VITIS. 



Nicol i-ecommends, that fir? (hould not be lighted the firll 

 feafon, unlefi it proves cold or wet, and the wood is not 

 ripened in good time ; in which cafe, a moderate fire heat, 

 from the ift of September, would greatly encourage the 

 growth, and promote the ripening of the wood. And as 

 the plants will bear gentle forcing the third feafon, it will 

 be advifable (for that purpofe) to forward them the fecond 

 in a moderate degree. For this purpofe, let moderate fires 

 be made about the ift of April, (by which time the plants 

 will begin to vegetate,) fo as to raife the air of the houfe at 

 UK in the morning, and eight at night, to about 55° ; in the 

 courfc of a fortnight increafe it to 60° ; and in another 

 fortnight to 70° ; at which let it continue till the ill or 

 middle of June, and then be totally difcontinued for the 

 feafon. But in the third feafon, the forcing may com- 

 mence on the ill of March, without injuring the plants ; 

 and, if carefully performed, a fair crop of fruit be ob- 

 ciined. Begin then by making and regulating the fires, 

 fo that the thermometer may not ftand above 50'' at 

 feven in the morning, and eight or nine at night ; keeping 

 it fo till every eye in the houfe is broken, and then gra- 

 dually increafe it to 60, 6^, 70, and when the bloom begins 

 to open, to 75 degrees. He has already hinted, that vege- 

 tation in forcing ought to be brought on as it were by 

 ftealth ; which is the caufe of his advifing the above gra- 

 dual and progreffive rife in the climate of the houfe : and 

 where this is not particularly attended to in the firft ftage 

 of the operation, difappointments will follow, as the plants 

 will not break their eyes (and of confequence not fhew 

 fruit) regularly. He advifes to keep the air of the houfe 

 as near to 75°, till the fruit is fairly fet, as poflible, 

 as grapes in general are found to fet beft in a moift heat 

 of about 75°. But he has found by experience that all 

 the kinds of frontinacs require a much greater degree of 

 heat, not only when in flower, but from the time the clullers 

 are diftinguifhable ; while thofe of the white fvveet-water, 

 and white royal mufcadines, require a much lefs degree ; 

 the former being apt to curl up and become llerile for want 

 of heat, and the latter to produce a greater quantity of 

 fmall berries in confequence of too much. Therefore, 

 where there is any difference of climate (which is fometimes 

 occafioned by the placing of the fire-places) in the houfe, 

 this hint fhould be taken advantage of. But it may then be 

 let down tp 70" or 72° ; at which endeavour to keep 

 it till the crop is all gathered ; after which, no further at- 

 tention to the chmate is neceflary. It is added, that in the 

 following feafon, the forcing may, when requifite, be begun 

 a month or fix weeks fooner ; as about the middle of 

 January, or ill of February ; in which early feafon great 

 attention muft be paid to the regulation of the fire-heat. 



It is further obferved, that a month may be gained every 

 feafon (where there are two or three grape-houfes ; audit is 

 required to have grapes at a very early feafon), until you 

 begin to force the firft fo early as the ift of Oftober ; but 

 where there is but one or two houfes, the ift of March in 

 the one cafe, and of January in the other, is, he thinks, 

 quite foon enough. 



It is advifed in the fame work, that as the feafon ad- 

 vances, and the weather becomes warm, there fliould be a 

 proportionable fhare of free air admitted to the vines 

 every day, which is abfolutely neceftary to promote the 

 growth of the fruit ; but the glafies fliould be fliut clofe 

 every night, unlefs in very hot weather, othervvife the cold 

 dews in the night will retard it. The bunches in fome of 

 the forts fliould be carefully looked over, and the fmall 

 grapes cut out with very nanow-poirted fciflbrs, in order to 

 thin them. Mr. Nicol alfo recommends a due portion of 



7 



air to be admitted every day after planting, from fun-rife tr» 

 fun-fet, until the buds begin to break ; after which a more 

 punftual regulation fliould be obferved, being guided much 

 by the temper,ature of the weather, and the quantity of fun- 

 fliine, but admitting lefs or more every day, unlefs the 

 leverity of frofty winds renders it i.Tiprudent to do fo. 

 And as the fummer advances, to be very liberal in thi? 

 article in ferene weatlier ; as it greatly tends to the 

 firengthening of the young ftioots. It is, he thinks, a ■ 

 praftice with many to uncover grape-houfes in winter ; this 

 he never did, not fo much dil approving of the praAice, as 

 owing to the expence attending it, not only in removing 

 and putting on, but in breaking the glafles, and walling the 

 flues by the extremes of froil and blanching rains. His 

 method is to admit an equal and free circulation of air, by 

 opening the falhes alternately at top, bottom, and middle, 

 to the extent of at leaft a third part of the whole covering, 

 and letting them remain fo day and night ; never ftiuttiug 

 up for any caufe but that of too much wet. In the fecond 

 feafon, much the fame regulation fliould be obferved as 

 above ; and, if fire is applied for the forwarding of the 

 wood, due attention fhould be paid at that time, as the 

 fudden breaking out of the fun in dull weather, when there 

 is a good deal of fire-heat in the houfe, is attended with 

 much danger. Suppofing the plants to have made good 

 wood for the produftion of a crop, and that they are to be 

 forced from the ift of March, let tiie houfe be fliut up at 

 night from the middle of February, and have the fame quan- 

 tity of air in the day it enjoyed all winter. From the time 

 the fire is lighted, give a moderate quantity every day if 

 poflible, till the buds have all broke, to the extent that in 

 fun-fliine the therm.ometer may not rife more than ten 

 degrees above the fire-heat medium ; but after the buds 

 have broke, and the temperature of the houfe is increafed, 

 be careful in the admiffion of frofty, or foul damp air. 

 The latter may be entirely excluded, except perhaps for an 

 hour or two in the middle of the day ; and the bad effefts 

 of the former, by opening the top fifties only a httle way, 

 to pafs off the rarefied air occafioned by the fun-heat, 

 which is frequently very intenfe in clear frofty weather in 

 the months of March and April. In clear fun-fliining 

 weather, his mode of pradlice is to give and take away air 

 by degrees ; that is, by giving half air about eight in the 

 morning, full air about ten or eleven, reducing to half air 

 about two or three, and fliutting up about four or five in 

 the afternoon, according to the feafon. It is neceflary from 

 the time the fruit begins to colour, to give large portions of 

 air till the crop is all gathered, the flavour being much aug- 

 mented by it ; and afterwards to expofe the houfe night 

 and day for the winter, as direfted above ; fhutting up, how- 

 ever, if much wet or hard froft fhould happen during the 

 firft ten or twelve days after the plants have been pruned for 

 the winter feafon. 



In the latter mode of forcing, or that in hot-houfes or 

 piiie-ftovcs, after they have been properly prepared and 

 rendered dry in the bottom parts, the area fliould be filled 

 up with a compoft-mould compofed of one-fourth ftrong 

 loam ; one-fourth turf, from a pafture where the foil is a 

 fandy loam ; one-fourth fweepings or fcrapings of pave- 

 ments or hard roads ; one-eighth rotten cow and ftable- 

 yard dung mixed ; and one-eighth of vegetable mould 

 from decayed oak-leaves : the grafs muft be well rotted, 

 and the whole worked together till it is uniformly mixed. 

 Where -fandy loam cannot be had, common fand may be 

 ufed ; and the mould of rotten fticks or old woods, or from 

 hollow trees, may be fubftituted for the decayed leaves. 



When the border has been prepared, if the weather per- 

 mit 



