80 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 26, 1893; 
borate all your correspondent says about being able to keep Grapes in 
it until June. It used to be the practice of Mr. M'Kellar to send old 
and new Grapes to the table together during the latter part of May, and 
I have seen Grapes hanging on it plump and sound as late as the 22nd of 
June. 
The room has a lean-to roof, with a north aspect, and being at the 
back of a late Peach case on the ground floor enables it to be kept very 
cool, and forming altogether an excellent place for keeping late Grapes 
in. I fancy, however, Mr. M‘Kellar would smile to himself as he read 
your correspondent’s letter detailing “ the plan I adopt ” of keeping 
Grapes, he having had the room fitted up, and for a number of years so 
successfully kept late Grapes in it.—N. F. Baenes, Eaton Gardens. 
WOKK.foiitheWeEK.. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Vines. — Earliest Forced in Pots. —These must be pushed ahead to 
have the Grapes ripe in March. White Frontignan is fit for use first, 
because it is richer flavoured than the “Sweetwater” Grapes, and colours 
quickly. Foster’s Seedling and Black Hamburgh, though apparently 
ripe, require a few days to mature after being coloured, otherwise the 
Grapes are harsh in flavour. Thin the bunches rather freely to induce 
fine berries, not, however, going to the extreme of making them loose. 
Maintain a temperature of 65° at night when the Grapes are swelling, 
falling 5° on cold mornings, but get the heat up early in the day to 65° 
or 70° on cold days, and 5° more when mild, increasing the ventilation 
from 70° with sun heat to 80° or 85°. Close early in the afternoon, and 
if the temperature rise to 85° or 90° after closing, and the atmosphere is 
humid, the Grapes will swell rapidly. Damp the surfaces also in the 
early part of the day and before nightfall when the weather is bright. 
Afford copious supplies of liquid manure, and sprinkle a little of the 
following mixture on the surface of the top-dressing of loam or manure : 
—three parts bone superphosphate, two parts powdered saltpetre, and 
one part ground gypsum, all dry and well mixed, continuing the appli¬ 
cation until the Grapes change colour for ripening. 
Earliest House. —Permanent Vines are ruined by hard forcing, and 
remunerative returns can only be had from full and perfect crops. The 
Vines started at the beginning of December will now require attention 
in tying the shoots and stopping them one or two joints beyond the show 
of fruit where the space is limited, the axillary or lateral growths below 
the bunch being removed, except those from the two lowest joints, 
which, with those above the fruit, should be stopped at the first leaf and 
to each subsequent one as made. Allow no more bearing shoots to 
remain than will admit of space for the full exposure of the principal 
leaves to light and air ; also the laterals, for their power of elaborating 
the food supplies is proportionate to their development and advantages. 
The laterals also should have a fair shade of light, not allowing them to 
interfere with the main leaves, yet moderate lateral extension is 
essential to root activity. 
Where the Grapes are in flower the temperature should be main¬ 
tained at 65°, and 5° more for Muscats by artificial means, and 10° to 15° 
advance from sun heat. Sweetwater and Muscat varieties should have 
the points of the bunches drawn to the light, assisting fertilisation by 
shaking the Vines every day or go over the bunches carefully with a 
camel’s-hair brush, and varieties that do not afford pollen freely should 
have it taken from other sorts, and this dusted over the stigmas after 
the bunches have been brushed over, so as to remove the “ caps ” that 
frequently adhere to the anthers and stigmas. A constant circulation 
of rather dry warm air is highly advantageous in securing a good set. 
Thinning should commence directly the Grapes are set, so as to get 
as much size in those remaining as possible, but shy setting varieties must 
not be thinned until the properly fertilised berries can be distinguished 
by their taking the lead in swelling, as they may when the size of small 
peas. Great care is necessary in ventilating at this season, providing air 
in moderate quantity, commencing early (a little at a time) so as not to 
reduce the temperature, only to prevent its rising too suddenly and too 
high. Afford a due supply of water or liquid manure to inside borders, 
never less in temperature than the mean of the house. 
Houses Started at the JVew Year. —The Vines are breaking freely 
and strongly, and^ require syringing on fine afternoons and damping 
exposed surfaces in the morning and afternoon, so as to maintain a 
genial condition of the atmosphere. Avoid a very close saturated atmo¬ 
sphere, as it only provokes the emission of aerial roots from the rods, 
and these weaken rather than strengthen the Vines. Increase the 
temperature to 55° at night and 60° to 65° by day, and to 75° from sun 
heat, gradually advancing the heat with the growth so as to have 60° at 
night by the time the Vines are in leaf and 5° to 10° more by day. 
Ventilate carefully and in accordance with the state of the weather. 
Let the borders be properly moistened, not, however, making them 
sodden by needless waterings, for that hinders root action, and its 
effects are frequently seen in shanked Grapes. 
Houses to Afiord Pipe Grapes in July, —These must now be 
closed, and the house started not later than the beginning of February 
to have the Grapes fit to cut early in July. If the borders are partly 
inside and partly outside the house the latter need not be covered with 
any protective material, but when the roots are all outside enough 
leaves or litter should be employed to prevent the soil freezing, as we 
have found it do in February to a depth of 6 to 8 inches, and the Vine 
foliage flag in consequence of the roots not affording proper supplies of 
sap. Outside stems must also be well bound with dry haybands, for if 
these get frozen the crop will probably collapse in the embryo state. 
