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LII. On the Cultivation of Grapes on flued walls in the open 

 air in Scotland. Bij Mr. George Shiells ; Gardener to Lord 

 Blantyre, Erslcine House, near Glasgow. 



Read January 18, 1842. 



I n consequence of some very fine Black Hamburgh Grapes, from 

 the open walls of Erskine House Gardens, near Glasgow, per- 

 fectly ripe and well-coloured, having been sent to the Society by 

 Mr. Shiells, on the fifth of October last ; on which occasion a 

 Knightian Medal was assigned to them, Mr. Shiells was requested 

 to describe the circumstances under which these specimens, so 

 remarkable for a bad season like that of 1841, were produced ; 

 which he has done in the following letter : 



Sir, — In compliance with your request I have the pleasure to 

 send you the following statement of our mode of managing vines 

 on a flued wall. 



The border is composed of a strong loam, upon a porous whin- 

 stone bottom, and is mulched over every winter with littery dung. 

 In the spring the strawy part is taken off and the remainder forked 

 lightly in. The border is well watered with drainings from the 

 dunghill two or three times in the course of the season. 



In former years, when the summers were more warm and sunny, 

 my practice was as follows. 



About the end of April or beginning of May, when the clusters 

 began to appear, a double net was placed against the wall to pro- 

 tect them, having the upper side fixed over the projecting edge of 

 the coping and the under side fastened to stakes placed four-feet 

 distant from the wall. This netting was allowed to remain until 

 the end of June or until all the fruit was set. — We did not apply 

 fire-heat until the middle or latter end of May, in order to bring 



