58 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
October 27. 
LATE, OR WINTER GRAPES. 
Although I deny not, for a moment, that it requires 
mucli real gardening skill to produce a house of first- 
rate early Grapes, ripe, shall we say, in April, yet I 
must contend for an equal amount of, at least, attention 
in preserving late autumn Grapes until the middle of 
February, or later, in a fresh state. I, therefore, think 
that an examination of the principles on which such 
practice must be based will prove of interest. I have 
been in the habit of praetically illustrating this ques¬ 
tion for many years; for in this part of the country we 
lay by all our strength for winter work; our gentry, in 
the main, entertaining much company during Novem¬ 
ber, December, and January. I have annually, of late, 
carried Grapes up to the second week in February, 
but not further; and tliis solely because I am compelled, 
from circumstances, to keep pots of various kinds which 
require occasional waterings in the late vinery. Our 
1 Vest’s St. Peter's have ever been the last to decay or to 
shrivel; but the Barbarossa, it would seem, has to divide 
the honours, henceforth, with this hitherto doughty 
champion of winter. 
One thing may here be premised, and that is, that 
whoever may attempt to continue a succession of au¬ 
tumn-ripened Grapes all through the winter, until 
nearly March, may at once count on a loss of some 
thirty per cent., especially if pot-plants must be admitted 
in the structure devoted to the Vine. However, setting 
aside the pot-plants for a moment, what are the condi¬ 
tions of atmosphere most essential to the preservation 
of late Grapes? This will, in my opinion, be found in 
three points, which I have named in the order of their 
importance—First, a dry air; second, a comparatively 
low temperature; and, lastly, a daily motion in the air. 
In the first case, we require dryness without heat, in 
the ordinary acceptation of the latter. This is a nice 
point to handle. Now, if there be no plants in the 
house this is not a difficult affair; but with a host of 
pot-plants the utmost caution is necessary. As to 
temperature, it must, of course, decline ' with the 
season ; and, moreover, it may be, that the Grapes are 
not completely ripened; although it may at once be 
stated, that of whatever kind, they should be perfectly 
ripe and coloured by the third week in October; indeed, 
it is probable that they would keep none the worse if 
quite perfect a fortnight sooner. But so much depends 
on the Grapes being what is termed “ well-fed and this 
is a matter almost entirely dependant on root-action. 
If the root be in a flourishing condition, this will occur ! 
as a matter of course, providing the atmospheric ma- j 
nagement has been good ; if a bad root, no amount of : 
in-door’s care can atone for it. Such being the case, I ; 
would say, that from the middle of October to the middle 
of November, the thermometer may range, by day, from i 
50° to 00°, the latter with sunshine; and at night from 
40° to 45°. 
Now, I take it as an essential point in the matter, ' 
that there be constantly a little ventilation during the 
night; this is my practice, and has, doubtless, been 
adopted through the necessity of having pot-plants in 
the house constantly, more or less. However, since j 
damps will generate in degree, during the night, I do 
think, that under all circumstances, it will be well to 
leave a little egress at back; for I contend not for front 
air at night, neither do 1 practice it. An aperture or 
two of only a couple of inches will allow whatever 
vapours may collect to pass away as generated, and this 
will prevent any drip from condensed air-moisture, a 
thing by all means to be avoided. By-the-by, speaking 
of drip from the roof from condensation, I would 
strongly recommend to all interested in winter Grapes 
to use night coverings; it is astonishing what etfect 
these have in averting drip through condensation, which, 
indeed, will be obvious to all who look at the question 
in a philosophical way. 
We all know the difficulty of handling roof-coverings 
during a severe frost; but there is this difference between 
ripe Grapes in December and pot-plants: the former 
need not light; the latter may not dispense with it 
The Grape-covering, therefore, might remain on for 
days without injury. Let our readers well consider 
this, and throw aside all prejudice. In the event of 
roof-coverings being adopted, a lower temperature, by 
several degrees, may be used; indeed, after the leaves 
are fallen, about 85“ would suffice; auy further aug¬ 
mentation would be simply to disperse damps by 
creating motion in the air. What these Grapes want, 
is an atmosphere similar to that of a dry sitting-room, 
and rather too cool to sit long in. 
We come now to consider the last of my assumed 
points, viz., “daily motion in the air." I do not here 
contend that it is absolutely necessary, in well-con¬ 
structed late vineries, to force this motion by artificial 
means; although I have no doubt it would be the 
reverse of prejudicial; but in houses where pot-plants are 
kept, I have ever considered it indispensable. When we 
come to consider the amount of gaseous matter which 
must inevitably arise in a continuous stream from the 
decomposition of manurial or organic matters, in the 
compost of plants, stimulated, of course, by warmth 
and the occasional application of moisture, it will appear 
obvious, that something beyond the natural dullness 
of a November and December atmosphere is necessary 
to disperse such miasma; and artificial heat is, of 
course, the only means at command. 
But the application of this heat requires much 
caution; it will not do to let your man go on banking- 
up fires day and night, as a piece of mannerism. These 
fires, also, must be worked in concert with a system of 
ventilation, which has for its object the daily dispersion 
of moisture; and the warming of the walls and solid 
work of the interior in such a way as to give out as 
much warmth during the night as will keep out frost; 
for this is the only object after the leaves are decayed. 
A distinction, therefore, both in the period of lighting 
the fires, and their duration, becomes necessary; and 
this dependent on the condition of the atmosphere out¬ 
doors. The judicious cultivator, therefore, “ takes 
stock, ’ to use a trade phrase, every morning early, and 
gives orders accordingly. If the morning be clear, and 
a lively wind prevail, a sharp fire for a couple of hours 
will amply suffice; bearing in mind that the thermo¬ 
meter must not sink below the freezing-point; not that the 
grapes will not endure a degree or two of frost, but because 
it is inexpedient to venture. If the day be muggy, rainy, 
or snowy, the fire must be kept in much longer; and it 
is occasionally necessary to continue it all night. In 
the majority of cases, it is far bettor, however, to have a 
sharp fire lor two or three hours, than to continue for a 
longer period a dawdling one; for it will be obvious, on 
a slight consideration, that as rarefaction of the air is 
the basis of the firing system, or, in other words, the 
creating an artificial motion in the interior atmosphere, 
so in proportion to the power applied in the shape of 
heat will be the motion. 
Now, it appears to me, that motion ip the air is not 
only necessary to dispel damp, but as a sweetener or 
purifier of the atmosphere, for even dry air may be 
tainted with the effluvia arising from decaying foliage, 
and other decomposing matters, which the closed in¬ 
terior of a hothouse must ever produce. When, there¬ 
fore, the fire is well up, a copious egress at the back of 
the house—the highest level available—should be given; 
and as to the front, a moderate admission of air at 
about three eqni-distant points, would seem to be better 
than opening every ventilator or sash a little; the 
