THE COLTUEE OF TtlE GEAPE. 149 



In the retarding house, where you cannot prune the 

 vines early, and tlie close-spur system is pursued, it is 

 best to disbud them ; to do this, a sharp knife is 

 neces^sary, cutting out every eye but the lower one on the 

 spur, being careful not to destroy the leaf; this will 

 throw all the strength of the shoot into the eye which is 

 to produce the fruit the coming season. Care must be 

 had not to perform this too early in the autumn ; 

 November, probably, is the best time ; if done before the 

 vine is nearly at rest, there might be danger of breaking 

 the eye. 



The fruit will be ripe the last of JS'ovember and in 

 December ; after which, the house must be kept as dry 

 as possible, having sufficient fires to keep out the frost. 



After the fniit and foliage are off, prune the vines, and 

 protect them from the frost. 



[For an extended List of Yines, see page 297.] 



PROPAGATING NEW KINDS PEOM SEED. 



If the triaf to produce new sorts be persevered with 

 in all sections of this country, unquestionably, varieties 

 will be produced that will be hardy, and, at the same 

 time, free from the hard pulp and foxy flavor, that 

 render the American sorts, in the opinion of most peo- 

 ple, inferior to the European. 



The Isabella, and generally the kinds that withstand 

 our climate in Massachusetts, blossom fourteen days 

 eai~lier than the Chasselas, or Early Black July. The 

 Muscat of Alexandria is a few days later still in flower- 

 ing. To remedy this difficulty, and to obtain the differ- 



