iSif í f
786
mould from reduced and decayed oak-lcavcs, Tlie swarth or sward shoulil be laid on a heap, till the grass
S S / a r 1 in a state of decay, a id then turned over and broken with a spade; afterwards, >t should be put
tifth e othèl-mutcvinls. and the wholc should be workc.l well together.” {Tr. on Vine, p. 25.) Speechly
c o v e r e d h i s v in e b o r d e r w ith a c o a t o f g r a v e l 2 in . th i c k . i r
3104. Abercrombie says, “ matorials and proportions of a good compost arc of top-spit sandy loam from
an upland pasture, one third p a rt; unexhausted brown loam irom a gartlcn, one fourth p a rt; scrapings
of roads, free from clay, and repaired with gravel or slate, one sixth jiart ; vegetable mould, or old tan
reduced to earth, or rotten stable dung, one eighth p a r t; shell marl or mild hme, one twelfth part. I h e
borders he recommends to be from 3 ft. to 5 ft. in depth, and,_where pvaaicable not Ip s than 4 ft. wide ui
surface within the house, communicating ivith a border outside the buildmg, ol not less than 10 ft. wide.
3105. .lurid uses half of rich gritty loam from a common ; a quarter of rich old dung ; and a quarter ol
limo rubbish, tan, and leaf mould, mixed together. These matenals were kept separate, aud Irequcntly
turned during winter, ancl when afterwards well mixed were not sifted, but laid on a prepared bottom to
th e depth of 3 ft. He says avs he does not use so much dung clung as is usually^usuauy done,uouo, because,uecause, thciiigh tnougn the
tue
vine will bear an extraordin.
dinary quantity of manure, yet its growth is thereby retarded, especially when
young. He recommends 5 the t h - addition of oid tan,. from . having . .
experienced (with Speechly, Mitchell,
and others) that the vine ,e will root in that more freely than in any other c
substance. {Hort. 'irans..
''‘aioG. / i l u n rccommcniis dvaining the shbsoilif it is .It all wet or clayey, and putting over it 1 foot deep
of stones or broken bricks, over which tu rf should be laid, to prevent the e.arth from mixmg with the
stones, and to allow the superfluous moisture to escape into the drainage. On the tu rf may be placed
G or 7 inches deep of chalk or limestone; or if these cannot be procured, broken bncks may be used.
Hamilton adds, “ I am persuaded that if vine borders, which are made outside the house were composed
of one third of large stones, either Ihnestone or chalk, they would answer much better than a 1 soil and
dung. The stones would answer th e purpose of keeping tho border m a porous state, so th a t heavy
rains would pass immediately through the soil into the drain beneath. They would also have the con-
traw effect in summer, of keepmg the border moist in long droughts. T h e soil I would recommcnffi is
aboiit 4 in. of the top-spit of good loam from an old pasture; aud for those vines planted insule, I
would mix with it one third of good rotten dung, and one third of vegetable mould, or road scrapings ;
but for vines planted outside, I would substitute for the rotten dung, bone dust, which ought to be
ground rough for the purpose. When th e vines are planted, a little leat or vegetable mould ought to be
u s e d , which will assist their striking fresh roots.” , , , ta ■
3107. T/ic dcptli ofthe border outside, according to Hamilton, “ need not bo above 20 in. or 2 ft. It is a
fact,” he continues, “ which has been repeatedly forced upon my attention, that vines, the roots of which
had groivn near the surface, matured thcir wood earlier and better, and also bore heavier, and moro
highly flavoured crops of fruit, than such as were planted in deep borders of rich compost. In the latter
case there is a tendency to produce luxuriant shoots ivhich ripen their fruit so imperfectly, that frequent y
half the bunch will shrink, and never come to perfection ; neither do they biiv^ their buds so regular y
ivlipii started tho following year ; whereas those vines which were planted in shallow and ra the r stenle
borders, will seldom or never shrink; and although thoir wood will not be so strong, it will be niove
fruitful, and th e berries will be better llavoured.” {Hamilton’s Treatise on the y jn e ,^ c ., P-
3108. The depth of the border m\i%i be regulated in all cases by the subsoil and th e climate. here the
former is moist aud the latter cold, the shallower the soil is the better ; on the contrary, where the subsoil
is perfectly dry, and the climate hot, as in the south of France, th e depth may be unlimited.
3109. Sort of grapes. In our horticultural [catalogue will be found a descriptive list of the best sorts ot
gr.apes for forcing, or th e open wall ; from ivhich a selection may be made, according to the taste of the
^'3U0. For a mere glass case, in which the fruit is to be ripened by the heat of tho sun, the following,
which are the hardiest sorts, will succeed best; viz., white muscadine, white sweetwater, black Sweetwater,
black Hamburgh, large black cluster, black July, and Miller grape.
