May 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
75 
duce a young plant each time. Some people advise 
to add a spoonful of yeast to the mixture: we have 
tried it this way, hut cannot perceive any advantage 
arising from it.” 
THE ERUIT-GABDEN. 
Vines in Greenhouses.— In The Cottage Gar- 
bener for April 26th, we promised to return, ere 
long, to the subject of vine-culture in the ordinary 
greenhouse; and, indeed, it is necessary such should 
be the case, for three or four weeks at this period 
form a most important item in the progress of a tree 
of such rapid development as the vine. It so hap¬ 
pens, moreover, that nothing very pressing in out¬ 
door fruit-culture is on hand; therefore, no sacrifice 
has to be made; and there can be little doubt that 
some of our amateur friends, who have but recently 
obtained the luxury of a nice little plant-house, will 
receive some useful practical hints from the discus¬ 
sion of this subject. At page 33, we adverted to the 
economy connected with the plants on the stage or 
pit, which we are supposing to exist in the vineries 
of those to whom we address ourselves, also to tem¬ 
perature both day and night, ventilation, &c., &c.; 
assuming that the vines were either about blossom¬ 
ing, or commencing the first swelling. 
Blooming Period. —We owe some apology for not 
going more into detail on this point in our last 
observations. Brevity now will best befit this 
portion of the subject, for, doubtless, most of our 
readers’ vines have passed it. It may merely be 
remarked, that once an opinion was prevalent, that 
a particularly moist atmosphere was necessary to the 
due impregnation of the blossoms; this idea is now 
exploded. Mr. Paxton, of Chatsworth, was amongst 
the first to show that there was no real ground for 
the practice, which had been handed from one gar¬ 
dener to another, on the faith of some empirical 
practitioner in former days, who, perhaps, had been 
successful, in spite of the practice, through attending 
to other points of much greater import. Let it not 
be supposed, however, that we advocate a very dry 
atmosphere. Some amount of atmospheric moisture 
is absolutely essential, both to the health of the foli¬ 
age, and in order, it would appeal - , to enable the 
flower to burst its calyx, or cup which holds the 
flower. In such cases, therefore, instead of charging 
the atmosphere with hot steam, it will amply suffice 
to sprinkle the walls and pathways twice or thrice a 
day. 
Some kinds of grapes are what is termed “ shy 
settersof such are the Muscat or Tokav section, 
the Black Damascus, &c. It is the best practice with 
these to use what is called “ artificial impregnation.” 
This is accomplished by taking a sheet of white 
paper daily, and collecting the pollen, or male dust, 
from the blossoming bunches of good setting kinds, 
such as the Black Hamburgh. A gentle flirt about 
noon of each day will shake down as much pollen as 
will be requisite; borrowing thus from each bunch 
in blossom. This fine dust, which will appear like 
sulphur scattered over the paper, must be applied in 
a dainty manner, with a camel’s hair pencil, touch¬ 
ing lightly the surface of the blossoms of the bunch 
to be operated upon. During this operation we ad¬ 
vise that a lively heat of 75° be kept up ; if 80° it 
will be none the worse. A lively circulation of air 
is also necessary. As the month of May will be far 
advanced when this reaches the readers of The Cot¬ 
tage Gardener, no vines will be in blossom but 
those intended for very late use next winter. The 
best of all grapes for this purpose, beyond all doubt, 
is the true West's St. Peter's; and this is sometimes 
rather shy at “ setting ” The operation alluded to 
may, therefore, be performed on this kind occa¬ 
sionally. 
As pot-plants of various kinds will be generally in 
the vinery, we strongly advise, as one of the main 
features of management, that the vines be at all 
times kept hardy ; not starved with cold, but always 
inured to as free a ventilation as the weather will 
permit. This may startle some old practitioners, 
perhaps. We are persuaded, nevertheless, that there 
is no occasion for so much codling of them as is fre¬ 
quently practised, provided, only, that they are inured 
to a free ventilation from the moment they first break. 
On this we take our stand; and those who persist in 
the practice, will soon find that a vine will bear a 
puff of wind even as well as other trees. Let it, 
however, be understood in connexion, that we do 
not mean low temperature: this is quite another 
affair. If air must be freely admitted in order to 
keep things robust, it is evident that a certain amount 
of artificial heat must be provided. These observa¬ 
tions we conceive to be particularly necessary to the 
amateur, who, under such a mixed system, will have 
Ills geraniums, ericas, calceolarias, cinerarias, &c., 
besides a host of nick-nacks, some of them approach¬ 
ing the character of what we term “ stove plants,” 
under the same roof. Now, all these things we 
know cannot be grown so robust as when treated 
singly. It is past the art of man to do so, provided, 
in the latter case, they are handled by men of sound 
experience. Nevertheless, we hope, in the course of 
our greenhouse papers, so to systematise, yet sim¬ 
plify, matters, that a very high point of culture may 
be obtained, both with the grapes and the plants; a 
point which shall satisfy the most fastidious. 
Swelling oe the Berry. —The grapes having 
been duly thinned out, the next point is to see that, 
during the period of their first swelling, the atmos¬ 
phere of the greenhouse is well attended to. In the 
first place, a day temperature of 65° must be secured 
during all fair weather. If, nevertheless, very bad 
weather occurs, wet and windy, it will be quite as 
well to give up a few degrees, and, in point of fact, 
to descend to the minimum pitch, or, in other words, 
mere night heat, that is to say, 60°. This will be 
found, under such circumstunces, a benefit more 
than otherwise; for, as before observed, heat of an 
exciting character, without a proportionate amount 
of light, is productive of injury rather than otherwise. 
This course, also, will prevent the plants “ drawing,” 
and thus suit all matters. The greatest stress, never¬ 
theless, should be placed on a tree circulation of air 
at every fitting opportunity—night as well as day— 
provided the necessary warmth can be maintained. 
Before leaving this division of the subject, we beg to 
be pardoned a repitition we deem necessary. At 
page 34, we advised a very early morning ventilation; 
we beg to repeat it, as a point of paramount import¬ 
ance ; indeed, tliis is one of the reasons why sound 
practical gardeners have, of late, so much advocated 
the practice. We feel persuaded that many of the 
so-called diseases, rust, scab, &c., &c., have been, in 
the main, injuries to the cuticle or skin of the young 
grape, than which nothing can be more tender, and 
which is exceedingly impatient of a hot, moist and 
stagnant atmosphere. 
Insects.—T he red spider is most to be dreaded of 
