THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 25 



The account of the cost of two houses, built by other 

 gentlemen, that are so very unlike mine in their dimen- 

 sions, has been added, as they may be the means of af- 

 fording the information wanted, in some instances. 



The following is a description of the plan and the 

 manner of building of the span-roofed grapery, which is 

 represented in the drawing as in full fruit, in September.* 

 This is not heated by artificial means, and is what is usu- 

 ally called a cold house. 



After the border was prepared, the stone posts were 

 placed upright, the bottoms of them being three to four 

 fe6t deep in the soil, and eight feet apart. Holes are 

 drilled about one and a half inches in the sides of these 

 stones, to which the sills are secured by pieces of iron, 

 with the head flattened so as to be nailed to the timber, 

 and the end bent to hook into the hole ; the posts should 

 not be less than six inches square. (Wooden posts, or 

 brick piers, may be substituted for the stone ; the former 

 will soon decay, and, if the latter are used, they should 

 be eight by twelve inches ; the stones are best.) The di- 

 mensions of this house are as follows : twenty-two feet 

 wide ; fourteen and one half feet high, on the inside, at 

 the ridge-pole ; and a little short of eighty feet in length. 

 On the posts are placed the sills, (as above described,) 

 which are six or eight inches above the top of the 



* See fl-ontispieoo. The vie-w was taken from the northwest door, and 

 just within the grapery, as the object was simply to give an idea of the 

 house, and the arrangement of the vines. No attention was paid to the 

 proportions. This house is now used as a retarding one, and has a fumaca 

 and boiler, with pipes for circulating hot water, which are used in October, 

 November, and December, to ripen and preserve the grapes. 