3111. For a small house to be forced, or to which iire-heat is to ho applied m spring and autumn, the
following sorts are what experienced gardeners recommend, as sure bearers and high-flavoured grapes :
black and red Hamburgh, black and grizzty Frontignac, black prince, white muscat ol Alexandria,
Stilwel's white sweetwater, and early white Teneriffe. . .. r • t.i ,
3112 M‘Phail,for general forcing, recommends, as “ the best sorts of grape-vines for forcing, the black
Hamburgh, red Frontignac, black prince, black muscatel, red Lombardy, r o p i mus/'idine, white
muscadine, white Frontignac, white muscat, white sweetwater, white muscadel, and white Syrian.
3*113! l'ó r g4eralforcÌ7ig, the following sorts are recommended by Mr. Thompson : —
1 B lack GrajHS. carmps. B la c k M orocco, B la c k Cone
m uscadine, I B la c k lla m b u rs h , B la c k Frontigi
Fro n tig n a c , stantia.
IV liito F ro ntig na c, ’ W h ite H a rab n rg h , | B ia c k p rince, B la c k Dania-scus, S am t _ . _ Red Grapes.^
W h ite R a isin , W h ite T o k a y , Cliassclas , P eter’s, B la c k Lom b a rd y , K aism des
m usq uc, W h ite m uscat o f A le xa n d ria . )
3114. Sort of plants. Vines are to be had in th e nurseries, propagated either from layers, cuttings, or
eyes ; and, provided the plants be well rooted, and the wood ripe, many agree with us m opinion that i t is a
matter of indifference from which class the choice is made. Justice prefers plants raised from cuttings,
as likely to have ripened roots ; and where they have to be sent from a distance, he prefers to plants,
cuttingi containing an inch or two of the old wood, and 12 or 14 inches of the new These he plants at
once where they are to remain, as practised in France. Speechly prefers plants which have been raised
from the eye, for the following reasons: — “ They have more abundant roots, grow shorter jointed, are
more prolific, and will, if permitted, come into bearing th e second year.” a- *u • a
3115. Cuttings and eyes. It may be remarked, th at th e most general mode of propagating the^ yme^at
present, in the best nurseries, is tro ' ’ ’ .....................
gardeners. The great objection to 1?
by fro st; and then do not ripen then ........ a., o—'- j -------- ............... „ a , <•- *■_
shoots the first year after planting. Layers kept in the nursery one year after being separated from the
mother plant, are, of course, not so liable to this objection. Plants raised from cuttings or eyes, having
no adventitious support, produce no more roots than what th e shoot and leaves enable them to ripen ;
and, a t two years’ growth, may be justly considered as the best description of plants for stocking a house.
31 IG. Expeditious propagation. The vine roots so readily in every stage of its groivth during summer,
that various plans have been adopted for getting long shoots from it, furnished with ab u n d a n t/ip p lie s of
roots, in the course of one season. The following mode practised by Mr. Rutger, gardener at Shortgrove,
Essex, appears to us one o fth e best: — “ At the pruning season, leave a shoot of strong young wood, over
and above what may be wanted for training, of a sufficient length to bind down to any convenient place
where a pot can be placed to receive it as a layer ; and also for training it durmg its growth. VVhen the
vine begins to push, displace all the buds from the shoot intended for laying, except th e leading one.
When this is grown to about 8 in. or 1 ft. in length, bind it down to the pot, and lay it so that the
top joint, whence the young wood has sprung, may be fixed with a strong crook a t about 1 m. under
th e surface of the mould. As soon as it begins to take root, which may be known by_removing a little
o fth e earth, begin to weaken its resources from th e mother plant, by making an incision in the wood
behind the p o t; which enlarge by degrees, as fast as the young plant will boar it, until it be quite
separated from the old one. The advantage of the above method is, that the vine may be grown to
10 ft. or 20 ft,
in any situât
wlien grown
)r 20 ft. and upwards, in length, the fir.st season, with a pot full of roots ; so that it ’mav be nianfed
toil“t e S L il f.' rt ’ Pffinged m a tan-bed. They will thus make shoots, which, the first year after removal
4 \ T u Y ^®st)nation, will, under ordinary circumstances, produce fruit. removal
a ti e l ù r é S f i i r f 1 f e i t h e r trained against the back wall, or on
fhe i l f ^ ® former case, the plants are always placed inside the house ; but in
S h e /fn s k ll planting them otlier inside, the parapet wall. In h e re the vmes are to be drawn out when in a dnrmoauntcsi dsefi,t -aen da ct he
generally the case with those trained under the rafters of pineries, there can be no question th at outside
p anting must be adopted ; but for vineries where this practice is n S r S f f i s S r i t S f n r c f í r S fo
close l c f ’ P|“ ° r i e / th e vines, instead of being drawn out, are frequently cither laid down
th i bail 1 says “ L e t the vines be carefully turned out of the pots, reducing
III f o l H out th e matted roots. Then place them in the pits, ju st as dèep in th?
