248 
CULTURE OF THE GRAPE VINE, 
every one who has tried them, both ways. The chief difficulty is 
separating their matted roots, where several are grown together in one 
pot, without injury, as it can seldom he done without breaking off 
part of the fibres ; this causes great hinderance to the plants, and 
considerably retards their growth. Care will be required in intro¬ 
ducing their shoots through the aperture of the wall into the house, 
which should be filled with moss, or hay-bands to prevent their being 
blown about by the wind. I train the vines thus introduced up the 
rafters in the usual way, keeping them to a single rod without top¬ 
ping, and take care to water well during the season to promote a 
quick growth, preserving the requisite degree of heat, in order that 
the wood may get well ripened. For the second years forcing I take 
the rod of the proceeding years growth and layer it into a peck pot 
placed upon the flue of the house, leaving a few eyes, or buds, behind 
the pot for making the ensuing year’s wood, then selecting the 
strongest shoots I train up the rafters as before, and forming a small 
arch of the remaining rod, I again layer into another pot, and if I 
have a sufficient length of rod left, I layer a third time, and then 
point the remaining part upwards towards the centre of the house; 
by this management the layers are able to maintain their crop of 
fruit without injury to the roots, and you may have ripe fruit fit for 
the table in eighteen months from the time of their being planted ; of 
course, care must be taken to select such sorts as are early, and well 
adapted for forcing. The following will be found suitable : the White 
Muscat, Sweet Water, and Muscadine. For later crops I would re¬ 
commend the White Muscat of Alexandria, Syrian, White Nice, 
Black Damascus, Black Saint Peters, West Saint Peters, and the 
Lombardy. When the crop is over, the wood perfectly ripened, and 
the part layered cut off close to the new rod, I lay the branches 
near the ground, and shade them until I want to commence forcing. 
I find the shade bears some affinity to the gloom of winter, and by 
accumulating excitability, always gives vegetation increased energy. 
Plants which have been habituated to regular forcings, always shew a 
disposition to bud at the accustomed time, whilst considerable diffi¬ 
culty often attends those which have not been used to forward excite¬ 
ments. About the time of the fruit ripening, just when they are 
changing colour, they will require great care and attention to pre¬ 
vent their being taken off' by the disease commonly called shanking , 
which is, I believe, generally attributable to the want of a proper 
ventilation, although it sometimes happens from debility, particularly 
from the weaker sorts of Frontignan. It mostly shews itself about 
midsummer, when the sun rises early, by exhaling the moisture of 
