lb the fruit will never thrive after •, therefore the fcif- 
fears which are ufed for this purpofe, fhould have ve- 
ry narrow points, that they may be more eafily put 
between the Grapes without injuring the remaining 
ones. The other forts of Grapes which I have re- 
commended for thefe hot walls, do not produce their 
fruit fo dole together on the bunches, fo they will 
not require this operation, unlefs by any accident they 
fhould receive a blight, which often occafions a great 
inequality in the fize of the Grapes-, which, whenever 
it thus happens, will require to be remedied by cut- 
ting off the fmall Grapes, that the bunches may ripen 
equally, and appear- more fightly; 
By the middle of June thefe Grapes will be almoft 
full grown, therefore the glaffes may be kept off con- 
tinually in the day time, unlels the feafon fhould 
prove very cold and wet, in which Cafe they muff Be 
kept on, and only opened when the weather is fa- 
vourable for as the racy vinous flavour of thefe fruits 
is increafed by a free air, fo during the time of their 
ripening, they fhould have as large a fhare as the fea- 
fon will admit to be given them. 
Before the Grapes begin to ripen, they muff be care- 
fully guarded againfl birds, wafps, and other infeds, 
otherwife they will be destroyed in a fhort time : to 
prevent which, the Vines fhould be carefully covered 
with nets, fo as to exclude the birds, who make great 
havock with the Grapes, by breaking their fkins j and 
if there are a few twigs covered with birdlime placed 
here and there on the outfide of the nets, it will be of 
fervice, becaufe the birds are often fo bold as to at- 
tempt to break the nets to get to the Grapes ; which, 
if they attempt, they may be fo entangled on thefe 
twigs, as not to get loofe; and whenever that happens, 
they fhould not be difengaged, but flittered to remain 
to keep off their companions ; and if they get off 
themfelves, it will have the defired effect, for there 
will few other birds come to the fame place that fea- 
fon, as I have more than once experienced. 
As to the wafps, the belt method is to hang up fome 
phials about half filled with fugared water, and rub 
the- necks of the phials with a little honey, which will 
draw all the wafps and flies to them, which, by at- 
tempting to get at the liquor, will fall into the phials 
and be drowned thefe phials fhould be carefully 
looked over once in three or four days to take out 
the wafps and deftroy them, and to replenifh the 
phials with liquor. If this be duly obferved, and the 
phials placed in time, before the Grapes are attacked, 
it will effedually prevent their being injured ; but 
where thefe precautions are not taken, the Grapes 
will be in danger of being abfolutely deftroyed ; for 
as thefe early Grapes will ripen long before any others 
againfl common walls, they will be in much more 
danger, there being no other fruit for them at that 
feafon in the neighbourhood ; whereas, when Grapes 
in general begin to ripen, there is a quantity in al- 
moil every garden 5 fo that if they deftroy a part in 
each garden, yet there will be a greater chance to have 
fome efcape, than where there is only one wall for 
them to attack. 
Thefe forts of Grapes being forced in the manner be- 
fore direded, will begin to ripen early in Auguft, es- 
pecially the Black and Red Frontinacs, which will be 
fit for the table a fortnight earlier than the other 
forts but as the defign of forcing them is to have 
them in as great perfedion as poffible in this climate, 
they fhould not be gathered until they are thorough 
ripe, for which reafon fome of the later forts fhould 
be left on the Vines till September ; but then the 
glaffes fhould be kept over them in wet and cold wea- 
ther to protedl the fruit from it, but whenever the 
weather is fair, the glaffes muft be opened to let in 
the free air, otherwife the damps, arifing from the 
earth at that feafon, will caufe a mould inefs upon the 
Grapes, which will rot them ; fo that if the feafon 
fhould prove very cold and wet while the fruit are 
upon the Vines, it will be proper to make a fmall 
fire every eight to dry off the damps, and prevent 
this- injury. Moft people in England gather their 
■ 2 
Grapes too foon, never fuffering them to remain oh 
the Vines to ripen perfedtly, even in the warmeft fea- 
fons, when, if they are left on till after Michaelmas, 
they will be good. 
