38 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
January 11,1894 
dead shoots. These of course may be cut out. The access of air and 
light prevents wood dying if trees are otherwise healthy, and a free 
extension of the branches within moderate limits, so that the foliage can 
properly perform its functions, favours the production of sturdy fruit 
buds instead of a preponderance of wood growth. A little regulation 
yearly, especially in the autumn before the leaves fall, thinning out any 
obstructing branches then, serves generally to maintain large standard 
garden and orchard fruit trees in shapely form and prolific bearing. 
HABDY FRUIT GARDEN. 
Outdoor Vine Culture. — Planted in favourable situations on 
south aspects in southern and south-western districts of England Vines 
often yield good crops. They require a gravelly or sandy calcareous 
soil thoroughly well drained, hence warm and friable. They do not 
succeed well outdoors in a strong rich soil, being liable in this case to 
produce coarse sappy wood instead of shoots of medium texture, which 
become hard and ripe, producing plump firm buds, the shoots from such 
invariably being fruitful. 
Sites. —The most successful results are obtained from Vines on walls 
or gable ends of buildings having an uninterrupted frontage to the south 
or south-west, the greatest proportion of sunshine thus being easily 
secured, for without abundance, especially in the autumn, nut-browned 
ripened wood, so essential in Grape culture, cannot be obtained. Walls 
of any height, or gable ends of various shapes, may all be utilised, as 
Vines are amenable to various methods of training, the best being 
adopted which the conformity of the wall surface renders most 
applicable. 
Preparation of the Soil. —A border 3 feet wide will be of sufficient 
width at first for the needs of a Vine on outside walls. If necessary it 
may be added to in after years, but the roots usually find nutriment 
enough by rambling at will, especially if the subsoil is of such a 
character that the roots find it fertile. A border of this width well 
prepared and broken up to the depth of 18 inches will prove a suitable 
rooting medium in which the Vines will establish themselves readily. 
This depth and width of soil may be kept fertile and sufficiently 
encouraging to the roots by annual top-dressings of manure and due 
supplies of water, liquid manure, soapsuds in summer, together with 
additions of substantial compost from time to time for the benefit of 
active surface roots. This will be the means of preventing the descent of 
the bulk of roots into cold poor subsoil. In preparing the soil do not use 
fresh manure. Turfy loam, light or heavy, according to the nature of 
the staple soil, intermixed with dry wood ashes and a handful of bone- 
meal in the immediate vicinity of the roots of each Vine when planting 
answers the best. 
Planting. —Autumn is the best season for planting young canes, but 
it maybe done in spring. Early in April is a suitable time. Strong 
plants in pots should be obtained now, pruning the rods down to about 
a foot in length, shorter if to be grown to single stems only. Defer the 
actual planting until the time named, plunging the pots either in the 
ground to be afterwards occupied by the Vines or in a bed of ashes. 
There will be nothing gained by planting earlier. The roots will be 
inactive until April. At that time the buds begin to swell, and the 
roots are ready for immediately taking hold of fresh material which 
they will do if carefully laid out between layers of fine, loamy, gritty 
soil. 
Pruning and T aining. —Close pruning is requisite the first season in 
order to obtain stout canes for furnishing the space. If only one stem 
is desired prune to two buds, and when these break rub off the weakest, 
allowing the other to extend ; at the winter pruning shorten this to 
3 feet. Should the cane be weak, shorten it closely again, a strong rod 
being produced the following year which may be left feet in length 
when pruning in the winter. The next season only those buds situated 
about 15 inches apart alternately are allowed to remain, the shoots 
proceeding being duly stopped at the sixth joint or one joint beyond the 
fruit, laterals and sub-laterals suppressed at one joint. The leading 
shoot IS continued, and shortened each winter to 3 feet until the desired 
height is reached. The side shoots are pruned to one bud if plump ; 
if not, two or more are left. Single-stemmed Vines should be planted 
3 feet apart. One Vine, however, may be induced to cover much more 
space by training two stems horizontally 18 inches from the ground, 
upright canes being carried from these at 2 feet apart, originating spurs 
not closer than a foot, 15 inches being better. The pruning of these are 
the same as for single stems. Another method of training, less formal, 
consists in laying in young rods wherever room can be found 18 inches 
apart, only shortening them at the winter pruning to firm ripe parts. 
A contant supply of young wood can thus be secured and trained in any 
direction, older portions being cut out to make room as necessary. Some 
of the shoots may be shortened to form spurs. 
Varieties. — Blaek and White Cluster, Miller’s Burgandy, Black 
Hamburgh, Chasselas Vibert, and Royal Muscadine are the best varieties 
of Grapes for outdoor culture. 
Pruning' liarge Orchard Fruit Trees. —The removal of crowded 
branehes, those that cross and interlace with others, small spray growing 
in the interior of trees, and dead portions of wood are the chief details 
necessary in keeping trees healthy and fruitful. Though thin disposal 
of the branches is very essential, severe thinning at one operation is not 
desirable, should the trees be exceptionally full of rank growth in con¬ 
sequence of previous years’ neglect. A reasonable amount may, however, 
be taken out, each branch removed being cut close at its junction with 
another, which will prevent young shoots breaking strongly afterwards. 
