138 FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON THE 



The method of forcing Vines planted in the 

 open ground, as has already been hinted, will, in 

 this country, be far more advisable than the fore- 

 going practice, and is more particularly suitable to 

 those persons who are not possessed of any of the 

 larger buildings above described. 



For this purpose the Vines should be planted 

 about three feet apart, and trained in an hori- 

 zontal position about eighteen inches or two feet 

 from the ground. Large melon-frames may in 

 this case be used to produce a late crop of grapes, 

 after the melon-season is over. 



The bottom of the frame should be covered 

 over with slate or tiles, to prevent the damp of 

 the ground from rising, and to reflect the sun's 

 rays, to the great furtherance of the grapes. 



A lining of hot horse-dung, kept constantly 

 round the outside of the frame, will also tend 

 greatly to accelerate the ripening of the fruit. 



The early kinds of grapes are the most proper 

 for this method of forcing. 



In countries where coal abounds, the Vines are 

 sometimes forced by flued walls without any cover- 

 ing, but I have seldom seen good crops of grapes 

 perfected this way ; the berries on the bunches do 

 not ripen equally : from the constant heat and re- 

 flection of the wall, the berries on the side of the 

 bunch next it will ripen long before those in front, 

 which will render the bunch unsightly, and hardly 

 fit for the table at any season. Besides, both wall 

 and border being at all times exposed to the 



