102 
VINES IN POTS. 
rate abilities, and by whose means I have had the happiness to learn 
much ; I am, therefore, able to state the usual method followed by 
Mr. Buck, which is much the same as that dictated by me, in the 
early part of the first Volume of the Register , except that he never 
attempted to have his crop of fruit, on the vines in pots, ripe until 
the winter; expressly for the purpose of supplying the table in the 
spring, after those on the rafter were all cut. 
In this respect, Mr. Buck excels to a great degree, and appears to 
have the art of keeping his supply of fruit until it is wanted, with 
little difficulty, for no sooner are the fruit come to maturity than he 
removes the pots in which the plants grow, from one apartment, to 
another of a lower degree of heat, until at last they are placed in the 
greenhouse, in which place they remain until wanted for table, which 
is not unfrequently late in the spring. 
It always appeared to me, that grapes so treated would keep much 
longer than those produced under any other method of treatment, 
because, as the fruit approaches to perfection, water is withheld, 
and the functions of the plants are suspended. In this state the fruit 
will remain for months without any perceptible difference, either in 
size or flavour, for it of course parts with that portion of water which 
in other methods produces the destruction of the berries. 
I have seen the back flues and front curb stones in Mr. Buck’s 
houses filled with pots of bearing vines, at ten or twelve feet distant 
from the glass roof, loaded with as fine fruit as can possibly be 
grown. In fact, I feel confident that the oldest and most experienced 
gardeners would scarcely conceive it possible to bring the system to 
that degree of perfection, in so limited a space of time ; for I do not 
think the pots made use of are larger than those in which it is usual 
to fruit pine plants. 
These plants are all grown exactly the same as those about which 
I have previously written, with one shoot; and instead of allowing 
them to grow to twenty-four or twenty-seven eyes, they are stopped 
at about fifteen or sixteen, and pruned in the winter to about twelve 
or fourteen eyes, varying a few eyes according to the strength of the 
plants. 
When the crop is gathered, Mr. Buck prunes his plants on the 
common spur system, and at the conclusion of the second crop, the 
plants are thrown away, and others substituted in their stead. 
Through the medium of a friend and neighbour of Mr. Buck, I was 
in hopes before this, to have been able to have forwarded a paper on 
the subject from Mr. Buck’s own hand; as, however, this is not the 
case, I am certain he will excuse the liberty I have ventured to take, 
