CULTURE OF TITE GRAPE-VINE UNDER GLASS. 



459 



them regularly as they require it, training their stems against the wall or 

 trellis in the hothouse. With good culture, in twelve months, they will 

 have stems as thick as the little finger, with 4 feet of well-ripened cane, and 

 plenty of vigorous roots. 



9G9. When planted in the vinery, let them be grown in a like heat till 

 autumn, when the house may be uncovered to ripen the wood ; but care 

 must be taken to prevent their freezing. In winter cut back till you find 

 the wood of a firm texture and good size. Under good culture from 6 feet 

 to 9 feet of firm short-jointed wood may be got. It is always better to leave 

 the canes rather short than otherwise. The leader may be stopped 5 feet or 

 6 feet beyond where it is expected to be cut to in the winter pruning. When 

 you commence growing in the spring, which should not be too early (say 

 Feb. loth,) let the temperature be low, (say 50° Fahr.,) and the atmosphere 

 moist, that the vines may break at all the eyes. The canes, for this purpose, 

 ought to be laid quite level ; and, as soon as the shoots have been protruded 

 from the eyes, the canes may be fixed to the trellis, and the temperature in- 

 creased ; but by no means allow them to bear fruit yet (unless, perhaps, a 

 cluster on each vine to prove the sorts). If it is intended to force for early 

 fruit the third year, to save repetition, reference may be had to the " Diary 

 of Forcmg," hereafter given (971.) To have grapes in their proper season, 

 begin to excite the vines in the middle of March, by keeping the temperature 

 about 50° or 55° Fahr. ; if it will keep at this without fire heat, so much the 

 better. When the vines are coming into flower, 60° Fahr, would do them 

 good ; and after that is over, and the fruit thinned, they will do very well at 

 55° Fahr. as a minimum, and at 85° Fahr. as a maximum, of sun heat. The 

 fruit should be borne on lateral shoots or spurs, which should he stopped at 

 one joint beyond the fruit ; and spurs in the winter pruning should be cut 

 back to one eye. The following may be considered as a summary of 

 culture for three years : — 



Jan. 1, 1836. Vine eyes potted. 

 Nov. 1, 1886. Vine border finished. 



Feb. 14, 1837. Vines planted. 

 Jan. 1, 1838. Canes winter- pruned, 

 or cut back. 



Feb. 14, 1838. Vines excited. 

 Sept. 1, 1838. Vines uncovered. 

 Jan. 1, 1839. Canes pruned. 

 March 16,1839. Vines excited. 

 July, 1839. The fruit ripe. 



970. The sorts preferred at Oakhill, are — Muscat of Alexandria, Dutch 

 Sweetwater, White Frontignan, White Muscadine, Black Hamburgh, Black 

 Prince, Black Frontignan for vineries, and Black Esperione and ^Vhite Mus- 

 cadine for walls, 



971. A diary of the course of culture applied to the grape vines at OaMiiU. 

 — ^The vinery is 34 feet long, 16 feet wide, with 2 feet of mason- work, and 

 2 feet of upright glass in front, and the roof is at an inclination of 27°. The 

 whole interior is heated by a surface of hot- water piping, equal to 312 square 

 feet. A tan pit, erected on piers of brickwork, occupies the centre floor of 

 the house, except only a space of 3 feet 4 inches all round, which is taken 

 up by the pathway and hot-water apparatus. At the back wall of the house 

 the soil is prepared to the depth of 6 feet ; and at the further extremity of 

 the border (J6 feet wide) there are 8^ feet of soil, comprised of equal parts 

 of the following earths :~Turfy loam, (the top spit of a very old undisturbed 

 piece of pasture occupied as a rickyard,) two parts; rotten dung, one part ; 

 lime rubbish, one part ; gritty mud, (the same as road-drift,) one part. The 



