86 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ April, 
watering and syringing is required. The whole can be packed up in a small com¬ 
pass and the glass in a box, and can be sent from one part of England to another 
for a few shillings.” The moveable back no doubt greatly facilitates the perform¬ 
ance of any necessary cultural attentions.—T. M. 
VINE CULTURE.* 
HEN we remember the great beauty and usefulness of the Vine and its 
y fruit, we need not wonder that its name should hold an honourable place 
in the earliest pages of history. Poets have made it the burden of their 
Wf song, orators have exalted it as an emblem of life, while rich and poor 
have joined in praising it for its charming beauty as a plant, and for the refresh¬ 
ing properties of its fruit. No wonder, then, that much both of money and of 
labour has been spent on its cultivation, not only in climates in which it luxu¬ 
riates in the open air, but in others, like our own, in which it requires the aid of 
glass-houses or vineries, and in many cases the application of artificial heat. 
Vineries may be built of any size and of nearly any shape, so much depends 
upon circumstances. For early forcing, houses with high-pitched roofs, in which 
the vines may receive all possible benefit from the sun’s rays, are to be preferred. 
Others prefer low roofs, and the houses sunk like pits a little below the ground 
level; these have the advantage over the others of retaining the heat better still, 
though good crops have been grown under both systems. I think the high- 
pitched roofs are the best. For general work they should be neither very steep 
nor very flat; they are mostly built at an angle of 45°. The forms in general use 
are spans, three-quarter spans, and lean-tos. The size must be governed by the 
demand for fruit. The plot where the house is to be erected should be excavated 
3 ft. deep; the front wall to the ground level should be arched, or what is much 
better, pillared at every four feet along the front, the pillars resting on good 
foundations, and standing the whole height from foundation to ground plate. By 
this method the roots have free passage from inside to outside. If the front of the 
house is required to be very high, then pillars must give way to brickwork. For 
lean-tos 7 ft. high in front and from 12 ft. to 15 ft. at back will form a high and airy 
house. The rafters should be 6 ft. apart, with movable sashes at top for venti¬ 
lation. Wires 1 ft. apart are to be run across the house, and fastened to the 
rafters for supporting the rods. There must be a path or paths of stone or wood, 
and sufficient piping to keep up a brisk heat when required. For a house 45 ft. 
long and 18 ft. broad, four 4-in. pipes in front and two at back will be sufficient. 
When the houses are built, the preparing of the borders inside and outside 
must receive attention; for very early forcing, inside borders are best; they save 
much labour in covering up, &c., and can be kept at a more equable temperature. 
For general work it is better to have borders both inside and outside ; make no 
more than the inside border the first two years, adding about 3 ft. every year after- 
* This terse and well-written sketch of Vine Culture does much credit to its author, who is one of the 
young gardeners employed at Thoresby.—E d. 
