il)
à b '- '■
7 9 2 PKACTICE OE GARDENING. P.UIT III.
of lime rubbish ; placed a glass over each plant, taking out lialf a pane in its summit, through which the
leading shoot of th e vine protruded itself, and grew in the open air. The bunch or bunches of grapes
remained within the hand-glass, nnd enjoyed th e advantages of protection from cold winds, dews, and
rains, during night, and of a high degree of confined solar heat, during the day.
3154. Forcing vines in pots. This is not a very common practice, because the vine requires a greater
extent of pasturage for the roots than any other fruit tree. It has, however, been occasionally attempted
^ gardeners in pits and stoves, and three or four bunches are sometimes thus obtained from one plant.
T h e soil must be as rich as possible, and every attention paid to keeping th e plants regularly supplied
with water and liquid manure. Knight employed water impregnated with pigeon’s dung to the colour
of porter, and found, in consequence, the most vigorous growth. Ho states, th a t a pot containing 2
cubic feet of very rich mould, properly supplied with water nnd manure in a liquid state, is fully adequate
to nourish a vine, which, after being pruned in autumn, occupies 20 square feet ol the roof of a hothouse.
Such vines he constantly found to produce more vigorous wood when forced very early, than others of
the same varieties, whose roots were permitted to extend beyond the limits of th e house. {Hort. Trans.,
vol. ii. p. 373.) Mr. Staffbrd, gardener a t IVillersley, in Derbyshire, excels in this mode of producing
grapes. He prefers the prolific varieties to thoso which bear large bunches, and uses pots 13 in. wide,
and 15 in. deep, filled with light rich vegetable mould. He puts th e plants deeper m the pot every
succeeding year, thus allowing the wood which was above the pot the preceding year to make new roots ;
while, th e next time of potting, he takes from the bottom about the same proportion of old roots. By this
perpetual succession of young wood, and young roots in fresh soil, he is said to produce nearly as great a
weight of fruit as th e weight of soil in which the plant grows. The vines receive abundance of water up
to th e time of th e ripening of the fruit, (//o rí. iieg.. vol. i. p. 9. 487.) It is evident that by this mode a
succession of grapes may be had all the year, as is now the case at Willersley, and was formerly a t Wood-
bank, near Stockport, as described in Hort. Trans., vol. li. Buck practised the same method, but in the
winter season removed the pots containing hi:
fruit in perfection much longer than if the j
p. 5fil.)
3155. The coiling system o f growing vines in pots w;
applicable in th e torcing-house, as well as in the ope
for forcing, as for procuring
It will be found described
' ' ■ ’ is ripe fruit into a dry airy situation, which preserved the
pots had been kept in the vinery. {Hort. Trans., vol. iv.
invented by Mr. John Mearns; and though it is
open air, yet it cannot be considered so well adapted
•op of grapes under glass in the summer time without the aid of fire-heat.
after part of this work.
3156. Cultivating fo r retarding maturation, so as to obtain a supply in the winter season, is thus described
in the Transactions ofthe Horticultural Society as practised at Willersley. The sorts cultivated
for this late crop are the White Muscat of Alexandria, the Black Damascus, the Black Tenerilfe, th e
St. P e te r’s, the Black llaisin, th e Syrian, and the White Nice. They are grown in houses alternately
used as pineries and vineries. About tbe second week in February, th e pine plants are always removed
into another vinery. The grapes which remain on the vines are all cut, and the house thrown open for
th e free admission of air at all times, till the end of April, when the vine buds begin to swell, when a gentle
fire is applied in the night, and in dark and cold days ; but air is admitted freely when the thermometer
is up a t 70°. At ‘ this Dei'iod.period, a proportion nronortion of the pine nine nlants is again asain brought b rousht into th e house, where they
they
remain till th e succeeding F ebruary. The treatment from this time is quite in the common w a y ; s
this late and slow process, th e grapes do not begin to ripen till towards th e end of October, and th<
late sorts, such as the St. P e te r’s, are scarcely ripe a t Christmas.
and by
" • - ery
S u b s e c t . 3 . Gathering and Keeping forced Grapes.
3 1 5 7 . With respect to the gathering o f grapes, Nicol observes, “ they should be allowed
to hang till fully matured and ripened; especially the thick-skiimcd aud fleshy sorts.
Even the tliin-skinned and juicy kinds, as the wliite sweetwater, white Frontignac, and
muscadine (that arc often cut before nearly ripe), are much improved in flavour by being
allowed to remain on the plant till the skin become transparent, and of a russet or
yellowish colour.” The grapery, when the fruit is ripe, ought to be kept dry and cool,
in order to preserve the fruit as long as possible on the branches, and thus to prolong the
grape season. Covering the border au inch or two with dry sand, ashes, gravei, decayed
granite, or decayed trap, contributes to dry the air and dispel damps. The leaves round
the bunches are to be picked off for the same end, and a fire to be made in the daytime
in gloomy weather.
