Book I. 



CULTURE OF THE VINERY. 



551 



a lively growing state. This can be done only by much attention, in making gentle fires, and admitting 

 an easy circulation of fresh air in the house every favorable opportunity." 



3009. Nicol says, " Those who have two or three grape-houses, generally begin to force the earliest by 

 the first of the year, and sometimes even in November or December." 



3010. In Holland, Speechly observes, " they begin to force the vines in November, in order to have 

 ripe grapes in April, and sometimes they succeed in producing them by the end of March, in pretty 

 good perfection." 



3011. Griffin puts on the sashes and commences forcing early in January ; no fire is used the first week ; 

 in the second week a little fire is made every other night ; the third week the heat is kept from 50^ to 

 520, but not allowed to exceed 55^ till the vines begin to break; from that time, until they blow, the 

 heat is kept between 52Q and 51^ ; and whilst they are in bloom the heat is raised to between 

 57" and 65o. " Air is regularly given plentifully through all these stages, until the bloom appears, 

 when the house is kept close, except the sun be very powerful When the bloom is past, attention 

 is paid to thinning the grapes, a regular heat is then kept up, and air in due quantity, as the weather 

 permits, is admitted, observing to give a larger proportion when the heat of the sun . is strong, and always 

 shutting up the house early in the afternoon." The crop so treated generally ripens in July. {Hort. 

 Trans.iu. 106.) 



3012. Care of outside stems. " At whatever season forcing commences, the stems of 

 vines planted outside the house should be guarded from the stagnating effects of cold, 

 by a bandage of hay, or moss and bass matting, round the bole, and a mulching of dry 

 litter over the root. The excluded stems must be protected in the same vv^ay at the com- 

 mencement of the forcing season. Wliile the vines are young, it vs^ill also be advisable 

 to cover the outside border, in w^inter, with strawy dung taken from the outside of old 

 hot-beds." (^Abercrombie.) 



5013. Griffin keeps the stems of his vines inside the house moist, from the time of beginning to force 

 till the bunches show themselves, by daily watering them with a syringe. This, he says, contributes 

 materially to the production of vigorous shoots. Some gardeners wrap the stems round with moss, which 

 they keep moist for two or three months, for the same purpose. In hard forcing, practices of this sort are 

 particularly necessary. 



3014. Temperature. " Begin," Abercrombie says, " at 50" min. 55° max. In a 

 week, raise the minimum to 55*^, and the maximum to 60®. Till the time of budding, 

 the temperature should not exceed 60° from artificial heat, and 64° from collected sun- 

 heat. After the buds are in full motion, it may be raised to 60° min. 64. max. from 

 fire, and 68° from sun-heat. By the time the bloom expands, the lowest effect from 

 the flues should be 66° : the highest may be 72° ; and when the sun's influence is strong, 

 let it be accumulated, by confining the interchange of air to the ventilators, till the 

 heat rise to 80°. After the fruit is set, the minimum should be 75°, and fresh air co- 

 piously admitted." 



3015. M'Phail says, in beginning and continuing to force the vine, " nature should be imitated, by in- 

 creasing the heat as the days lengthen ; but it should be remembered, that to ripen the best sorts of 

 grapes, they require as great a heat as the pine-apple does to ripen it in the summer ; for the vine has no 

 artificial heat to its roots." 



3016. Nicofs directions, supposing the forcing to commence on the first of February, are as follow t 

 " Make the fires so moderate as that the thermometer may not pass 50^, or at most 55<J, mornings and 

 evenings, until every bud in the house have begun to spring. This is a point of very great importance in 

 the forcing of grapes. If the forcing be commenced with a dash, as some fast-growing gardeners term it, and 

 if a high temperature be kept up from the beginning, the chance is, that a third or fourth part of the 

 buds will not push, and of course there wiU be a great faUing off in the expected crop. After the whole 

 of the shoots and buds are in an evident state of vegetation, the temperature may be gradually raised to 

 60^, 65«, and 70°, at which it may continue till the bloom begin to open. This rise from 50^ to.70Q must 

 not be sudden : it should not be effected in less time than a fortnight ; or, if the plants be not in a very 

 strong state, three weeks, otherwise the shoots will push weakly." After the plants come into bloom, he 

 directs the heat to be raised to 75o M'Phail and Abercrombie allow it to be a little higher " with the 

 sun heat, and if there be air at the house. When the fruits are ripening, the air of the house ought to 

 rise from 75^ to 85Q, with sun-heat and plenty of air." {Pr. Gr.) 



3017. Mearns, in forcing the vine, considers it of the utmost importance to the bold breaking of the buds, 

 and to the strength of the wood, not to force vines hard until the first leaves arrive nearly at their full 

 size. " After that period," he says, " I give them a much less portion of air, suffering the sun to raise the 

 thermometer to 90" or 100° before I give any. There is no danger of drawing the wood after that stage of 

 growth, and if the thermometer sinks at night to 60°, the vines will do better in a higher temperature in 

 the day." {Hort. Trans, iv. 254.) 



3018. Air. Abercrombie directs this to be given pretty freely by the sashes till the 

 leaves unfold. Before the foliage is fully made out, begin to keep the house close, ad- 

 mitting air only by the ventilators ; and particularly observe to have a sultry, moist cli- 

 mate while the blossom is coming out, and until it is off and the fruit set. While the 

 fruit is swelling and ripening, the plants will want abundance of heat and air." {Pr, 

 Gr.651.) 



3019. M'Phail recommends a little air to be given during a part of the d^y while the thermometer is 

 above 65°,' and the sun shines in the winter months, and abundance in the summer season when the heat 

 exceeds 7-5° or 80°. 



3020. Nicol, in beginning to force, admits air freely every day, by opening the sashes in the ordinary way, 

 until the foliage begin to expand ; and to an extent that the thermometer may not rise to more than five 

 degrees above the fire-heat medium in sunshine ; thus bringing away the buds strong and vigorous. But 

 after the foliage begins to expand, except in fine weather, the house should be chiefly aired by means 

 of the ventilators, until the blossom is over, and the fruit begin to set ; or at least until the season become 



"^3021. Wlien grapes are setting, air need not be admitted so freely as before, grapes being found to set best 

 in a high moist heat. " A moderate circulation by the ventilators will be sufficient for the purpose, except 

 perhaps in clear sunshine ; when it may be necessary to open a few of the sashes at top, in order to let the rare- 

 fied air escape, and keep the temperature within due bounds. Air is to be increased as the season and growth 

 of the plants and fruit advance. When the fruit is ripening, it should be admitted more freely than here^ 



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