THE TRUE PEINCIPLES OF FORCING. 523 



and other late Grapes are, owing as he thinks to this cause, 

 often seen to wither upon the branch in a very imperfect state 

 of maturity, and the want of richness and flavour in other 

 forced fruits is often attributable to the same cause. The 

 same great experimentalist records {Hort. Trans., ii. 135) the 

 result of his own management of a Peach-house, where a due 

 regard was had to the preservation of a sufficiently low tempe- 

 rature at night. "As early in the spring as I wanted the 

 blossoms of my Peach-trees to -unfold, my house was made 

 warm during the middle of the day, but towards night it was 

 suffered to cool, and the trees were then sprinkled, by means of 

 a large syringe, with clear water, as nearly at the temperature 

 at which that usually rises from the ground as I could obtain 

 it, and little or no artificial heat was given during the night, 

 unless there appeared a prospect of frost. Under this mode of 

 treatment the blossoms advanced with very great vigour, and 

 as rapidly as I wished them, and presented, when expanded, a 

 larger size than I had ever before seen of the same varieties, 

 which circumstance is not unimportant, because the size of the 

 blossom in any given variety regulates to a very considerable 

 extent the bulk of the future fruit." It is, however, proper to 

 add that the observations of Knight referred to a period when 

 the principles of gardening were not generally understood so 

 well as they now are. 



The preceding remarks apply exclusively to plants in a 

 state of growth. When growth ceases and fruit begins to ripen, 

 circumstances in some instances wholly change. 



In its favourite regions the Grape ripens its fruit at the 

 hottest and dryest period of the year. In Corfu the Grapes 

 are ripe in September. It appears from Dr. Davy's observa- 

 tions that the range of the thermometer in that island, day and 

 night, is in August from 77° to 84° ; and in September from 

 74° to 83° ; that is to say, it is never colder at night than 74° 

 in September, or than 77° in August. At Malta the lowest 

 temperature obser\'-ed in August was 74°; and in September 

 69°. In Candahar, Mr.. Atkinson found Grapes ripe in June. 

 The night temperature of Candahar in May and June is not 

 given; but we may be very sure that in a country lilte 



