THE FORCING GARDEN. 



581 



The vinery in which he produces his late grapes is much 

 narrower than that in which the early crops are produced, and 

 having the roof also much steeper. The forcing, if we may 

 so call it, in this house commences about the middle or end of 

 May, by shutting up the house, and until the vines are out of 

 blossom a warm temperature is kept up. "This," he justly 

 observes, " is of more importance than is generally imagined. 

 The wood which has to bring the future crop will be all made 

 during this period. In a good heat it will be found to grow 

 more compact, and to receive a form better calculated to pro- 

 duce and ripen fruit, under the cold atmosphere to which it is 

 afterwards exposed. If the house be kept too cool at the 

 beginning, the wood will be soft and long jointed, and there- 

 fore subsequently barren. Those who attempt to grow late 

 grapes must pay serious attention to this circumstance, the 

 feilure of many may be attributed to the neglect of it." 



The sorts of grapes preferred for this late forcing are the 

 Black Damascus, St. Peter's, and Muscat of Alexandria, as 

 they have the properties of continuing much longer in a per- 

 fect state after they are ripe, as well as their ripeni-ng better, 

 after the sun becomes less powerful than any others. It is, 

 however, necessary to complete the success of this late forcing, 

 to have the berries perfectly coloured before the season is too 

 far gone. A mild temperature being maintained during winter, 

 these will be fit for cutting by the middle of January, and 

 continue in perfection till those in the early forced houses 

 come in, in March. 



The vinery recommended by Mr. Atkinson for early forcing 

 is now in very general use, and may safely be recommended 

 as the most economical and rational of any. The accompany- 

 ing plan, section, and elevation, will illustrate its principle. 

 The roof sashes are fixed, and air admitted by the ventilators 

 (A and B). These vineries have hitherto been heated by smoke- 

 flues, but may be heated by hot water, the pipes and boiler to 

 be placed where the furnace and flues are represented. In the 

 accompanying plan, the furnace is placed in the sheds behind, 

 and the flues entering the house under the floor level, proceed 

 to within a reasonable distance of the front wall to admit of 

 the vines being planted inside the house ; they then rise above 



