128 FRUIT GARDEN COMPANION. 



ing air on a fine day, to get the house and flues in 

 good order, which will be in a few days ; when the 

 fire heat may be kept at night to 45°, and the sun 

 heat to 60°, for a week or two, to get the sap in cir- 

 culation, when the fire heat may be raised to 50° or 

 55°, and the sun heat to 65° or 70°, with air, on a 

 very fine day. During the process, the vines must 

 be well syringed on each fine morning, and slightly 

 in the evening after a sunny day, as they will, in that 

 case, be in a dry condition and imbibe the moisture 

 freely, which will greatly facilitate breaking the 

 buds strong. The best time of syringing in the 

 morning varies with the season ; early in March, the 

 house should be warmed with the sun before the 

 syringe is applied, or it will be much chilled by the 

 operation. As the season advances, the operation 

 may be performed, by degrees, earlier in the morn- 

 ing, and in time it may be performed at sunrise : 

 but, in all cases, it must be performed in such a 

 manner that the vines will soon dry. Wet, remain- 

 ing on any plant long in the process of forcing, is, 

 in all cases, injurious, by overcharging the surface of 

 their leaves with water ; for, in that condition, they 

 are not capable of going through their proper func- 

 tions of perspiration and respiration, owing to the 

 pores of the leaves being stopped with water ; con- 

 sequently, sickness must ensue in proportion to the 

 deprivation. 



When the vines begin to break at the eye, an inch 

 or two long, they are to be finger-pruned by break- 

 ing off the side shoots, leaving only one, which 

 should be the centre, which contains the fruit in em- 

 bryo. The side shoots are what are generally called 

 by gardeners water-shoots, and require in all cases to 



