AND GENEKAL HOBTICULTUBE. 



483 



VIT 



Although the hardy varieties of Grapes do 

 well in nearly all parts of the country, there 

 are few sections, with the exception of Cali- 

 fornia, where the European or foreign Vine 

 does well in the open air. For this reason, 

 the only certain method of obtaining these 

 fine varieties in perfection is by the use of 

 the Cold Grapery. There Is no addition to a 

 country home from which such a large 

 amount of satisfaction can be obtained at so 

 small an outlay as' from a Grapery for grow- 

 ing the different varieties of foreign Grapes. 

 As this fruit can be obtained at a trifling 

 original outlay, and with but little attention 

 in the cultivation afterward, we will briefly 

 describe the methods in use here, which are 

 much simpler than those in Europe, from our 

 having brighter sunshine during the summer 

 months. As to the size and construction of 

 the Vinery, there are now architects in every 

 large city competent to give plans. For 

 early forcing, or perhaps in all Graperies 

 where artificial heat is used, the "lean to," 

 as it is ijalled, is preferable facing south or 

 southeast, and wherever there is building, 

 wall or perpendicular rock, this style can be 

 constructed very cheaply ; the two-third span 

 green-house (now considered the best model 

 for rose-forcing) is more sightly and will 

 answer equally well ; while for Cold Graperies, 

 or those not heated artificially, the curvilinear 

 or span-roofed is the best. The "lean to" 

 or "two-third span" may be eighteen or 

 twenty feet wide and of any desired length, 

 giving a length of rafter of from twenty to 

 twenty-four feet. The general width for a 

 "curvilinear" house is twenty-five feet, giv- 

 ing about fifteen feet of a rafter on each side. 

 The formation of the border in which the 

 Vines are to be planted is a matter of the first 

 importance ; for if that has been improperly 

 made, all else, no matter how well done, will 

 fail to accomplish good results. The outside 

 border for the Grapery (and for Cold Graperies 

 that is all that is required) need not be more 

 than one and a half feet in depth ; and the 

 width, to begin with, need not be more than 

 ten feet, though twenty feet are none too 

 much for the necessities of the roots when the 

 Vines have attained two or three years' 

 growth, so that it is just as well, when time 

 will permit, to make the border of its full 

 width at once. In forming the border the 

 natural ground should be excavated to the 

 required depth of eighteen inches, the bottom 

 having a fall of at least half an inch to the 

 foot from the front wall of the Grapery to the 

 extremity of the border, where a drain of suf- 

 ficient capacity must be made to rapidly carry 

 off the water. In our own practice we prefer 

 to cover the bottom over with an inch or two 

 of cement, to prevent the roots penetrating 

 into the cold subsoil ; though, if the subsoil 

 is of sand or gravel, there is no particular 

 necessity for this. An excellent compost for 

 the formation of the Vine border is made by 

 using say nine parts of sod taken from the 

 surface of any good pasture land ; if the soil 

 be heavy, however, it should be liberally 

 mixed with lime rubbish, brick-bats, or any 

 material of that nature, so that it does not 

 become too heavy and sodden. To nine 

 parts of such compost one-tenth part of 

 broken bones should be thoroughly mixed 

 through it. When filling the excavation, at I 



VIT 



least five inches should be allowed for settling ; 

 so that, if the excavation is eighteen inches 

 deep, the compost should be filled in to a 

 depth of twenty-two or twenty-three inches. 



Amateurs planting Graperies commonly 

 desire to start with Vines that are two or three 

 years' old, but such as have had much experi- 

 ence with stocking new Graperies, know that 

 a one-year-old Vine that Is well ripened, bet- 

 ter answers the purpose than those of greater 

 age ; in fact, it is a question whether a Vine 

 started from an eye in February or March, 

 and planted in June, will not by September 

 make as fine a cane as one of any greater age. 

 As such Vines are not very easily transport- 

 able or even procurable at all by "beginners, 

 the best thing they can do is to procure well- 

 grown one-year-old Vines and plant them in 

 spring, but not too early- — say May in this 

 latitude, or just when their buds are begin- 

 ning to start if kept, as they should. have been, 

 in a cool place. It is best to shake the soil 

 from the ball of the young Vines that have 

 been grown in pots, although the disentangle- 

 ment or spreading of the roots, to which so 

 much importance is by some attached, is of 

 no consequence. In planting, the roots are 

 set outside, drawing the tops through the 

 apertures formed in the wall, a little higher 

 than the border (if there is one) inside the 

 house. 



Only a single shoot is allowed to grow, and 

 this is cut back in November or December to 

 the bottom of the rafter, or about three or 

 four feet from the ground. If desirable, a 

 bunch or two may be taken from each of the 

 Vines the second year, although it will some- 

 what weaken them to do so. It is therefore 

 preferable to repeat the same operation of 

 growing one shoot only again to the top of the 

 rafter. This shoot may now be cut back to 

 say eight feet from the ground, and will this 

 year (the third after planting) give a good 

 crop, which is taken from the lateral or side 

 shoots, still allowing the main or leading 

 shoot, as before, to get to the top of the 

 rafter ; for the Vine is not strong enough yet 

 to bear fruit the whole length of the cane. 

 The fourth year after planting it may be cut 

 back to within five or six feet of the top, and 

 the fifth year will be able to bear a full crop 

 the entire length of the rafter, which, in a 

 house of twenty-five feet, span-roofed, will be 

 about sixteen feet long, or in a lean-to of 

 twenty feet wide, about twenty-five feet. The 

 variety best fitted for the Cold Grapery is the 

 Black Hamburg. In a house requiring twenty 

 Vines we should advise twelve Black Ham- 

 burg, and the balance selected from the fol- 

 lowing list of old and established kinds : 

 Eoyal Muscadine, Buckland's Sweet-Water, 

 White Frontignan, Trentham Black and 

 Charlesworth Tokay. 



Protecting the Vines in Cold Graperies is of 

 great benefit. About the simplest way to do 

 so is to run a board along eighteen inches or 

 so from the front wall. After pruning the 

 Vines (which may be done at any time after 

 they drop their loaves), they are to be taken 

 down from the wires and laid down between 

 this boarding and the front wall, and the 

 space entirely filled up with soil or sand. 

 It is necessary, though, to watch that 

 ground mice do not get to the Vines, as 

 they might destroy them by eating the 



