VITIS. 



init, ths vines may be planted at the end of February, or 

 tlie beginning of March, in the front of the hot-houfe or 

 ftove ; ha\-ing firft taken the precaution to put a httle mofs 

 round the upper part of each ftem, with two or three folds 

 of paper oyer it, tied with bafs matting, to prevent the eyes 

 from being injured in putting the plants through the holes 

 in the wall. A hole, two feet over, and one foot deep, 

 Ihould be made oppofite to each rafter, and clofe to the 

 front wall, making the mould taken out of the holes fine, 

 and adding a little of the compoft. Then turn the plant 

 carefully Out of its pot, and put the upper part through 

 the hole. If the (hoot juft reach the bottom of the rafter, 

 when planted, it is fufficient ; but as the earth may fettle a 

 little, it is better to allow two or three inches more. In 

 clofing the mould to the plant, care (hould be taken to pre- 

 ferve the roots, their fibres being exceedingly brittle. Lay 

 a thin coat of rotten dung over the mould, and give the 

 plant a gentle watering ; then take off the bandage, and 

 fallen the top of the (hoot to the rafter. Only one (hoot 

 (hould remain on each plant. Two may be left for a time ; 

 but when one is fccure, the other muft be taken off, but not 

 clofe to the old wood, as that would occafion it to bleed, 

 and greatly injure it. 



It is obferved in addition, that from the time the vines 

 begin to grow, they will require conilant watering, efpe- 

 cially in dry weather, and before the roots have penetrated 

 fufficiently deep into the border or earth in which they are 

 planted. It is the common praftice, in thefe cafes, to train 

 a (hoot up to each rafter ; and if the rafters be nut a fuf- 

 ficient depth to keep the leaves of the vines from touching 

 the glafs, to have iron pins, of about nine inches in length, 

 fixed at proper diftances under each rafter ; which (hould 

 have a fmall hole or eye at the bottom, through which a 

 fmall iron rod or ftrong wire (liould be thrull for the 

 fupport of the branch, which pins or wires (hould be 

 painted. 



Mr. Forfyth, however, remarks, that when vines are 

 trained ftraight up the rafters in this manner, they only 

 throw out a few eyes at the top, the reft of th> branch 

 being naked ; he therefore advifes the fcrpentine method, as 

 much preferable. 



Tiie plants often (hew fruit at one year old, but it (hould 

 not be fuffered to (land, except a fmgle bunch, to afcertain 

 the fort. In the fummer feafon, the (hoots fhould be con- 

 flantly trained, keeping them regularly fadened to the 

 rafters ; diverting them of their wires and lateral (hoots, 

 and guarding them well againft the red fpider and other 

 ii>fcfts. 



The vines may in general be fuffered to run two-thirds of 

 the length of the rafters before they are ftoppcd ; and thofe 

 which grow remarkably ftrong, the whole length. When 

 thefe (hoots are (lopped, which is done by pinching off 

 their tops, they will, in general, pu(h out laterals, at three 

 or four eyes on the upper part of tlie (hoot, which (liould 

 be allowed to grow twelve or fourteen inches before their 

 tops are pinched off; when thefe in their turn will pu(h 

 out other laterals, wliicli (hould be pinched off at the fecond 

 or third joint ; and thus the fap may be diverted till the 

 end of the feafon. 



When the leaves begin to fall is the bed feafon for 

 pruning. In the (ir(l feafon, fuppofing the vines to have 

 grown v/ith equal vigour, the (hoots may be pruned al- 

 ternately to three, four, or five eyes, or about twenty feet ; 

 but when they have grown moderately ftrong, the (hoots 

 ftiould be pruned down to about eleven feet ; as by this al- 

 ternate pruning the former (hoots will make fine wood for 

 the fuccceding feafon, and the latter will produce a crop of 



Vol. XXXVII. 



fruit ; after which, U)efe fruit-bearing (hoots mutt all be 

 cut down nearly to the bottom of the rafters. But whea 

 any of the plants appear weak, and have not made (hoots 

 more than eight, ten, or twelve feet long, it will be proper 

 to prune every (hoot down to two, three, or four eyes. In 

 performing the work, the (hoots (hould be taken off with a 

 clean (loping llroke, about half an inch above the eye, 

 making choice of a bold eye to terminate the (hoot, and 

 faftening it to the rafter in a complete manner. 



The vines in pine-ftoves begin to make weak (hoots early 

 in January ; the houfe being then kept warm on account 

 of early crops railed in moft hot-houfes. But when it is 

 kept to a proper degree of heat for pines during the winter 

 months, they feldom begin to pu(h till about the middle of 

 February. It is ufual for them to pulh only towards the 

 ends of the (hoots, the other eyes remaining in a dormant 

 ftate, and caufing a long fpace of naked wood ; but to 

 make them pufli nr.ore generally, as foon as the fap io in 

 motion, the houfe (hould be kept for a (hort time a few 

 degrees warmer than ufual. In the morning the ther- 

 mometer (hoidd be five or fix degrees above temperature, and 

 in the day-time the houfe be kept as warm as the weather 

 will permit. It will alfo be neceffary to guard the ftem of 

 the vine on the outfide againft froft ; for one fevere night 

 would greatly injure, if not totally deftroy, the hopes of a 

 crop. This may be done by wrapping tlie part expofed 

 round with mofs, faftened thick witli bafs matting ; which 

 covering (hould remain on till fpring frofts are over, and 

 then the ftem be walhed well to clean it. The vines (hould 

 be divefted of the leaft promifing and fupernumerary (hoots 

 as foon as poffible, and great care (hould be taken not to 

 leave too abundant a crop ; as a few bunches in a high ftate 

 of perfeftion are preferable to many in a poor ftate. 



At the time of flowering, (liould the weather prove hot 

 and dry, with bride winds ; to prevent the berries of dif- 

 ferent forts from falling off at the time of their fetting, it 

 is proper to water the roots of the vines plentifully, to keep 

 the houfe as clofe as the weather will permit, and to water 

 the walks and flues in the hot-houfe conllantly, efpecially 

 late in the evening, when the glaffes (hould be immediately 

 clofcd, by which u beneficial fort of dew is produced. 



In thefe fituations, when the grapes are at their laft fwcll- 

 ing, are becoming tranfparent, and change from green to 

 red or black, and till they are nearly on the point of being 

 ripe, plentiful fupplies of water, efpecially if the feafon 

 prove hot and dry, (hould be given to the vines. 



After the fruit is cut, no other management is required 

 till the pruning feafon, but that of taking off the lateral 

 (hoots in the fame manner as in the preceding cafe. But in 

 the next winter's pruning, all the vines that produced a full 

 crop of fruit fliould be cut down nearly to the bottom, 

 that is, to the lowermoll fummer fiioot, which (hould alfo 

 be cut down to the firit or fecond eye ; while all thofe that 

 were cut down nearly in the preceding feafon, and which 

 will, in general, have made very ftrong wood, muft be left 

 to the length of twenty-one or twenty-two feet each, with 

 the intention of producing a full crop of fruit the follow- 

 ing feafon. 



The management of them during the next fummer will 

 be nearly the fame as in the preceding ; only, as they have 

 incrcafed in ftrenglh :uid fi/,e, they will bo enabled to pro- 

 duce and fupport a larger burthen of fruit. But the crop 

 (hould always he proportioned to the (i/.e and vigour of the 

 plants } but whilll they are young, great moderation ftiould 

 be ufed as to the number of bunches that are allowed to 

 ftand and ripen. They (hoiild be well thinned when the 

 berries arc about tiie fi^c of a fmall (hot. And the maia 

 P p (houldcrj, 



