68 



EXPERIMENTS WITH VINES. 



ing the gardens at Wrotham Park : " We observed that 

 the forcing-houses were showing well for fruit; that 

 the huge vinery in the centre of the range — where the 

 vines are planted in the centre of the house, the stems 

 supported by iron pillars till they reach near the glass, 

 and then branch to the back and front — was in great 

 luxuriance, though the size of the stems spoke of the 

 vines having seen many summers " (they were then, 

 with the exception of that to be referred to, only nine 

 years old), "and one of these stems seemed to be con- 

 tending for the mastery with the iron column, clasping 

 it so firmly, as ultimately, I fear, to suffer from the 

 embrace." This latter was my old friend, whose roots 

 I cut in so severely ; and when I saw this same house 

 in 1860, this octogenarian — for such he must be — was 

 in as great vigour as the comparatively young vines 

 by his side."' 



Another, to some extent experimental, process, by 

 which I renewed the border and replanted a house with 

 Muscats at Wrotham Park, may be interesting, and 

 probably useful, to some of my readers. This house 

 was what had been a pine-stove ; and up each rafter a 

 very old Hamburg vine was trained, pines being grown 

 in a pit underneath them. For special reasons it was 

 determined to grow fewer pines, so that this house would 

 not in future require to be occupied with them ; and it 

 was determined to make a new border, which had to be 

 entirely outside the house, and plant the house with 

 Muscats, after cutting a crop of grapes off the Ham- 

 burgs, in 1847. With a view to this I got as many 

 round flat hampers as there were rafters in the house 

 to be planted, and set them on some boards on the 



* This vine continues to increase in vigour and fruitfulness, I learn, at this 

 date, March 18G9. 



