JctY 1. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
211 
to be complete in four years, and thus matters will 
stand in the following position.— First summer: a cane 
produced, reaching to the back of the house, or nearly 
so, and pruned back the first winter to about half its 
length. Second summer: the cane again extending to 
the back of the house (at which point it is immediately 
pinched), and in the mean time the lower half, or first 
year's wood, developing its spurs, each of which is in¬ 
tended to form a permanent source of fruit shoots for 
i years. The third summer : the cane having been short- 
■ ened to about a foot from the back of the house, the 
lower half will be in full bearing, and the upper half 
developing its portion of spurs ; and the fourth summer, 
the whole cane complete, in full bearing, from one end 
to the other, with a mathematical regularity. 
Now this is the plan we should take in establishing 
a vinery intended to stand the test of many years, and 
to produce first-rate fruit without taxing the vital 
powers of the tree. 
It is much to be feared, however, that the patience of 
many persons would be exhausted in the procedure; 
they would think it hard that the second season’s side , 
developments could not be allowed to bear, “only just 
to carry a few bunches,” a consummation so long \ 
desired. We do not dispute the possibility—nay, in | 
some cases, its eligibility—but merely advise as to what 
we should term first-rate practice. 
It is often the case with vines, on the spur system, 
that some of the spurs, although rightly placed with*! 
regard to distance, position, &c., are much weaker than 
the others, especially if permitted to bear during the 
season of their development. Now, by the plan here 
suggested, all such difficulties may be obviated ; the 
finger and thumb plied according to those principles 
which promote equalisation of strength, can set all 
right, beyond the control of any future disturbing causes. 
To come more to the point, we will suppose that the 
i young canes, after being pruned in November, and 
; dressed according to practice, have had a winter’s rest; 
! have undergone a depression of temperature, say, on 
the average, 30° to 50°; if occasionally a little frost, so 
much the better. But here we may observe, that severe 
] frosts are sometimes very injurious to vines, especially 
if in a succulent and immature condition; we would 
never, if possible, permit them to undergo more than 
half a dozen degrees. 
j Fermenting material was before adverted to ; and if a 
heat of 70° to 80° can be maintained on the border— 
commencing in the middle of February, and removed 
entirely in the beginning of Juue—it will doubtless 
facilitate their free rooting; they will, however, do very 
well without at first. The young vines may be suffered 
to break according to their natural habit, and the leading 
shoot will now speedily acquire a great degree of luxu¬ 
riance, if the root be all right. The side-shoots, which 
are to form the spurs, will progressively develop also; 
those near the point first, and thus in order towards the 
front of the house. The leader, the while, must be care¬ 
fully trained for fear of any accident, for a breakage 
here would cause a sad blemish for some time. Those 
who are jealous of any accident may encourage double 
leaders for awhile, as they frequently push two. As soon 
as the side-shoots have developed about five or six eyes, 
they may be stopped, in order to enlarge and strengthen 
the principal leaves, and concentrate much growth- 
matter around the base of each shoot. Next in order, 
the extending leader, pushing forth axillary shoots, will 
require attention. 
Our younger readers will here understand that, like 
the germ in the seed of the broad bean, and, indeed, 
many other seeds, our gracious Creator has ordained at 
least a couple of buds, obviously in order to provide 
against a contingency. This, what some men term “ a 
lucky accident,” we regard as carrying the marks of 
design—marks, it need scarcely be observed, impressed 
on all created things. Well, then, under a luxuriant 
condition one of these buds will burst forth, and proves 
a safety-valve to the other—another “ lucky accident.” 
The main business, henceforth, with all such waste 
shoots, is to pinch them so as to render them subservient 
to the main points at issue. And what are the main 
points? Why, by a well-ordered and somewhat re¬ 
strained amount of growth, so to economise the rampant 
propensities of this excitable tree, as to induce a fruitful 
habit, combined with soundness of constitution. 
Now we must back to the side-spurs, which will soon 
be found sporting amain. As soon as, by two or three 
weeks’ rambling, they are found to be getting into dis¬ 
order, the finger-and-thumb must go to work again. 
Thus, through the whole summer may stopping be prac¬ 
tised with the laterals, the only maxim being to let them 
continue producing a joint or two between the stoppings, 
taking care all the time that not a leaf of the inferior 
shoots shades the principal leaves — in fact, always 
making late growths give way to early ones whenever a 
necessity arises. 
The leader having reached the back of the house, must 
be pinched, and the laterals in this portion of the tree must 
be frequently pinched also; suffering one or two at the 
summit to ramble rather more freely, which will en¬ 
courage a liberal root action. Thus will matters proceed 
until about the first week in September; after which, 
we would not suffer a shoot to continue growing unless 
for some express purpose, or in the event of the vines 
having done badly, when some latitude may be allowed 
in these things. It should be here well understood by 
the Tyro in vine culture, why late growths should not 
be encouraged, seeing that the trees are full of vigour, 
and anxious to be extending. The fact is, that the con¬ 
ditions existing in Britain, in the autumnal months, 
are not precisely the same as those in the native climes 
of the vine. , Where vines bring forth their produce in 
the very highest perfection in the open air, they are for 
the most part liable to extreme droughts in the autumn. 
This, with a burning sun, producing an extremely dry 
state of atmosphere, throws the plant naturally into a 
quiet and unexcited state; the ascent of the fluid is 
almost stopped, and the sure consequence is an amount 
of solidification in the wood scarcely known in northern 
climes. This latter condition is what practical men 
term “ ripening the wood" and the neglect of this is pro¬ 
ductive of various defects. 
In Britain, therefore, it is a fair presumption that all 
growths, after our best sunlight has departed, take more 
from the system of the tree than they return, besides 
impeding the ripening of the wood. It will be proper, 
in early autumn, to commence a removal, by pinching, 
of the spray which has been produced, and this is a pro¬ 
cedure requiring caution. The spur-shoots may first be 
handled, just slipping away any laterals which impede 
the light, in order to render the buds for the next year’s 
fruit-crop plump. Like disbudding, this is best done in 
a progressive way, removing a few weekly ; and by the 
middle of October little will be left but the principal, or 
first-formed leaves, which should now be turning yellow. 
If these vines are intended for a system of forcing, 
we advise that the border, if outside, bo covered nearly 
a foot in depth with any half-decomposed manurial 
matters—such as tree leaves, hotbed linings not ex¬ 
hausted, half-spent tan, &c. This material we would 
place on the border in the end of September, to arrest 
the departing warmth of the soil, and to keep out frost. 
If such be in a somewhat fresh condition, so much the 
better, and it will in that case do to work up with hot 
manure in January, to produce fermentation in the 
mass. 
We have now carried the vines through the second 
year; and, as many enquiries continue to be made about 
