THE TIXE AXD ITS FEUIT. 



93 



fclie berries of widcli were as large as pigeons' eggs. 

 SpeecMe)', the gardener at Welbeck, towards tlie 

 end of the last centur}', succeeded in growing a 

 bimch of the Syrian grape which weighed 19i lbs. ; 

 and several eminent grape-growers of the present 

 day have repeatedly produced enormous bunches, 

 which have never before been surpassed, if they have 

 been equalled. About the middle of last century, 

 the cultivation of grapes under glass in the gardens 

 of -the wealthy became pretty general ; but it was 

 not until timber and glass became cheaper that hot- 

 house building became an important trade. This 

 soon brought about a great alteration, not only in 

 the mode of culture, but also in the varieties which 

 were considered worth growing in heated houses. 



the style of house, aspect, and mode of heating and 

 ventQating. For very early forcing, as well as for 

 the production of late crops of grapes, which are 

 usually allowed to hang fi-om the time they are ripe 

 in September until they are cut and bottled in 

 December, the lean-to -vdnery — that is to say, a 

 house built against an existing wall — is in many 

 ways the cheapest and best-adapted structure that 

 can be used ; as the substantial wall, which affords 

 shelter from north winds, prevents sudden de- 

 pressions of temperature in our fickle climate at a 

 time when the tender growths are most easily 

 injured or destroyed by cutting draughts, which 

 camiot be so readily excluded from the nov fashion 

 able span-roof. 



A, Area 



Fig. 3.— Semi-spait-koof Tixert. 

 B B, 'border ; c c, drainage ; d d. Tentilators ; 



e, passage ; oo, pipes. 



Down to that time all the vaiieties had been intro- 

 duced from abroad, but now we have numerous 

 Enghsh seedlings of the highest merit, which 

 growers cultivate by the ton. It is estimated that 

 English gi'owers in 1886 sent 400 tons of grapes to 

 market; Jersey growers supplied about 500 tons; 

 and one tradesman in Kensington disposed of 

 40,000 lbs. to private customers direct. Houses of 

 large size are springing up in every part of the 

 Tnited Kingdom, and the growth of the finest 

 grapes in the world, with which our markets are 

 supplied aU the year round, now forms a \ery im- 

 portant item in our commercial enterprise. 



HOUSES FOR GRAPJE-GROWING. 

 To have first-class grapes aU the year round, con- 

 siderable skill and judgment are required on the 

 part of the cultivator, not only in the selection of 

 varieties suitable for the different seasons at which 

 the grapes may be required in perfection, but also in 



This house (Fig. 1) may be of any length and 

 width, but a fair size for a private garden is 40 to 50 

 feet long, by 15 to 18 feet wide. The angle of the 

 roof should not be less than 35°, neither should it be 

 more than 40°, as sharp-pitched houses are always 

 sensitive and difficult to manage in early spring. 

 In modern gardens, where a lofty back wall would 

 be objectionable, Fig. 2 will be found neat, compact, 

 and well adapted for the growth of early or late 

 grapes. It is a section of a house designed and 

 built by the writer of these pages more than twenty 

 years ago ; and having given entire satisfaction, it is 

 strongly recommended to the amateur or professional 

 grower. The front faces due south, and forms what 

 is termed a fixed roof, with sash-bars 18 inches 

 apart. The glass is 21 oz., British sheet. The front 

 lights work on a central bar of gas-tubing, and the 

 top ventilator, which is hinged to the ridge-tree, 

 is thrown upwards by lule- jointed elbows, firmly 

 ke^-ed to another bar of tubing running the whole 



