THE GRAPE VINE. 10 1 



KEEPING GRAPES THROUGH THE WINTER. 



To preserve grapes successfully on the vines through 

 the winter months, in the first place the crop should be 

 rather on the light than the heavy side, the berries should 

 be more severely thinned than in the case of summer 

 grapes, and they should be thoroughly well ripened by 

 the end of September. Large bunches should be even 

 more severely thinned than smaller ones, which latter 

 generally keep better than larger ones, because the 

 air circulates more freely through the heart of them, 

 and consequently damp is not so likely to settle about 

 them. It is also of much importance that the foHage 

 should be kept healthy as long after the grapes are ripe 

 as possible. Grapes grown in heavy damp soils are not 

 so likely to keep well as in drier borders; and in locali- 

 ties where the autumn rainfall is heavy, it is advisable 

 to protect the outside borders from rain before the grapes 

 are quite ripe, for grapes ripened under the influence of 

 too wet borders do not keep so well. The inside bor- 

 der should not be damped in any way after the grapes 

 have commenced to colour, but a slight top-dressing of 

 dry finely -pulverised old mushroom-bed dung should be 

 spread over it, and allowed to become perfectly dry, and 

 remain so all winter. Not a pot-plant requiring water 

 should be allowed in the house. An equable tempera- 

 ture of from 45° to 5 0°, according to the weather, should 

 be kept up by means of fire-heat when necessary. Extra 

 heat should be put into the pipes on fine days, and air 

 put on at top and bottom to expel damp from the house. 

 Avoid the, practice of firing with the view of drying up 

 damp on wet or foggy days. It has the effect of draw- 

 ing a stream of moisture through the house, to be con- 

 densed on the surface of the berries, and cause them 



