IF8 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, December 18, 1860. 
that may be kept safely in a temperature from fire heat of from 
35° to 45°, but seldom rising above or even quite as high as 45° 
with fire heat alone. Thus, supposing that a vinery is pruned in 
the middle of October, and is to be started at Ohristmas-day 
you might fill the vinery with bedding plants—such as Verbenas 
Calceolarias, Geraniums, and keep them perfectly safe, until you 
began to raise the temperature from 45° to 50°, which would be 
too much for the health of the bedding plants. Scarlet Gera¬ 
niums and others would grow very well in a heat of from 
50° to 55°; but if you wished to keep them merely safe and in 
small compass, the plants must be shifted to another place tha 
13 cooler than the vinery after you begin to foi'ce it. What you 
koep in it afterwards will be something that will suit the increased 
temperature, either in the way of flowering plants or such fruits 
and vegetables as Strawberries and Kidney Beans. 
Hie same rule bolds with Vines started in February or March 
or allowed to break naturally in April. The Vines are looke 1 
upon as the chief object, and the plants in the vineries made to 
suit what will best suit the Vines ; and in all these cases, with 
the exception alluded-to, the pulling of Vines out and in is a 
mere waste of labour, and also not without its involvements of 
danger. 
In cases where a late crop of Grapes, and the preserving of 
the hardier house plants, and blooming them fairly in winter and 
spring are the clii f considerations, there is no necessity for 
taking the Vines out of the house in winter ; and it is often 
dangerous to take them out at an earlier period. Last September 
we noticed Vines taken out of a house, and tied to stakes in the 
front of it, that bad received hardly any fire beat in spring or 
summer ; and the leaves then were so battered with the weather 
and the wood so soft and spongy, that we felt a great mistake had 
been committed —and that merely to prepare the house for 
bedding plants and getting forward some Primulas and Cinerarias, 
which would have been as well accomplished with the Vines 
in as out, whilst they would have had the chance, by' removing 
all laterals, of ripening their wood. These Vines were terribly 
injured by the frost of October—hardly a bunch was shown by 
them; mildew and other evils siezed them wholesale; and as a 
last resource, they were cut down in June and a fresh commence¬ 
ment made with a selected strong slioot from each,'which, from 
keeping under glass and giving fire heat in September and 
October, now promise well for next year. At the same time 
another house, used entirely as a greenhouse, the lights were 
nearly all slid down to give air to and harden the Vines, neither 
the wood nor the fruit of which was ripe. The sashes, as advised, 
w ere pulled up so as to give only the necessary amount of air, 
and a little fire heat was given to afford a drier atmosphere to 
ripen tlie fruit and wood tco. The plants being kept out until 
the middle of October, and the Grapes then being all cut, the 
A ines were pruned towards the end of the month, the stems 
tied in bundles along the front of the house; and though the 
house was never above from 40° to 45°, and seldom below 40°, 
ail the winter, Cinerarias and Camellias, &c., came in after the 
Chrysanthemums, and the Vines began to swell only in the last 
days in March, and bore an excellent weli-ripened crop this 
summer. If these Vines had been exposed to the open air like 
their neighbours, we should hardly have expected a bunch. 
These refer, however, to premature exposings, hut there are 
not wanting cases during the last season where the deficiency of 
the crops may he traced to pretty-well ripened wood being 
injured by the frost from being fully exposed to the weather out 
ot doors. In all cases where it is deemed necessary that this I 
exposure should be given, the stems should be at least kept dry, 1 
and in general the extreme of frost should also be avoided. I 
am convinced myself, that even roots of Vines near the surface ' 
were injured by the severe frost of October, 1859. On the whole 
then, considerable experience and observation lead me to con¬ 
clude that Vines under glass in late houses will not start above 
a few days before the usual time, if the temperature iu winter 
does not rise above from 40° to 45° from fire heat, and that 
under these circumstances the Vines are not benefited, hut apt 
to be injured when expiosed out of doors without protection. In 
eucn a night temperature, Primulas, Cinerarias, Cytisus, Coro- 
ndlas, Epacris, and Camellias will open their blossoms pretty 
well if there is a fair amount of sunshine ; but they will hardly 
oo so iu such dull weather as we have lately had. From sun¬ 
shine we could allow 10° rise with safety. 
