing beforehand, a quantity of loamy turf from 

 the road sides for this purpose. The depth of the border need 

 not exceed two feet, but if the sabsoil is not dry at all seasons, 

 it should be well drained, and filled ur half a foot below the 

 border witli small stones or l)rifk bats. 



