1098 



PRACTICAL GUIDE TO GABDEN PLANTS 



have been more favourable than others, 

 but in 1881 an excellent wine, like a 

 first-class still Champagne, was produced 

 and sold at 60 shUlings per dozen bottles. 



Site. — To secure the best results Vines 

 should be grown in the open air in a 

 warm sunny and sheltered position facing 

 due south. It is essential to secure as 

 much warmth and light as possible, so 

 that the stems or ' canes ' of the Vine may 

 be ripened thoroughly, and also that the 

 berries may ripen quickly, colour weU, 

 and receive that flavour which only sun- 

 heat can impart. 



Soil. — The most suitable soil for the 

 Vine is a rich and rather stiffish turfy 

 loam deeply dug or trenched, and resting 

 if possible on a limestone or chalky sub- 

 soil ; failing this a certain amount of old 

 mortar rubbish should be mixed with it. 

 Good drainage is essential, otherwise 

 stagnant moisture in the soil will keep 

 the temperature low and prevent the 

 roots from performing their proper func- 

 tions of absorption as explained at p. 27. 



Manures. — It is a mistake to give 

 Vines a strong and quick-acting manure. 

 Blood is often recommended, but it 

 partakes too much of a quick stimulant. 

 Farmyard or stable manure should also 

 be avoided, as it often generates mildew 

 and other fungoid diseases. Cow manure, 

 while excellent for many plants, seems to 

 sour the soil somewhat, and if given 

 should beweUdecomposed andusedchiefly 

 as a mulching or top-dressiag. The most 

 suitable manures for Vines consist of 

 bone-meal, horn shavings and other phos- 

 phatic manures which are chiefly valuable 

 for producing the early ripening of the 

 fruit. Potash is also a very necessary 

 manure for Vines, as it increases the quality 

 and flavour of the berries. Nitrate of 

 potash and sulphate of lime are good Vine 

 manures, but Hke the others mentioned 

 they must be used carefully — about a 

 pound of the various substances when 

 mixed together to the square yard being 

 usually sufficient. There are certain good 

 concentrated Vine manures on the market, 

 and these may be used with advantage by 

 those who do not care to experiment with 

 the others mentioned. 



Training. — Vines may be trained on 

 walls or the gable ends of houses, either 

 on straight single stems lUce upright 

 cordons, or they may be grown espalier 

 fashion as represented at fig. 146. In 

 the Marquis of Bute's vineyards already 



referred to, they are grown in the open 

 in rows running north and south. The 

 plants are 3 feet apart every way, and are 

 trained to stakes about 4 feet high, the 

 whole resembling a Easpberry plantation 

 as much as anything else. Except in the 

 mildest parts of the kingdom, it is safer to 

 give the plants the protection of a south 

 wall as for Peaches and Nectarines, as they 

 are then more likely to yield the best 

 results. 



Disbudding' and Pinching. — Each 

 stem or cane should not be allowed to 

 carry too many trusses of flowers, other- 

 wise the plant may exhaust itself in a few 

 years. The side shoots from the main 

 stem should also be pinched back to the 

 first joiat, and as the tendrils are not 

 required in a cultivated state they may 

 be pinched clean out as they appear. 

 The flower trusses also when they have 

 set their fruits should have the small 

 berries thinned out with a small pair of 

 scissors, care being taken to leave the 

 whole bunch as symmetrical as possible, 

 after removing such berries as interfere 

 with others or are not likely to be well 

 situated for ripening properly. 



In favourable seasons Vines sometimes 

 produce a second crop of flowers in 

 autumn, but these should be pinched out 

 when seen, as they only absorb nourish- 

 ment that is required for the following 

 year. 



Pruning. — As a general rule this 

 operation is best performed as soon as the 

 leaves have withered and fallen and the 

 sap is practically at a standstill. About 

 the end of October is usually a 'good time 

 for pruning outdoor Vines. The weakest 

 canes are best cut away altogether, while 

 the strong healthy ones may be cut back 

 to about two or three buds from the base. 



PropEtgation. — Vines may be propa- 

 gated in many ways, by layers, cuttings, 

 budding, grafting, inarching, and seeds. 

 The easiest method of increasing outdoor 

 Vines however is by means of cuttings. 

 At the time of pruning; sound plump and 

 well-ripened canes of the current year's 

 growth may be selected and cut into 

 lengths of about 1 ft. or 15 inches. These 

 cuttings may be inserted in the soil 

 during favourable weather any time up to 

 February, much in the same way as 

 cuttings of Gooseberries and Currants. 

 They may be transplanted the following 

 year in autumn to their permanent posi- 

 tions, so that the roots may recover from 



