Cultivation of the Grape Vine. 21 



After flowering, to encourage the growth of the fruit, which the dry air of 

 the fruiting-house would cause to ripen prematurely, the plant is replaced in 

 the preceding shelter, where the more humid air and more moderate temper- 

 ature develope the fruit very slowly, which is indispensable, particularly during 

 winter. 



In old hothouses, the trench which contains the manure is open within the 

 house. In the new ones, the opening is on the outside : a horizontal parti- 

 tion, placed ] ft. from the top of the trench, separates the interior of the 

 hothouse from the interior of the trench, and thus converts the top of this 

 trench into a sort of large case, which, when filled with earth, may be used to 

 fruit plants with their roots free. The advantage of this arrangement is not 

 great for the queen pine and the other small varieties ; which produce as good 

 fruit, though the plant is kept in a pot, if this pot, though small, be well fur- 

 nished with new roots : but the Enviile pine, the Providence pine, the hand- 

 some pine from Cayenne, and all the other large-fruited varieties which re- 

 quire a great deal of nourishment, do perfectly well with this arrangement. 

 Freed from their pots, and planted in this case when they have formed their 

 new roots, that is, towards the end of November, they continue till summer to 

 grow before fruiting, and acquire so much vigour, that the offsets, when not 

 removed, often produce fruits which may be called fine, by the side of the 

 enormous fruit of the parent. 



When too close, the pines shade each other, and increase in height and not 

 in strength. To render them fit to produce fine fruit, they must be kept so 

 far apart at all periods of their growth, that the leaves may extend and present 

 their upper surface to the perpendicular action of the light: and this action is 

 more necessary than that of the sun's rays ; for it does not appear that the 

 plants which are deprived of its direct rays, but are otherwise well lighted, 

 are less vigorous than tliose which receive its rays. 



In the kitchen-garden at Versailles, the pines are placed in lines lift, 

 apart, and generally 2 ft. between each plant in the line. Therefore, in the 

 shelter where the );lants are grown, the frames being 12 ft. long, and rather 

 more than 4 ft. wide, each frame contains 24 plants, placed in 3 lines of 8 

 plants each. In the hothouses, the trench of each compartment 36 ft. long, 

 and rather more than 5 ft. broad, contains 72 plants, in 4 lines of 18 plants 

 each. The same trench, if the plants belong to the large varieties, contains 

 only 45 plants in 3 lines of 15 plants each. 



The first shelter, in which the offsets are rooted when separated from their 

 parent, and the third shelter, where the roots of the plants which have attained 

 their growth are renewed, may each be considered as temporary deposits, 

 where the plants vegetating but little do not require to be kept far apart. 

 The plants may therefore be kept more or less apart, according to the space 

 at disposal. 



Versailles, December, 1840. 



Art. IX. On the Cultivation of the Grape Vine. From a Paper 

 read to the North Bristol Gardeners' Society, in September, 1840, 

 by Mr. Duncan, Author of " Culture of the Melon," &c. Com- 

 municated by Mr. Duncan. 



Without occupying time with preliminary observations, I will at once 

 proceed to consider the nature of the soil, &c., in vine countries, and in some 

 of those places in our own where it most excels. It may be assumed as a 

 fact, that vines undar every circumstance delight in soil of permeable character ; 

 in vine districts it is often singularly so. Vines are planted on the ruins of 

 volcanoes, the roots revelling in the scorise of ancient eruptions, and matters 

 accumulated in the lapse of time ; on rocky precipices, and the sides of hills ; 

 in soils as varied as the sites are, yet suitable, because permeable, and exposed 



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