CULTURE OF VINES. 
57 
ARTICLE III.—ON THE CULTURE OF VINES. 
BY MR. WM. GREY, 
SHOTLEY-GROVE, NEAR DURHAM. 
In reply to Mr. Chanter, concerning Mr. Witty’s Gas Furnace, the 
figure 54 at page 447 is of a different construction from those at 
Sandy ford Lodge. Mr. Witty must have altered his plan in the 
furnaces for consuming smoke; a friend of mine in Surrv, informs 
me he has two furnaces the same as Mr. Chanter describes; he says 
that when the poal is coked to a solid body, it will not slide down the 
plane in the easy manner by the screw, as Mr. Chanter describes, 
but he is obliged to use the poker with great force, to break the 
coked coal down on the fire ; and when the fire is low, it will not 
kindle readily, so that he has often to seek fire from other furnaces 
to re-kindle it, therefore there can be no saving of time in that part. 
My friend also disputes the statement that the smoke is consumed. 
Mr. Wilmot says he commenced forcing two vineries at one time, 
and that the one with the gas furnace was a month earlier than the 
other. This may he accounted for without any virtue in the gas 
furnace, because if Mr. Wilmot had been in the habit of forcing one 
of these vineries a month or six weeks before the other, for three or 
four seasons previously, and when both commenced together, the 
vines that had been before six weeks earlier forced had been longer 
at rest then the other house, would break their eyes more freely and 
sooner then the other, and of course ripen the fruit sooner. I have 
had an instance of the same nature from one of my houses having 
been forced earlier without any gas furnace. 
Mr. Chanter says I labour under an error, and quite mistake the 
subject. I beg to thank Mr. Brown, jun. for the voluntary information 
he gives me on the cultivation of vines in pots, Vol. 2, p. 497, I hope 
it was generally understood, in my report to the Register, on the cul¬ 
ture of vines in pots, that I do not think it impossible to have grapes 
that way; my argument is, they cannot be obtained in quantity and 
quality equal to those planted out in the vinery, which opinion I feel 
disposed to maintain. I cannot imagine what objection Mr. Brown 
has to light free and rich maiden mould for potting vines, and as I 
found the tubs matted and full of roots in May, I think if a plant 
will receive any benefit from liquid manure it must be then ; if fruit 
trees and vegetables require no other nutriment than soil and pure 
water, I ask for what purpose manures are applied P Mr. Brown 
says he never had occasion to water twice a day, as he places a 
feeder under the pot. Now, the feeder of water, being constantly under 
