GRAPES. 141 



The objection to these, however, soon appeared io be, Usefulmstruc- 

 that, even at tiic glass-houses costing 2s. 6d. each, and up- tions for de- 



1 ., • 7 . r . Jl ■ i. fending grapes, 



wards, it requir-od at least five years to recover their cost, ^^^ giving 



according to the value of the fruit; next, that in consequence them the ad- 



of the hole made in the back they are uncommonly brittle; J^^^^^fj^g °^^^ 



then, that they can only be applied at a very early season ; the heat of a 



aad lastly, that their colour being obscure, they were on "^^^j ^^' 



that account less likely to advance the maturity of the 



bunches (one only of which can be introduced to each) than 



materials more diaphanous. Finding therefore that to blow 



them of white glass would nearly doable their price, I 



caused some white flasks of the best tlint glass, of about one 



foot long^ to be divided in two by moans of the process with 



a hot coal, and thus I procured out of each flask two covers 



,of the shape of half melons, each of which were capable of 



covering two bunches at least; of small ones three at a time ; 



and buying them by weight, I found they stood me in only 



about one shilling each. 



These segments I bound with packthread, by making a 

 sling an;l a tie, so that they were easily attached to the wall 

 by means of a nail, and kept from swinging by a cross 

 thread or two, and thus I covered a great many bunches at 

 all periods, commencing with them when about four or five 

 inches long, and stopping the east side of the glasses with the 

 fresh leaves as I picked them oft"; for, contrary to the usual 

 practice, I exposed my bunches while green to the sun par- 

 tially, and some entirely, at a very early period ; at a very 

 early period also I began to strip all the leaves from the 

 wall, and to take away all extraneous growth : in fact, I 

 sulfered no leaf to remain that touched the wall from the 

 time the vines first came into leaf until the period when the 

 grapes were almost ripe, nor any bunch of grapes at any 

 period to be totally excluded from the sun, laying them par- 

 ticularly open to his declining beams, and only securing 

 them with what care I could from the too piercing rays of 

 noon. 



In this manner, under these clear glasses, I exposed several 

 bunches of a Sweetwater, growing on a buttress in an angle 

 of about 80 deg. due south, to every ray of sunshine, except 

 the direct ones, and not only did so, but I cleared every leaf 

 away from the wall that approached within a foot each way 



of 



