Shrivclijig of Grapes, 599 



rishment of the fruit, and this brings on the disease. I have 

 known vineries where borders have been made inside of the 

 house, and vines planted against the back wall, and borders 

 made outside, and vines trained up the rafters. The grapes upon 

 the back wall have every one of them shriveled until the vines 

 upon the rafters had been shortened so as to admit the light 

 upon the back wall, and then the grapes have done well, plainly 

 proving that want of light was the cause, and not the want of 

 heat in the border. In early forcing I have covered one half of 

 the border with hot dung and leaves 2 ft. thick, the other half 

 6 in., and I never could discover the least difference in the 

 growth of the vines inside or in the fruit. The larger the leaves 

 are the more light they require to assimilate and decompose the 

 sap ; and this, in my opinion, is the reason why early forced vines 

 do not shrivel, their leaves scarcely ever being more than half 

 the size of those begun in March, and the light in May and 

 June is commonly greater than that of July, which is in general 

 a dull and showery month. After trying every thing that I had 

 seen recommended as a remedy, and feeling fully convinced in 

 my own mind that want of light was one of the causes, I thought 

 I would try what effect proportioning the heat to the light would 

 do. This I have practised for several years, and with a success 

 beyond my expectation. 



In dull weather I keep the house cool, and when the grapes 

 begin to colour, if the weather is warm, I leave the top and 

 front lights a little open, so as to keep up a regular circulation 

 of air in the house night and day; and, if the weather is cold and 

 wet, I shut the front lights, and a little fire is made in the front 

 flue so as to cause the air to circulate, but nothing like forcing is 

 attempted. By this simple mode of management, I have so far 

 conquered the disease, that instead of losing half the bunches, I 

 now only lose a few berries here and there in some of the bunches, 

 and a few at the points of some of them, but not any of any con- 

 sequence. I have lost more this year than I have lost for years, 

 but this has been the worst July for forcing that ever I experi- 

 enced. I never expect to get entirely rid of it, as the great fault 

 lies in the formation of the border. 



We consider the vine to be a gross feeder, and therefore think 

 that it is impossible to make the borders too rich, but this is 

 certainly a great error. It is true they grow with great vigour, 

 and soon get to the top of the house when planted in a large 

 mass of rich soil, but this is small compensation for the gross 

 and diseased habit which remains with them as long as they live. 



Moseley Hall, Aug. 10. 1840. 



