622 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



require no re-potting. A little of the powdery 

 surface-soil may be removed from the top of the 

 balls, and replaced with a rich and turfy top- 

 dressing. It is a good practice, at the first in- 

 troduction to heat, to form the cane into a 

 curve, in order to make it develop the buds 

 with more equality. As soon as the young 

 shoots show the bunch a selection must be 

 made ; three shoots with bunches will be plenty 

 for a 12-inch pot, one more bunch to every inch 

 of increase of size in the pot. Thus, a 1 S-inoh pot 

 would carry six bunches, one on each shoot. 

 Not a shoot must be left on but those carrying 

 bunches." All the subsequent management re- 

 commended by Mr Errington is the same as for 

 vines in ordinary vineries; each shoot is stopped 

 at a single eye or two beyond the bunch, just 

 before the bunch blossoms. As soon as the last 

 swelling of the berries commences, stopping may 

 again take place, and all new growths be kept 

 in check, as such would rob the system of the 

 plant, " for all now becomes concentration and 

 elaboration. Throughout the whole process as 

 great a surface of foliage must be presented to 

 the light as possible, and the smaller leaves of 

 laterals must not be permitted to shade the 

 principal leaves." Water must be rather spar- 

 ingly applied when the plants are beginning to 

 be excited, and increased gradually as the foli- 

 age increases in size, to be again decreased as 

 the fruit ripens. When the fruit is cut, encou- 

 rage the ripening of the wood by all possible 

 means; and when it is fully matured, plunge the 

 pots again as during the preceding autumn. 

 The soil should be turfy and rich, the pots 

 filled to one-sixth of their depth with boiled 

 bones, charcoal, and potsherds. As to bottom- 

 heat, let this be kept a few degrees above that 

 of the temperature of the house, and when the 

 pots are not placed in plunging material, cover 

 their surfaces so as to prevent the roots from 

 being injured by drought or sunshine. If 

 plunged in fermenting matter, let 80° be the 

 maximum ; as to atmospheric heat, commence 

 with S5° during the day, rising gradually to 60°, 

 and further to 75°, when the flowers are ex- 

 panding. The night heat should not exceed 

 45° at starting, rising to S6° by the blooming 

 period, and never afterwards exceeding 60°. On 

 very dull days, and during severe weather, 

 descend to the night heat during the day. The 

 sorts recommended by Mr Errington for pot- 

 culture are the Black Hamburg, which he 

 seems to prefer, admitting that others succeed 

 well with the Muscat of Alexandria, and that 

 Muscadines and Frontignans answer equally 

 well. 



Mr Spencer's practice. — The practice of Mr 

 Spencer of Bowood, one of our very first autho- 

 rities in such matters, is given in " The Gar- 

 deners' Chronicle," 1844, pp. 195 and 213, of 

 which the following is the substance : " If the 

 vines are intended to be fruited the next season, 

 the eyes should be potted in 32 -sized pots, 

 placing them 1 inch below the surface, and 

 using soil of a light turfy nature; or if stiiF, 

 using a portion of half-decayed leaves : only one 

 eye must be planted in each pot. This should 

 be done early in February, and when finished. 



the pots containing the eyes may be plunged in 

 any pit or frame that may be at work, where a 

 bottom-heat may be maintained at 90° or there- 

 abouts : they may remain there until growth 

 has commenced, when, sunlight being indis- 

 pensable to the welfare of the young plants, 

 they shoiJd be placed (if they were not previ- 

 ously) as near the glass as possible, sinking the 

 pots as the plants reach the glass, but still 

 keeping a steady bottom-heat, and supplying 

 them with air every day if possible. It is sup- 

 posed that the heat of the pit or frame varies 

 from 60° to 90° in sunshine. When the pots 

 are filled with roots, which will be some time in 

 April, they may be transferred at once to their 

 fruiting-pots, which should be 2s. or 4s. (that is, the 

 price of the pots), according to the strength the 

 vines are wished to attain, bearing in mind that 

 those in the smaller size will ripen their wood 

 earlier, and consequently be available for forcing 

 at an earlier period than the others." The com- 

 post Mr Spencer uses is " two -thirds turfy loam, 

 from a down having a chalky bottom, and one- 

 third decomposed nightsoil. Should the loam 

 be strong, I use the same proportion of half- 

 rotten horse-droppings. The turfy loam should 

 be only half decayed, and it should be used as 

 rough as possible. After potting the plants 

 should be placed in some house or pit where a 

 temperature of from 60° to 80° or 86° is main- 

 tained. They should also be so arranged that 

 the shoots, as they advance, can be trained im- 

 mediately under the glass, and be exposed as 

 much as possible to the light. The front kerbs 

 and back shelves of pine-pits are suitable places, 

 and the partial shade that the vines afford bene- 

 fits the pines during three or four of the summer 

 months. Where there is only a vinery, they may 

 be trained between the permanent vines, or in 

 any other place where the cultivator can make 

 room for them. As the shoots advance train 

 them carefully, and stop the laterals as they 

 appear. When first potted the plants vrill want 

 but little water, but it must be gradually in- 

 creased as the pots become filled with roots; 

 they will then require it regularly during their 

 growth, and manure-water may occasionally be 

 given, although the quantity they demand the 

 first season is small in comparison to what they 

 require afterwards. The most suitable length 

 of cane for pots is from 4 to 6 feet ; but if from 

 any peculiarity in the house in which they are 

 to be fruited a longer length may be required, 

 they should be left accordingly, as the vine 

 will grow strong enough for fruiting 8 or even 

 10 feet long. After it has grown a foot more 

 than the length required the next season, it 

 should be stopped ; three or four of the upper 

 laterals, however, may be allowed to grow at a 

 few joints, to prevent the topmost eyes break- 

 ing. Manure-water may be now applied to 

 cause the buds to swell, and care must be taken 

 to preserve the principal leaves, as they are 

 now performing a most important part in re- 

 gard to the crop next season. When the wood 

 appears to be turning brown (or ripening), 

 water should only be applied to prevent the 

 vines flagging; the laterals should be taken off, 

 and every means should be employed to ripen 