Among a host of crowded branches there is invariably an amount of 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Vines. — Early-forced Vines in Pots. —When the fruit is set 
attention should be given to thinning, commencing as soon as the berries 
are fairly swelling, removing the smallest first, and allowing sufficient 
room for the berries left to swell to their full size without wedging or 
crushing each other, yet leaving enough to form a compact symmetrical 
bunch. As a rule, early-forced Vines require less thinning than mid¬ 
season crops, partly because the bunches are smaller, and mainly 
through the berries not attaining so large a size as under more favourable 
conditions. Water copiously with liquid manure, keeping the evapora¬ 
tion troughs charged with liquid—1 oz. guano to each gallon of water, 
dissolving the guano and straining before use. Where there are no 
evaporation troughs on the hot-water pipes, the floor and pit edges may 
be sprinkled with liquid manure in the afternoon. Encourage growth 
above the fruit, yet only as much as can have exposure to light. Surface 
dress the soil with short sweet manure, and when roots are freely 
emitted from the collar some turves may be placed on, round, and over 
the rims, extending a couple of inches on the inside and outside, so as 
to rest on the fermenting material. This should be pressed down and 
added to from time to time, so as to keep it level with the rims of the 
pots, but do not raise the temperature about the pots above 75°. When 
the roots are working freely in the top-dressing they will greedily absorb 
nourishment, which should be supplied by sprinkling a little of some 
approved fertiliser on the surface at intervals of a fortnight. Bone and 
blood manures have special value for Vines. The temperature should 
range from 65° to 70° at night, 70° to 75° by day, 80° to 85° from sun 
heat, admitting air from 75°, and closing early, so as to raise it to 85° or 
90° with sun heat, damping surfaces at closing time or early in the 
afternoon. Syringing the Vines ought not to be practised, as there is 
always danger of the water leaving a deposit on the berries. 
Early Houses. —These will now require care in ventilating, so as 
not to admit cold draughts of air, which cripples the foliage and 
produces rust on the berries. Disbud when the best shows for fruit are 
discernible in the points of growths, and tie the shoots down before 
their points touch the glass. In stopping, be guided by the space at 
command. If the distance between the rods does not admit of much 
extension beyond the bunch, stop one or two joints above it, always 
allowing space for one or two joints of lateral extension. But where 
there is room, stop three or four joints beyond the show of fruit, nipping 
off the points of the shoots when the leaf at the stopping joint is 
about the size of a penny, and the tendrils as they form. Extend the 
laterals so that an* ample and even spread of growth will be insured, 
but do not crowd the trellis with more foliage than can be fully 
exposed to light. Remove all superfluous bunches, overcropping being 
the precursor of deficiency of colour, and some say of shanking in the 
Grapes. When the flowers open, maintain a night temperature of 70° to 
75° when mild, about 5° less if severe weather prevail, but insure 
moderate humidity in the atmosphere. Where fermenting materials 
have been employed in the house, do not allow the heat to decline at 
this critical stage, but preserve a good heap of Oak, Beech, or Spanish 
Chesnut leaves and stable litter in the reserve ground, to admit of a 
supply being obtained as required to maintain the heat of that in the 
house with regularity. 
Vineries Started at the New Tear. —The inside border must be brought 
into a thoroughly moist condition by repeated waterings or liquid 
manure at a temperature about 10° warmer than that of the house. The 
liquid manure will enrich the soil, and its value will be seen later in the 
increased chlorophyll in the leaves and in the berries. This means good 
colour later on, but avoid making the soil sodden and sour by needless 
early waterings, as this only hinders root action and favours soft growths 
with their flabby leaves. A heap of fermenting material on the floor 
about 18 inches deep, turning a portion of it daily, is conducive to an 
even break and favours speedy growth. Where this cannot be secured 
sprinkle the floors and borders in the afternoon with liquid manure, the 
neat drainings of stables and cowhouses diluted with six times the quan¬ 
tity of water. This will in due course decompose and ammonia be 
liberated, which, being volatile, forms with the moisture also given off 
from the soil an ammonia-charged atmosphere highly conducive to rapid 
vegetation. 
The outside borders should be amply protected against frost, for the 
roots cannot derive nor transmit nourishment from a frozen soil. If the 
roots of the Vines are entirely outside the border should have a good 
supply of fermenting material, and if this may not be owing to the 
scarcity of material, afford dry litter or fern or leaves, so as to modify 
in some measure the chilling tendency of cold rains or snow. Attend to 
the due protection of the stems, for if these become frozen it is likely 
the crop will be destroyed if not the Vines down to where frozen. 
Sprinkle the Vines two or three times a day in bright dry weather, occa¬ 
sionally only in dull. Maintain a night temperature of 50° to 55°, 60° to 
65° by day, ventilating freely above 65°, and close at that point. The 
rod and canes of young Vines should be placed in a horizontal position 
or lower to secure the buds breaking with regularity. 
