156 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, June 5, 1860. 
not touch them with me, and I find them love the deepest shade. 
I do not mean to put them in competition with those named by 
you in your No. of 15th May ; but I have been so provoked by 
hares and rabbits, that I have been long looking for varieties which 
they will not destroy. I do not find Berberis aquifolia bear a 
dry, rabbit, sandy soil; and although the rabbits do not bark it, 
they have destroyed several young plants by perseveringly eating 
oil' the leaves out of mere mischief; but wherever I can get the 
plant to grow strong it is unhurt. “ E. C. E.” is safe in trying 
the following :—Box (an excellent underwood), Aucuba Japonica, 
Qaultheria Shallow, Vinca major, Leicesteria formosa. —D. C. M. 
POINTS IN VINE CULTURE. 
{Continued from page 116.) 
Watering. —Vines, like everything else, require watering in 
dry weather, if the roots are as near the surface as they ought to 
be. If there are few roots within two feet of the surface, the 
watering will be less needed, and if given ever so carefully will 
have less influence. If, in the latter case, heated water is used, J 
the heat will be absorbed before it reaches the roots ; and if 
manure water is given the virtues of that will bo absorbed by 
the superincumbent soil before getting deep enough. There is, 
however, just the chance, that the heat and the richness will 
entice the roots upwards. These remarks apply especially to 
Vines with their roots outside. Of course, when inside the ; 
house, waterings must be given as the soil gets dry; and one j 
advantage of having them so planted is, that by judicious warm, 
rich waterings, you can, to a certain extent, force the roots as 1 
w r ell as the tops. The time of watering Vines with their roots 
out of doors is a matter of some moment. Could I do as I liked, 
I would keep all rains and other waterings oil' Vine-borders out¬ 
side ; at latest after the middle of September, and especially all 
those that were intended to be forced. No greater mistake , 
exists than the supposition that in these matters gardeners can 
have their own way if they are fortunate to hold a largish | 
situation. The general labouring expenses are so great, that 
means of keeping borders dry, and yet admitting the sun when it 
shines, are generally pooh-poohed as unnecessary. I believe that 
in many small places there are much better means at command . 
for such matters. There can be no question, that for such pur- J 
poses, glass, tarpaulin, wooden shutters, and even thatched 
hurdles, would be extremely useful. By October a little litter 
could be placed beneath either of these, to keep the heat in. 
With such arrangements the roots will be sure to be moist 
enough in winter, and yet be comfortably dry instead of being in 
a wet, quagmire condition. For very late houses, such as the 
one referred to by “A Beginner,” such means will also be of 
importance for keeping the Grapes long without damping, if 
plenty of air, and that moderately dried, is given inside. 
Such a border with a dry surface, and covered with dry litter, 
as so well recommended by Messrs. Bailey and Errington, 
will not only be warmer all the winter than a moist one; but | 
shortly after shutting up the house for forcing, you can at onco | 
give a stimulus to root action, by a fair watering with weak 
manure waterings at a temperature of from 90° to 100°, and j 
that heat will be retained for some time, owing to the dry cover¬ 
ing being immediately replaced. Before such watering is given, 
the border should be slightly forked, so as not to injure the 
roots, and in order that the moisture may sink equally all 
over it. With such precautions, this early watering is of great 
importance. If the border is exposed it will generally be damp 
enough, and moderately-heated water could have no such in¬ 
fluence. Without such precautions, the more moisture given to 
the border the greater will the amount of cold be by subsequent 
evaporation ; and, therefore, all waterings given before the end 
of July ought to be warmer than that obtained from the tank 
or pond. In order that richness may be imparted by the showers 
of summer a covering of horse-droppings, sheep-dung, &c., may 
be thrown over the border when once the soil is well heated. 