Syringe the rods two or three times a day, depressing young canes to the 
horizontal line or lower, and maintain a night temperature of 50°, and 
5° more by day artificially, with 65° from sun heat. Water inside borders, 
repeatedly if necessary to bring them into a moist condition, for though 
fresh rootlets are not pushed until the Vines are in growth moisture is 
essential to the transformation of the stored matter in the Vines into 
sustenance. 
Late Houses. — Gros Colman is the noblest berried and Gros 
Guillaume the largest bunched black Grapes, and to have them really 
good in quality the Vines require to be started by the middle of 
February to early March, as they not only need more time than late 
varieties generally to ripen, but it is essential that they have the full 
benefit of the spring and early summer sun to develop their growth, and 
the last two months of summer to perfect their crops. The wood then 
gets well ripened, and the fruit being thoroughly finished, these are the 
noblest black Grapes extant. Complete all pruning, dressing the Vines, 
and cleansing late houses as soon as possible. 
Look over Grapes in the store-room occasionally for decayed berries, 
replenishing the bottles with clear rain water as required. Avoid fire 
heat as much as possible, affording air to prevent an accumulation of 
moisture, and maintain an equable temperature of 45°. 
Raising Vines from Eyes.—These may now be inserted in pots or 
pans. Select firm, well-ripened wood, making the cuts clean, and insert 
the buds, eye upwards, in any light friable compost, say fibrous loam 
two parts, and one part leaf soil, covering them about half an inch deep 
with a little silver sand under and about the cutting. Pieces of turf 
about 3 inches square and deep, hollowed an inch deep in the centre on 
the reverse side, the eyes inserted, one in each turf, with sandy soil, and 
plunged in a bottom heat of 80°, soon become rooted, and when they 
have made two or three leaves each, can be placed singly in 6-inch pots, 
the breaking of the fibrelets outside the turf causing the emission of 
numberless fibres. This is a better plan than removing the young canes 
from pots or pans. 
Cut-baekVines. —Those raised from eyes last spring, and which are 
not of a strength for fruiting or planting, should be cut back to an eye 
or two as near the surface of the soil as possible, dressing the cuts with 
best French polish, and placing the Vines (not later than early February) 
in a house with a temperature of 60° to 65° at night, and 70° to 75° by 
day, and when they have grown 2 or 3 inc’nes shake them out and repot. 
Turfy loam torn up with the hands rather roughly, with a fifth of horse 
droppings, and a sixth of old mortar rubbish, mixed, adding a 9-inch 
potful of charcoal to every 3 bushels of compost, and a similar propor¬ 
tion of wood ashes, with a quart each of soot and Thomas’ phosphate 
powder (basic slag) form a capital compost for pot Vines, further aid 
being given by top-dressings of the mixture previously advised for fruit¬ 
ing Vines in pots, phosphatic, potassic, and calcic elements—the chief 
requirements of Vines—being best applied when they are in growth. 
Pots 6 or 7 inches in diameter are large enough for ordinary cut-backs, 
unless large, when they may have 9-inch, and from these they can be 
transferred to the fruiting pots. A slight bottom heat is an advantage 
for these Vines, but it is not essential, a genial condition of the atmo¬ 
sphere being maintained by sprinkling the house and Vines two or three 
times a day. 
Cherry House. —Cherry trees foster aphides of the worst kind, and 
unless a sharp look out is kept, and they are destroyed directly they 
appear, the pests get into the trusses of bloom and spoil all chances of a 
crop. Take, therefore, every care to have the trees perfectly clean before 
the blossoms appear. Cherry trees also are soon ruined by too much 
heat in the early stages of their growth, especially when the ventilation 
is indifferent, as it never must be. Commence ventilating at 50°, allow¬ 
ing an increase of 15° with proportionate ventilation, but only from sun 
heat, closing the house at 60°, 45° being sufficient by day artificially, 
and 40° at night. Water will not yet be required at the roots where the 
roof lights have been removed and the borders properly moistened 
through to the drainage, but there must not be any deficiency, giving a 
supply when necessary. Trees in pots require due supplies, avoiding 
extremes. Do not keep the trees constantly dripping with moisture, 
but syringe only on fine days and early, and damp the surface of the 
borders whenever they become dry. 
Top-dress the borders with partially decayed lumpy manure about 
1 inch thick, and when the roots become active near the surface apply a 
dressing of superphosphate, with a little nitrate of potash—say, two 
parts dissolved bones and one part powdered saltpetre, with one part of 
ground gypsum, mixed, applying 4 ozs. per square yard, every three 
weeks. Be careful, however, with the saltpetre, as too much nitrogenous 
matter causes a flush of growth, and, unless the fruit has stoned, it is 
cast in showers. Nitrate of soda for the same reason must be used very 
carefully. Trees in pots should be surface-dressed with turves, and be 
sprinkled occasionally with Thomas’ phosphate powder, which not only 
contains phosphoric acid, but a large percentage of lime in a fairly 
available form, and this assists Cherries in stoning. 
Strawberries In Pots. —Adverse weather has only retarded the 
early plants, which have thrown up the trusses strongly, especially John 