Of late years many perfons have planted Grapes 
againfl efpaliers, which in fdme places have fucceed- 
ed very well in good feafons ; but if they are not 
planted in a good foil and to a proper afpedt, and the 
forts rightly chofen, they feldom produce any fruit 
which are fit to be eaten. The foil proper to plant 
Vines in efpaliers, fhould be the fame as is hereafter 
diredted for vineyards, viz. either a chalky or gra- 
velly bottom, with about a foot and a half or two 
feet of light hazel earth on the top, a little hoping to 
the fouth or fo.uth eaft, that the wet may eafily find a 
paffage, fo as not to remain on the ground. In fuch 
a foil fituated to the fun, and fereened from cold winds, 
there are feveral forts of Grapes, which in warm fea- 
fons will ripen very well in England. 
But there are fome curious perfons who line the back 
fide of their efpaliers with low Reed hedges, and 
others who do it with thin flit deals ; both of which 
are a good defence to the Vines againfl blights in the 
fpring, and accelerate the ripening of the Grapes, fo 
that in tolerable feafons they will come to good ma- 
turity. Neither of thefe methods are very expenfive, 
for thefe clofe fences need not be more than four feet 
high, becaufe the Vines being to be managed after 
the fame manner as thofe in vineyards, the branches 
which carry the fruit will never rife above that height ; 
for the bearing fhoots muft always be trained about 
two feet above the furface of the grourld, fo that the 
fruit will be always below the top of the clofe fences ; 
and as for the upright fhoots, which are defigned for 
the next year’s bearing, it matters not how much they 
rife above the fence j fo thefe may have a loofe trel- 
lis, to which they may be fattened, to prevent their 
overhanging the fruit. 
In the making of thefe kinds of clofe efpaliers for 
Grapes, it will be proper to lay one ftrong oaken 
plank (fuch as are procured in breaking up old fhips 
or barges,) next the furface of the ground, which 
will laft many years found, and be very ufeful in fup- 
porting the fences. If thefe planks are fifteen inches 
broad, as they may always be readily procured, and 
the upper part of the fence be Reeds, there may be 
two lengths cut out of them (provided the Reeds are 
of a due length,) without including their tops. In 
the front of thefe hedges fhould be a flight trellis to 
fallen the Vines to, which may be made of Afh poles. 
The upright poles of thefe trelliffes need not be nearer 
together than eighteen inches j and if there are three 
crofs poles, at about a foot afunder, they will be fuf- 
ficient to fallen the bearing fhoots of the Vines at 
proper diftances in the manner they are defigned to 
be trained, which fhould be in fuch pofitions, that 
the fruit may not be overfhadowed by the branches ; 
and if the upright poles are cut fo long, as to be a foot 
and a half above the Reeds, they will be tall enough 
to fupportthe upright fhoots for the next year’s bearing, 
which being trained fingly at proper diftances, will 
have the advantage of the fun and air to ripen the 
wood, much better than where four or five fhoots are 
fattened to the fame pole. 
To this trellis the Reeds may be fattened with hoops 
on the back fide, after the manner ufually pradifed 
in making common Reed fences ; and if on the top 
of the Reeds there is fattened a thin flip of deal, to 
fecure their tops from being broken, it will preferve 
them a long time. In making of thefe fences, the 
Reeds fhould not be laid too thick, for that will not 
only be more expence, but will be troublefome to 
fatten, and not laft fo long as when they are made of 
a moderate thicknefs : therefore as the Reeds will be 
cut into two lengths, each bundle will fpread about 
fix feet in length, obferving firft to fpread the bot- 
tom parts of the bundles, which contain the largeft 
ends of the Reeds the whole length ; and then the 
upper parts of the other Reeds fhould be reverfed, and 
fpread in front of them, which will make the upper 
