August 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
2G3 
growing there in July last. The flowering plants being i 
so far from the glass as in the centre bed of the con¬ 
servatory, there was not much fear of their being 
scorched, hut Mr. Wilson has tested the power of 
rough glass to prevent scorching in other ways, and 
has found it quite effectual. We saw a frame glazed 
with it employed for striking cuttings and other 
purposes in which shading is usually necessary, but 
with this frame no such shading is required. 
THE FRUIT-GARDEN. 
The Vine in-doors. —Our last advice on this head 
was offered in the end of June, and will be found at 
p. 152 of our present volume. We there dealt with 
three of the principal crises in the annual life of the 
vine, viz., the development of the bunch, the first 
swelling of the berry, and the last swelling of the 
fruit. Having a few words more of advice to offer, 
we take up the subject at the point where we left it. 
Persons unacquainted with vine culture would natu¬ 
rally imagine that our last assumed crisis, “ the last 
swelling,” would complete all the advice that could 
be offered on this head, and that nothing requisite 
remained but a reasonable amount of patience to 
watch their ripening, and a keen appetite to enjoy 
the fruits of our watchful labours; we may add, also, 
protection from wasps and flies. 
It is an old saying that “gardening is never done,” 
and true it is. Even when our vines are rocked to 
sleep by the wintry storms, and robbed of then- 
vinous treasures, we are still busy plotting another 
campaign; border making, dressing, and pruning, 
all present themselves to our view. “ Life’s cares, 
however, are comforts,” according to one of our bards. 
To proceed, then, we will urge that although we ad¬ 
vised the almost total stripping away of the lateral 
or axillary shoots in our June advice, yet we would 
here speak more guardedly with regard to those in¬ 
doors; there is no occasion in the majority of cases 
to resort to such severe -measures. There is great 
danger of those out-doors not ripening at all unless 
sunlight can be freely thrown on the wall or other 
body against which they are trained, for on the free 
absorption of heat by such solid materials much of 
the success will depend; the heat given out from 
this reservoir during the night greatly enhances the 
warmth of the air in the neighbourhood of the fruit. 
Still, it will be necessary to much reduce a con¬ 
siderable portion of them, especially where the par¬ 
ties desire to preserve their grapes as late as possible. 
By the end of September, however, ripe grapes in 
the greenhouse will require all the sunlight possible; 
indeed, it will then become absolutely necessary to 
prune away nearly every lateral, and even occasion¬ 
ally to strip away a leaf, for the sun must at that 
period be permitted to shine on tire fruit itself. 
The question here assumes another bearing, of a 
most important character to those who possess only 
one small greenhouse ; and for such, we hold it a pa¬ 
ramount duty to write most explicitly, such persons 
being less complete in vine culture in general than 
those who possess what is termed a garden establish¬ 
ment. The bearing to which we allude is the housing 
of the pot plants, for most of those who possess but 
one house endeavour to indulge in some little nick- 
nacks of this kind; and as we promised, when first 
commencing our observations on vine culture, to 
show how the two purposes could be rendered com¬ 
patible, we must now beg to enlarge a little on such 
matters. 
The end of September, then, is a sort of epoch in 
the history of the little greenhouse containing both 
grapes and pot plants. At this period the plants 
must by all means be reintroduced; those, at least, 
of a true greenhouse character ; and before introduc¬ 
ing a single plant the house must undergo a tho¬ 
rough revision. We will suppose, then, that it is the 
middle of the month (by which period operations 
should commence), and that what plants were in the 
house at the time were all carried out for the sake of 
a thorough cleaning. 
The first thing is to examine the flue or other 
heating apparatus. The flues must, by all means, 
be thoroughly cleaned: this is a process which re¬ 
quires much caution and some dexterity, and should 
not be trusted to an ordinary workman, for any slo¬ 
venly neglect will endanger the character of the 
grapes, as soot, when dry, is so liable to rise into the 
atmosphere. A dull day should be chosen, in order 
that no ah- may be given to the house during the 
operation. This, and a constant application of water 
sprinkled frequently round the interior of the flue 
when opened, will guard against all injury from soot. 
If the day should prove sunny, a little shading might 
be thrown over the roof. In this way, then, a cauti¬ 
ous workman may thoroughly clean the flues of a 
house without the least perceptible injury to the 
fruit. This being done, a gentle fire should be 
lighted immediately, and abundant ventilation again 
had recourse to. The next thing is to give the walls 
a fresh coating of lime-wash. As before observed, 
let a lively fire be kept up whilst this is proceeding, 
and air given day and night, in order to dispel all 
noxious damps which would otherwise be engendered 
during these processes, for they all involve the use 
of much water, it being necessary to syringe or 
sprinkle the floors occasionally for fear of dust rising- 
on the grapes. 
Painting w r e will say nothing about; it is too late 
for that operation, which should be performed just 
before the last swelling of the berry commences. 
Any little repair necessary should now be accom¬ 
plished, and a thorough cleaning-out should finish 
the whole. It is well, however, to wash all the wood¬ 
work with strong soap water, and to clean the glass. 
Plenty of sulphur should be introduced among the 
lime-wash, which will prove an antidote against the 
increase of the red spider. 
Whilst these things are proceeding, a thorough 
dressing of the vines must be carried out. In the 
first place, we advise that all barren shoots which 
will not be required for the next year be entirely 
pruned away: this will serve to encourage the free 
admission of sun-light, on which, as before observed, 
everything depends. The next point is to see how 
much of lateral spray can be partially reduced or en¬ 
tirely stripped away: this depends on the luxuriance 
of the vines, together with the amount of severity 
practised at the summer dressings. We would as¬ 
suredly suffer no lateral to shade the principal leaves, 
and even of the latter it will be necessary to make a 
little sacrifice occasionally ; this must not be done in 
a reckless way, the object being merely to admit an 
equal quantity of the sun’s rays all over thc liouse, 
which will be imperatively required on behalf ol the 
plants, and will, if cleverly periormed, prove of no 
injury to the vines. Do not, however, remove any 
of the principal leaves from the last two or three 
eyes on the lower portion of the shoots ; these must 
