April 19,1894 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
309 
Where the Grapes are fully ripe a reduction in temperature is advisable, 
but a temperature of 60° is essential to the after welfare of the Vines, 
and moderate moisture should be maintained for the benefit of the 
foliage. The moisture will not do the Grapes any harm, provided free 
ventilation is given. 
Succession Houses. —The stopping and tying of the shoots must 
have attention. Where the space is restricted, stop the shoots two joints 
beyond the fruit, and as foliage is necessary to sustain root activity, leave 
the laterals on the shoot both above and below the bunch, or at least 
those from the two lowermost eyes, and those level with and above the 
bunch. Pinch these at the first joint, especially those from the basal 
leaves, also those above, unless there is space for extending the laterals, 
when they may be allowed to make two or three leaves, but no more 
growth must be encouraged than can have full exposure to light and 
air. After the space is fairly furnished keep the growth closely pinched 
to one joint as made The great evil in Grape growing is overcrowding, 
which deprives the foliage of light and air; and restricting the growths 
is intended to avoid that and secure thorougly solidified wood as it is 
made. 
Tying Dou'n. —It is a good plan to have the rods somewhat lower 
than the trellis, so that the side shoots have a slight incline upwards. 
In tying these in the places where they are to remain during the 
summer it is a common practice to begin to tie them down as soon as 
they are long enough to bend. Th'S is not advisable unless as a 
precaution against injury from frost, as the shoots at this stage are so 
tender that the slightest twist the wrong way breaks them. It is a 
good method to defer tying down until the shoots are less sappy, which 
may be when the bunches are showing clear of the leaves. Sufficient 
space should be left in the ligatures for the swelling of the shoots. 
Stopping ought to commence when the leaf at the joint or place of 
pincning is the size of a halfpenny. 
Vines in Flower. —Afford Muscats a free circulation of rather dry 
air, and a temperature of 80° to 85° or 90° by day from sun heat, 70° to 
75° artificially, and 70° at night, falling 5° on cold nights. Raise the 
points of the bunches to the light, and liberate the pollen at midday by 
gently rapping the footstalks of the bunches, or go over the bunches 
carefully with a large sized camel’s-hair brush, and afterwards dust 
them with another charged with Alicante pollen or that of some different 
and free-setting variety. Hamburghs set freely in a lower temperature, 
but they are better for a little assistance from fire heat, and other varie¬ 
ties are similarly aided during the flowering period. 
Thinning Bunches and Berries. —It is advisable to make a selection 
of the best bunches, and leave only those required for the crop 
before they come into flower. This concentrates the forces on those 
retained, and by proper attention to fertilising the flowers a good set 
and finer bunches and berries are secured. Thinning the berries should 
commence as soon as they are set, especially in the case of the free- 
setting varieties, and where fine specimens are required for exhibition it 
should be attended to while they are in flower. With the shy setters 
thinning should be deferred until the properly fertilised berries can be 
distinguished by their taking the lead in swelling. Follow it up on 
dull days, or early and late in bright weather. Remove surplus 
bunches, under rather than overcropping the Vines, as too heavy 
cropping is fatal to colour and finish. 
Feeding. —When the Vines are in full leaf and the Grapes swelling 
they require abundant supplies of nourishment. This may be given in 
liquid form ; but it is not by any means the safest method, as an over¬ 
strong dose sometimes destroys the young fibrous roots. Shanking also 
often follows stuffing the soil with organic matter held in suspension. All 
the advertised fertilisers are excellent and handy. It is best to give the 
borders a thorough supply of water, then supply the fertiliser, and water 
in moderately. By this procedure there is no fear of losing any virtue 
the fertiliser contains ; but when it is given on a dry border, and fol¬ 
lowed by a heavy watering, it is likely to be washed into the drainage, 
and roots be encouraged at the bottom of the border instead of near 
the surface. A light mulch of short manure will be of advantage in 
keeping the border uniformly moist. 
Late Houses. —The Vines are making rapid progress. Disbud and 
tie out the growths as they require it. Close the house early in the 
afternoon with sun heat, and maintain plenty of atmospheric moisture 
by frequently damping the houses and syringing the Vines at closing 
time, but not after the bunches show. Late Hamburghs are starting 
naturally, and need only have a little fire heat to exclude frost. 
Young Vines. —It will be necessary to afford a gentle fire heat in 
cold weather to keep the Vines in steady progress, otherwise they are 
best allowed to start naturally, and secure a short-jointed growth by 
free ventilation. Disbud, leaving the best shoots on both sides of the 
canes and alternately at about 18 inches distance apart. The canes will 
have been depressed so as to cause them to break regularly down to the 
basal buds, when they can be tied in position. Crop lightly, one or 
two bunches being the maximum on permanent Vines. Any super¬ 
numeraries planted to fruit early, and afterwards be cut out, may c^rry 
a bunch on each shoot; six or eight bunches, however, are as many as 
vigorous Vines can bring to perfection, and fewer should be left on 
weakly canes. 
