Book I. 



CULTURE OF THE VINERY. 



543 



2958. Choice by anlicipation. A mode of very general utility is to select the plants in 

 the nursery a year before wanted, and to order them to be potted into very large pots, 

 baskets, or tubs, filled with the richest earth, and plunged in a tan-bed. They will thus 

 make stioots, which, the first year after removal to their final destination, will, under or- 

 dinary cii'cumstances, produce fruit. 



2959. Planting inside or outside the house. Vines are commonly either trained against 

 the back wall, or on a trellis under the glass roof. In the former case, the plants are al- 

 ways placed inside the house ; but in the latter, there are two opinions among practical 

 men, one in favor of planting them outside, and the other inside the parapet wall. Where 

 the vines are to be drawn out when in a dormant state, as is generally the case with those 

 trained under the rafters of pineries, there can be no question that outside planting must 

 be adopted ; but for vineries, where this practice is not requisite, it seems preferable to 

 plant them inside. This is Nicol's practice, who places one plant " behind the parapet, 

 and between it and the front flue, in the centre of eacli light." 



2960. Mode of plantiiig. Abercrombie says, " Let them be carefully turned out of 

 the pots, reducing the balls a little, and singling out the matted roots. Thexi place them 

 in the pits, just as deep in the earth as they were before, carefully spreading out 

 the fibres, and filling in with fine sifted earth, or with vegetable mould. Settle all with 

 a little water ; and let them have plenty of free air every day, defending them from very 

 severe frost or much wet ; which is all the care they will require, till tljiey begin to push 

 young shoots." 



2961. JudcVs mode of planting seems to be excellent in its kind ; it is founded on the principle of 

 increasing the number of mouths or feeders of the roots of plants (740.), to enable them to search for, 

 and take up food, rather than gorging such as they may have with too much food, or with food of too 

 rich a quality. The vines being raised from single eyes in March, were in the March of the following year 

 cut down to one eye, and put in bottom boa* till they produced shoots of sufficient length to draw through 

 the holes in the parapet of his viner}, ' ' • n't two feet ; afterwards they were hardened in the green- 

 house, where a temperature was kept of aboat M^, and there they grew two feet more. Holes were opened 

 in the vine border in the beginniis?: o; ' f;iy, and in about a fortnight after, a wheelbarrow full of old tan, 

 or earth of tan, was put in each hoi . , in the middle of which the roots of the pine-plants remained after 

 being treated as follows. " The Ic^'^es were cut off' from the lower part of the plant, about two feet and 

 a half of its length ; the end of the shoot was then drawn very carefully through the hole, so that the 

 pot being removed, the ball v/as placed two feet distant from the front of the house, upon its side, so that 

 the stem lay in a horizontal pos'tior.. ibout six inches below the level of the surface of the border. When 

 thus placed, the whole of the f-teia. which was to be covered was slit, or tongued, at each eye, like a 

 carnation layer, by passing a snarp penknife at three quarters of an inch below each eye, and on the side 

 of the eye, about one third of the thickness into the wood, and then upwards to the centre of the joint. 

 This being done, the stem was covered with about four inches of old tan, and the other two inches were 

 filled up with the mould of the border." It is essential to the safety of the shoot, that the slitting be done 

 the last thing, and whilst it is laid in its position, lest the stem should be broken. By slitting the stem, 

 he adds, " abundance of roots are produced from every eye : the progress of the shoot is not very 

 great until the roots begin to push out ;" after which, however, it is so surprising that those under Judd's 

 management were from twenty-five to thirty feet in length, and of proportionate strength. {Hort. Trans. 

 iv. 4.) 



2962. Season of jdanting. As the plants are generally in pots, and may be turned out 

 with balls, they may be planted in almost any month in the year ; but the autumn or 

 spring months are of course to be preferred. Nicol says, I have planted grape-houses 

 in May, and in June, that have succeeded so well, as that the plants have reached the top 

 of the house before November in the same years. They were kept in pots, and so care- 

 fully turned out of them in transplanting, as that the plants experienced no check, although 

 sprung many inches. I have also done the like with peaches." 



2963. Distance. Speechly disapproves of the common practice of planting all the dif- 

 ferent sorts of grapes at the same distances, and advises a larger or less space to be allowed, 

 in proportion to the natural character and qualities of the plant. Vines planted at three 

 or four feet apart he considers as crowded ; for though by this mode a house will soon 

 get furnished, and tolerable crops of grapes be produced in a few years ; yet after remain- 

 ing many years so close together they will be cramped in their growth for want of room, 

 and thereby rendered less productive. On a wall or trellis twelve feet high, he recom- 

 mends six feet between plant and plant for the weak and delicate kinds, and twelve feet 

 for those that grow robust and strong. But in order to obtain a crop of grapes as soon 

 as possible, he proposes to introduce temporary plants between the principals ; such tem- 

 porary plants to have been grown two or three years, in large pots, so as to come imme- 

 diately into bearing, and to be trained so as to occupy the upper parts of the wall, while 

 the principals are furnishing it below. {Treat, on Vine, 102.) 



2964. Temporary plants. " At first planting a house," Abercrombie observes, " some 

 of the vines may be introduced as temporary plants. After the wood from a good stool is 

 able to cover the space between two or more lights, plants less vigorous, or which bear 

 fruit not so well approved, may be taken quite away. A vinery is better adapted for cul- 

 tivating a single plant to a considerable extent than a hot-house." 



2965. Pruning and training. Tlie opinions of authors and practical men on this sub- 

 ject are very various ; and each, as M' Phail observes, lays " much stress on his own mode ;" 

 he adds, " but I am of opinion, that to have good crops of grapes much more depends 



