144 



Vseful instruc- 

 tions for de- 

 fending grapes, 

 and giving 

 iheni the ad- 

 vantages of 

 sunshine and 

 the heat of a 

 ^vall, &.C. 



Great advan- 

 tages of w«ol 

 as a defence 

 for peaches,&c 



CRAP£S. 



having nothing more profitable to grow in their estimation ; 

 for it is only a very few years since, the walls and some 

 of the vines now remaining, that a Mr. Fry had at Avbridge 

 a well bearing vineyard on the southern side of that ro- 

 mantic hill, on land not worth at any rate more than half a 

 crown an acre; and I have known a sack of very early 

 potatoes sold for eighteen shillings, that were in a similar 

 situation raised in the natural bed on land of no greater 

 value; and filberts it is well known will grow on most of 

 our southern poor hill lands, almost without the hand of 

 culture. 



Thus much I have thought might be useful to many people 

 to know who have vines, which, for want of understanding 

 these methods, they suifer either to remain as unfruitful or- 

 naments, or coolly contemplate the destruction of, scarcely 

 ever affording them the least manure, and expecting a spon- 

 taneous product once in six or seven years \vithout any care 

 at all. For although we have many expensive treatises on 

 |he management of vines under glass, except Evelyn in his 

 ' French Gardener,' Ave have few authors who shew the possi- 

 bility of raising a good English vineyard fit to make wine 

 from ; and as nothing is so easy as to make good wine from 

 quite ripe grapes, I trust, by facilitating that operation, I 

 shall render some useful service to the British wine grower, 

 andj at any rate, increase the value of many vine-covered 

 wills. 



And now. Sir, having taken up, I fear, but too much of 

 your paper, I will only beg leave to add, as briefly as pos- 

 sible, that last year, for the first time, I used coarse wool^ in 

 the rough state, to screen my peach and apricot blossoms 

 from the east winds, by tucking it into the east side of every 

 bunch of bloom, instead of fern, laurel leaves, or broom; 

 and that this afforded an eftectual security to the fruit even 

 after it was set ; an improvement which has these advantages, 

 that it is always at hand, is cheap, can be repeatedly used, 

 gives no strokes to the wall in windy weather, and keeps up 

 an even temperature in the night, while it makes less litter, 

 gives less shade, and by being left on, encourages the growth 

 of the fruit, by retaining the dews and securing the fruit 

 stalk from the scorching reflection of the wail at noon. 



Trusting 