Planting Vines. —This is a good time for planting young canes. The 
borders may be partly within and partly outside, planting the Vines 
inside. For early forcing the borders are preferably inside, and internal 
borders only are best for Muscats. When the Vines are only required 
for prc ducing summer Grapes the borders may be wholly outside. The 
border should be concreted at the bottom unless it has a substratum of 
gravel or rock, proper drains and outlets being provided, and 1 foot 
thickness of rubble about the size of half bricks at bottom and getting 
lesser in size upwards to that of road mettle at top. It is best covered 
with a layer of old mortar rubbish, free from pieces of wood, about 
3 inches in thickness. Thirty inches depth of border is ample. Good 
turfy loam taken from an old pasture about 3 inches thick, where the 
soil is of a friable nature, is the most suitable main ingredient for a 
Vine border. To this may be added a fifth part of old mortar rubbish, 
a tenth of wood ashes, and a similar proportion of charcoal. Well 
drained and fertile garden soil will grow good Grapes, mixing 3 cwt. of 
kainit and 5 cwt. of basic slag with 28 cubic yards of soil or border 
30 feet by 10 feet and feet deep. Six feet width of borders will, how¬ 
ever, be sufficient to commence with. 
The Vines having been cut back in early winter and kept in a cool 
house will have the buds now grown to a length of a couple of inches. 
Turn them out of the pots, remove every particle of soil (preferably by 
washing), carefully preserving the fibres. Spread the roots out straight 
and flat, the soil of the border having been raised to the required level, 
covering the roots to the depth of 3 or 4 inches, working the soil well 
amongst them with the hand. Give a good supply of tepid water, and 
mulching with a little short litter. If the canes have been shortened 
it will not do to prune them now, but remove the buds from the upper 
portion down to where fresh growth is desired to push, and cut away 
the disbudded part when the Vines have made some leaves, as there is 
then no danger of bleeding. Sprinkle the Vines and house twice a day, 
but avoid a very close and saturated atmosphere. Temperatures 55° at 
night, 65° by day artificially, and 70° to 75° with sun are suitable. If 
the weather be bright and the panes of glass large, shale lightly from 
9 A.M. to 2 P.M , when the house should be closed, damping all available 
surfaces. If the temperature run up to 85° or more it will be an 
advantage. 
When the Vines commence growing give every encouragement, 
increasing the temperature to 60° to 65° at night, 70° to 75° by day, and 
80° to 85° from sun heat. Young Vines of this year’s raising may be 
turned out with the balls entire, or being in turves, which is the better 
plan, the soil should be well firmed about them, so as to secure a 
fibrous root formation, and the house be kept at the temperature last 
named. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Cutting- Asparagus. —Where the roots did not suffer badly from 
last summer’s heat and drought the shoots are now coming up strongly 
and thickly, but in the case of those only just covered with soil, and not 
mulclied in any way, the crops are anything but satisfactory. A good 
length of stalk is always desirable, and in order to have this without the 
point opening out unduly, the crowns ought to be covered with not less 
than 3 inches of fine light soil. Where large plants are grown singly, 
French fashion, the fine soil should be banked up over each, removing 
and replacing this each time the shoots are cut or twisted off at the 
crowns. If extra long blanched stems are wanted the crowns ought to 
be covered with 6 inches or more of the light soil. In no case should 
the shoots be cut recklessly. Many shoots are spoilt by careless men 
before they reach the surface, and the practice of baring the crowns, or 
of tracing the long shoots down to their base and then twisting them off, 
if tedious, is yet the safest and best. Remove all that are long enough, 
in order that no weakly shoots should develop at the expense of more 
desirable stronger growths later on. Go over the beds daily and sort 
out the shoots, instead of mixing them indiscriminately, and thereby 
lessening the value of the whole. On no account cut any shoots from 
beds that have not been formed more than two seasons. Let the plants 
have three clear seasons’ growth, and then they will have become extra 
strong, producing fine shoots in abundance. 
Globe Artichokes.— Old stools are pushing up far more growths 
than desirable. What is wanted are three or four extra strong shoots, 
as it is. from these only that large succulent flower heads are obtained. 
Clear thie soil from round them and thin out severely. Poverty at the 
roots is a frequent cause of an early failure of the crop, and if not 
already done the older clumps should have their roots bared somewhat 
to a distance of 18 inches or more of the crowns, and be then given a 
liberal top-dressing of good solid manure, returning the surface soil on 
to the top of it. Those only planted on heavily manured ground one or 
two seasons will not need this top-dressing of manure, but should yet be 
well mulched with strawy manure. It is not too late to form a fresh 
plantation—small or large, according to the requirements of the place. 
These young plants may probably give a few good late heads this 
season, and next year will, unless destroyed by frosts, produce a fine 
crop Qf extra fine heads. They ought to have heavily manured double 
dug ground. Bare some of the older clumps, and with a knife detach 
some of the best placed growths with a small portion of root attached. 
Rep ant in groups of three well clear of each other, arranging the 
8 ations not less than 3 feet apart each way. 
Beet—From the middle to the end of April is a good time to sow 
Beet 'seed. If there is a difficulty in preventing grossaess then deter 
sowing to the end of the month, or even a few days later, also avoid 
growing those variet es which have a tendency towards becoming coarse- 
rooted duiit g the average season. The Tarnip-rooted forms are much 
the quickest in attaining a serviceable size, and are also the best for 
dry, shallow soils. On heavy strong ground they usually become much 
too large lor storing, and in this case should only be sown for affording 
early roots. Ground that was well manured for the preceding crop will 
u udly be quite rich enough for Beet, and if well formed roots are desired 
bury ..manure deeply, if any is utei. Open shallow drills 12 inches 
