578 



THE PRACTICAL GARDENER. 



[Jan. 



roots that may be near the surface. About the beginning of 

 the month, or indeed as soon as the operations of cleaning and 

 washing the house are commenced, the sashes should be put on 

 (if they have been at all removed), and shut up every night, 

 as well as during heavy rains or snows during the day, but a 

 sufficient circulation of air should be admitted during the day, 

 either by the lights or by means of ventilators, to keep tlie tem- 

 perature nearly equal to that out of doors, till towards the 

 third week in the month, when it may be allowed to exceed the 

 external temperature a few degrees. During the third week, 

 slight fires should be made throughout the day to dry the flues, 

 and if they raise the temperature in the house, give sufficient 

 air to keep it within due bounds. 



If the vines be planted outside of the house, they should be 

 protected by means of moss or hay-bands first wound round 

 their stems, then covered with long littery dung or fern-fronds, 

 secured from being blown about by a piece of old mat, or any 

 such covering. 



The stems of the vines inside the house, and their larger 

 branches for some feet from the stem, should be covered with 

 moss or soft hay wound round them, and watered frequently 

 with a syringe, which will keep the stems moist, and will con- 

 tribute to their breaking stronger, and the production of vi- 

 gorous shoots. In cases of hard forcing this is particularly 

 necessary, and should always be done to such vines as are 

 planted in pine-houses, particularly such as are planted within 

 the house. 



The able conductor of the Gardeners' Magazine make the 

 following excellent remarks upon Mr. Shephard's practice : 

 *' The vines have been in a state of continued pine-apple heat 

 for thirty, and some for nearly forty years, and during the 

 whole time bearing excellent crops. The sorts are chiefly the 

 Black Hamburg and Sweetwater, with some Muscats. Mr. 

 Shephard's general practise is to keep his pines at a very low 

 temperature during autumn, and very high in the beginnino- 

 of summer, the difference between which gives the vines a com- 

 parative winter ; add to this, that they are chiefly trained over 

 the back path, and that, by letting the sashes down during 

 the greater part of the day in September, the leaves and shoots 