eai th as they were before, carefully spreading out th e fibres, and fillinc in with fine sifted enrth nr «.-ifo'
vegetable mould. Settle all with a little water ; and let them have plenty of free air evcrv day’ defend
“ I them from very severe frost or much wet, till they begin to p u s /y o u /g shoots.” ^
As the plants of vmes are generally in pots, and may be turned out with balls,
•g months are of course to
that have succeeded so
Hthough sprung many inches. 1 have also done the like with peaches ”
at /h i ' ^P®®°hly disapproves of thecommon practice of planting all the different sorts of grapes
d i a r a c tC n d n C b / n f f o ^ ¿ r ^ 0 allowed, in proportion to the ifatural
tlV C b IL f o ! / 1 1 planted at 3 ft. or 4 ft. apart he considers as crowded ; for
I I mode a house will soon get furnished, and tolerable crops of grapes he produced in a few
of rn nL^Lñ / fort ‘‘emaiLing many years so close together, they will be cramped in their growth for want
oiL« f 1®»® P ''°‘luctive. {Treat, on Vine, T). 102.)
3122. 'Icmporary plants. “ At first planting a house,” Abercrombie observes “ some of the vines mav
P C ® ’, fhe wood from a good stool is able to cover the space betwee/
® plants less vigorous, or which bear fruit not so well approved, ila y be taken
”■ adapted for cultivating a single plant to a considerable extent than a
T h e opinions of authors and practical men on this subject are very vari-
S e l L i fo I n f o iî l fo f observes, lays “ much stress on his own mode.” We agree with this excellent
?innfori fo f f l r 4 ’• f® liavc good ci’ops of grapcs, much more depends on the soil they are
i r ’ Í chmate ill which they are kept, than on any methods of pruning or training that have
ai 9k -r; rt 4 adopted. I liree different systems of pruning have their advocates.
to Abercrombie, is applicable only to vines out of doors ; but it m aybe
transferred to plants m a vmery without any material alteration. In this method, one perpendicular
Wb/i! f o / ^ i ” L / “‘¿ f l r fh® of which, to th e right and left, the ramifications spring.
£ i r/r<f i IS established, the immecUate bearers, or shoots of the growing season, and the mother
bearers, or shoots o fth e last year s growth, are thus managed:—Soon after the growing season has commenced,
such rising shoots as either ave m fruit and fit to be rctamed, ov arc eligibly placed for mother
bearers next season, are laid m, either horizontally, or with a slight diagonal rise?at something less than
a foot distance, rncasurmg from one bearing shoot to the next : the rising shoots, intended to form young
wood, should be taken as near the origin of the branch as a good one offers, to allow of cutting Iw S ?
beyond the adopted lateral, a greater quantity of the bnmch, as it becomes old wood ; th e new spruli-
¡¿ o ra ls not wanted for one of these two objects, are pinched off. T h e treatment of those retained, daring
the rest of the summer thus differs As the shoots in bearing extend in growth, they are kept koppSd
'b’r é™ s 7 f
trhhret cs„uTm«Tmv.Ae,rrt, ,u.OnTt4i,-li t41h ey reac1h 4t,h e a„ll oAt ed, ’ ^•■® trained at full length as they advance during
uie summer, until they reach the alloted bounds: were they stopped in th e middle of their growth, it
would cause them to throw out troublesome laterals. In the winter pruning, there will thus be a great
fo/rtrtH f ^ 4*1"^ of th e former mother bearer, or most "om modiffiy
ff 1 ? ® 4®”'® liranch are cut away; the rest of the branch is
fo/rfoirtrt t i ll c terminate with the adopted late ra l: the adopted shoot is then
qi/l« fo / f l V ?! y ^ 7 of eyes, accordmg to its place on the vine, its own
strcnotii or the s tre ii^ h o fth e vine. The lower shoots are pruned in the shortest, in order to keep the
means ot always supplying young wood at the bottom of the tree. «cp lue
312.5. Tlw secoT/ method is to head down the natural leader, so as to cause it to throw out two. three or
V I®® branches; and in the w inter pruning are not reduced,
fol fo F ’®"’ i ® *^°“ se, or unless the plant appears too weak to sustain them at
length. Laterals from these are cultivated about 12 in. apart, as mother bea rers; those in fruit are
stopped m summer, and after the fall of th e leaf are cut in to one or two eyes. From the appearance of
the mother bearers, thus shortened, this has been called spur-pruning uppearance oi
» - ‘” S - o r e than
th e superstructure of the first system
immediately to this, in reserving well-
placed shoots to come in as bearing-
wood. Thus, supposing a stem, which
has been headed, to send up four vigorous
competing leaders, two are suffered
to bear f r u it ; and two are divested of
such buds as break into clusters, and
trained to the length of 10 ft., 12 ft.,
15ft., or more, for mother bearers next
season. In the winter pruning, the
leaders which have borne a crop are
cut down to within two eyes of the
stool, or less, according to the strength
of the p la n t; while the reserved shoots
lose no more of thcir tops than is ne-
cessary to adjust them to the trellis.
3127. M'Phail also describes three
modes o f pruning ihc vine ; the first,
or fruit-tree manner {fig. 767.), he
ll