Under such circumstances, however, as our correspondent’s, 
where a very gay display is wanted in winter and spring—where 
to produce that display the minimum temperature is 45°, rising 
we presume to 50°, and even a few more degrees at times, and a 
still greater rise of 10° or 15° more in bright sunny days, and 
where the Vines are required to produce late crops, and no fire 
if possible used from April to September—then all things con¬ 
sidered, to attain these objects it will be best to take the Vines 
out in winter and keep them secure under protection until they 
begin to break. Such a house, in fact, is a warm greenhouse 
approaching a forcing-house in winter, and a cool vinery in 
summer, and must have corresponding rules and regulations of 
its own. Keeping such a house at from 45° to 50° and more, 
with air in proportion in sunshine, will secure more bloom than 
one kept at from 40° to 45°; and plants will do better under the 
Vines in summer than if the Vines had been commenced earlier 
and kept growing, for if once commenced there must he no 
stoppage or check given. As our correspondent asks how we 
would do in his position—we would say, treat the Vines as he 
proposes, and let them break naturally ; hut instead of not 
using a fire from March to September, and as mildew had made 
its appearance, w r e would have some flowers of sulphur on the 
flue, but never have the sulphur hotter than 160°, and then in a 
dull, cold day we would put a little brisk fire on which would 
permit of giving a little more air. This we would do, especially 
when the Vines were in bloom, and even afterwards—say, in 
August in a season like this; and then by September, if the 
weather was at all dull, we would put on a little fire to ripen the 
fruit and harden the wood ; and since show of flowers is a great 
object, we would cut the fruit as soon as ripe, prune he Vines 
by the middle or end of October, dress them with at paint of 
clay and sulphur, and place the outside under prote ction for 
their winter quarters. Very likely a few firings in summer, in 
dull weather, would not only forward the crop but keep off all 
appearance of mildew. 
One word more as to your postscript. Your Vines would 
have been most likely quite as strong now if they had been at least 
one year younger when planted. One thing, however, you have 
not injured them by over-bearing; and as the main stem is yet 
to be furnished for the spur-system, we would certainly advise 
that for the next season at least you would introduce your 
Vines by the middle of February, hut this solely on the under¬ 
standing that you keep them growing afterwards, giving what 
heat was necessary. This would prolong the time of growth for 
one season. By means of taking out the Vines, and having 
some in pots, some people have actually ha d three crops in a 
year out of such a house ; but these are cases which, like yours 
making a forcing-house in winter—do not interfere with the 
general rule applicable to late vineries.—R. Fish.] 
WOODWOEK OF “THE CUKATE’S VINEEY.” 
Will you inform an old subscriber what should be the thick¬ 
ness of wood used in the several parts of the “ Curate’s Vinery ? ” 
Also, vrliat should be the depth from centre to apex in “ Curate’s 
Vinery,” of 3 feet 6 inches on new plan ? Also, what should he 
the thickness of glass used, and what will now be the required 
size of the pieces of glass, and whether it would not he better to 
use two narrow pieces instead of one very large one, the narrow 
pieces being made to ov s rlap each other ? 
Might not tiffany ] laced on frames similar to those of 
“ Curate’s Vin tv,” be very useful for protecting early Peas in 
frosty nights ? 
What should be the distance between the two Vines planted 
in “ Curate’s Vinery,” of 3 feet 6 inches in breadth.-—X. Y. Z. 
[The bars are one inch deep, and three-quarters of an inch 
thick, of ridge boards and eave boards 2 inches by 1 inch. 
The depth from centre to apex of the enlarged vinery (3 feet 
6 inches wide at base) should be 20 inches. The glass should 
be 21 oz., as it is less liable to breakage in pruning, and for the 
same reason pieces 15 inches or so in width are to be preferred ; 
hut this is a mere matter of choice. Tiffany placed on the same 
species of frame as the “ Curate’s Vinery,” would serve ex¬ 
cellently well to protect early spring crops. The distance between 
two Vines in an enlarged vinery should be 14 inches.] 
Stoke Newington Chrysanthemum Society.— The 
fifteenth annual dinner of this Society was held at the Falcon, 
Stoke Newington, on Thursday evening, Mr. Shirley Hibberd, 
the President, in the chair. In proposing the toast of the 
evening, the President announced his intention of offering at 
