i28 TREATISE ON THE CULTURE AND 



operation muft never be performed when the nights are cold 

 and frofty. You fhould begin to fprinkle the trees when the fun 

 is in an oblique direction, or gone off the wall, which may be 

 about four o'clock on a South afpecT; ; by doing it at this 

 time, the leaves will have time to dry before night, and fo 

 prevent the froft, if there fhould be any in the night, from 

 injuring them. In very hot and dry weather, give the trees 

 a good bottom watering once a week, which will forward the 

 fwelling of the fruit. Vines require a great deal of watering ; 

 but when the fruit is fully fwelled, you fhould leave it off; 

 particularly when the nights begin to get cold, as it would 

 hurt the flavour of the fruit. 



We fhall fay fomething in this place refpecting the prefer- 

 vation of Grapes from flies, wafps, and birds ; but for full 

 directions on that head, fee the Chapter On Insects, &c. 



As foon as the large fly makes its appearance, you muft pro- 

 vide plenty of bottles a little more than half filled with fome 

 fweet liquor to entice the flies to enter them, where they will 

 be drowned. You muft hang the bottles on the nails at pro- 

 per diftances all over the Vines, and alfo place fome of them 

 at the bottom of the walls. The blue fly comes much earlier 

 than the wafp, and you will find it no lefs deftructive to the 

 fruit. It will therefore be neceilary to hang up the bottles be- 

 times, in order to deftroy as many of them as poflible before 

 the wafp makes its appearance, and have the bottles ready 

 for this fecond enemy. 



When the Grapes begin to ripen, you will be troubled with 

 other enemies; the birds will now begin to attack the fruit; 

 it will then be neceilary to bag fome of your fine handfome 

 bunches, but to bag them all would be an endlefs job, if you 

 have a full crop and a large garden. I have had five men 



bagging 