Our correspondent will judge whether he can apply a good water¬ 
ing now with advantage. Keeping the above considerations in 
view, watering can be given at any time; but, provided the 
border is dry in spring, then the three most, important times 
would be when the Vines were nearly starting, when they were 
setting, and when they commenced their last swelling. I do not 
approve, however, of the proposed mode of watering—namely, 
digging little holes, and pouring it in in bucketfuls. I would 
prefer forking the border, and letting the water percolate through 
the whole of its width, I do not know the strength of the 
stable liquid manure. If it is much diluted with rain or other 
water it may not be over-strong. If it is nothing scarcely but 
urine and the richest part of other droppings, I should like to 
give at least five times its bulk of water. I once helped to apply 
liquid from the cesspools of a stable just as it was taken out, and 
it did next to kill the Vines outright. It is possible, therefore, 
to have too much of a good thing. Let me not, however, be 
mistaken. A little of such strong liquid may be sprinkled over 
the surface of the border, and especially if rain is apprehended, 
and do na harm. That is a different thing from soaking the soil 
with such strong water. If put into holes in pailfuls, and the 
liquid is as strong as I have seen if, I should expect all the roots 
near it to be injured or destroyed. 
3rd. Temperature and Atmospheric Moisture. —From 
45° to 50° is high enough to start with for Vines that are to bo 
forced, and in a month or so that may be raised gradually to 
60°. The latter heat should never be exceeded at night, until the 
buds are all broken and show well. When in bloom the house 
at night should rise to from 60° to 65°, and in the case of Muscats , 
some would prefer 70° to 75°; but provided the house had a rise 
of 10° to 15° by sunshine, most Vines will set quite as well if 
at night the temperature is not much above 65°. Bather than 
have them much higher at night with fire heat, I would prefer 
them ranging to 85°, and even 90°, with sun heat, provided the 
heat from sun was also accompanied with air. For early forcing 
to get the buds to break regularly, a moist atmosphere is ne¬ 
cessary. When the Vines are allowed to break almost naturally, 
the extreme of care in securing a moist atmosphere is unnecessary, 
as I have often found that Vines that were scarcely ever syringed, 
just broke as well and as regularly as those that were syringed 
regularly, and other means were taken to keep up a moist at¬ 
mosphere. I should not like to dispense with moistening in early 
forcing ; but in common cases where the Vines are only slightly 
accelerated, the advantages of ever and anon squirting with the 
syringe are very problematical. Something of the same kind 
holds good as to the disputed point of having a dry or a moist 
atmosphere when the Grapes are setting. I believe that holding 
the medium will be the best practice. It would not be wise to 
syringe, or even dew the bunches to any extent under such cir¬ 
cumstances, though I have done the latter very gently at times, 
when the atmosphere was very dry after a bright, sun, and 
thought the young bunches of flowers liked it rather than other¬ 
wise. In very dull, cold weather, I would rather reduce the 
heat, and with it the extra moisture in the atmosphere. In very 
dry, bright weather, if I did not dust the Vines with water, I 
would certainly throw a little water gently on the walls, stages, 
and floors of the houses, that the air might supply itself with 
moisture in proportion to the heat. I do not, therefore, think 
that in dull weather it would be prudent to keep Vines in bloom 
in too moist an atmosphere, as the anther-boxes would not open 
freely from being clogged with moisture. Neither should I like 
to keep the atmosphere too dry, because in that case I have often 
found that the parts of fructification are held together in one 
little knot or bundle, and the anthers did not seem to have the 
power to spring back and discharge their pollen. For these 
reasons I prefer the moisture in tho atmosphere to be in a 
medium state, and chiefly to be regulated by the amount of heat 
to bo obtained from the sun; sprinkling floors, &c., in bright 
days, and letting them be almost dry, and the temperature to 
decline in dull, cold days. A few hours’ bright sun with moderate 
moisture, will do more to secure a good setting of fruit than a 
week’s firing and steaming. 
4th. Raising and Replanting Vines. — From reasons 
already given I should be inclined in the present case to try 
another year, and not raise tho Vines, or only one or two in the 
way of experiment. If after renewing the wood and getting rid 
of the old stem, the same evils should continue, then it would be 
well to raise and replant one-half of the Vines, and give them 
a fair portion of new soil, and some hundredweight of crushed 
bones intermingled with it. 
According to circumstances, Vines may be taken up at any 
time, if extra trouble is no consideration. For instance : I re¬ 
moved the soil from a part of a border of Vines in January and 
March, and added fresh to the roots that were moved with care j 
but I should greatly have preferred doing that work in the 
months of September and October, but I could not get at them 
then. I have partly disearthed Vines in the end of June, shaded 
the tops until tops and roots were growing fresh, then removed 
nearly the whole of the wood and grew fresh wood j that 