shf „ — - ......... . „
th e whole interior of the houses perfectly dry, so th a t no damp exists in them when shut u p ; a night fire,
on the contrary, with the houses closed, creates a vapour, which causes the fru it to become mouldy, and
to decay. The sorts used were the Frontignacs, Sweetwater, and Black Damascus.” {Hort. Trans.,
vol. iv. p. 132.) M-Phail observes, “ there are some sorts of grapes, such as the Black Muscat of Je ru salem,
the Syrian, Tokay, and some others, which will keep on th e tree a long time after they are ripe,
provided the house be kept dry nnd cool.” Braddick covers the floors of his vinery in autumn about
■ 'n. thick with coal-ashes, which, by preventing any damp from rising, to mildew or injure the fruit,
.................. ■■ enables him to preserve the grapess h1:anging on tthhee ttr ee 'i n a very perf..e..c..t. ..s.t..a..t.e.. ..t.i.l..l. .t..h..e.. ..e..n..d.. ..o..f January, or
later. {Hort. Trans., vol. iv. p. 143.) Torbron, in a temporary vinery, or a glass case placed against a
wall, on which grapes are trained, has ripened a late crop, and kept th e fruit on th e trees in a state fit
for use till February. {Hort. Trans., vol. iv. p. 118.)
3159. To preserve grapes by removal fr om the tree, Forsyth directs, where there are several bunches
in one branch it may be cut off, and seal both ends with some common sealing-wax ; then hang the
branches across a line in a dry room, taking care to clip out any of the berries that begin to decay or
become mouldy. “ In this way,” he adds, “ I have kept grapes til! the Cth of F ebrua ry; but, if they are
cu t before the bunches are too ripe, they may be kept much longer.”
31G0. Grapes may be kept by packing them in ja r s , every bunch being first wrapped up in soft paper,
and covering every layer with bran, or with sand, which should be well dried before it is used. The
mouth of th e ja r should be covered with a bladder tied firmly on to exclude th e air. The jars should be
kept in a room in which there should be a fire in wet or damp weather. {T r . on Fr. Tr.)
S u b s e c t . 4 . Insects and Diseases attendant on forced or Hothouse Grapes.
3 1 6 1 . T h ’ insects and diseases o f the vine are not numerous : of the latter tliere are
few or none, unless bleeding may he excepted, the remedies for which we have already
given ( 3 1 3 9 . ) . The insects which infest the vine arc chiefly the red spider and two
B o o k III, CULTURE OF TIIE PEACH-IIOUSE. 7 9 3
species of coccus ; the one called the brown (C. hesperidum £.), and the other the
vine coccus (C. vitis Z.). To remove these. Speedily and Abercrombie recommend
washing tho stem and ail the shoots with soap and water ; the stem being previously
divested of the loose baiic. Abercrombie adds, give the border two or three soakings
over the roots with soap-suds. If the plants get infested with the brown or turtle coccus,
it can be extirpated by brushing the stems after removing the loose bark ; and then, as
an additional precaution, washing them either with lime, or strong tobacco water. This
should be done, if the evil does not call for an immediate check, after the leaves have
fallen ; or before the buds of the following year are formed. Similar treatment is found
the best preventive against tlie red siiider, and the aphis, or green fly, as the eggs of botli
will be thus destroyed, and the next year’s damage prevented.
3162. Birds, wasps, flies, &c., sevcrai gardeners direct to be excluded by gauze frames, calculated to fit
th e openings by which air is given. Some recommend putting bags of gauze over each bunch ; others
hang up bottles, boiled carrots, &c. Nets may do very well to prevent the entrance of birds into the
greenhouse, but are perfectly useless in keeping olT wasps and other insects, as they will alight on the
outside and, folding their wings, pass through those of the smallest meshes.
S e c t . III. Culture o f the Peach-house.
3163. Soil. Abercrombie recommends three parts of mellow unexhausted loam, and
one part of drii’t-sand moderately enriched with vegetable mould, or the cooler dungs.
The border or bed to be 30 in. or 3 ft, deep. The nectarine wants the waianer, richer,
and deeper soil, if any difference be made. (Pr. Gard. p. 2 9 2 . )
3164. M‘Phail recommends the soil for peach trees, which are to be forced, to be “ fine loamy well-
prepared earth of a medium texture, neither very light, nor of a strong binding quality, well mixed with
some good manure. The border to be 4 ft. deep, an3 so broad that the roots cannot get into a bad soil.”
{Gard. Rem ., \i.\%.) Almost all gardeners agree, however, that 3 ft. deep is quite sufficient: where
the bottom is cold and moist, 3 ft. is too much, and a depth of only 2 ft., or even 18 in., is far preferable.
3165. Choice o f sorts. The following are recommended by Mr. Thompson as the
most proper for forcing : —
P E A C H E S .
«Grosse M ig n onn e | « R o y a l George | R ed M agdalen ( o f J lille r ) o r Madeleine de Courson \ R o y a l C lia rlo tte 1 «Bellegardo
These will form a sort of succession in the same house ; should the supply he required to be still further
prolonged, th e Barrington and Late Admirable might be included.
N E C T A R IN E S .
E lru g e 1 V io le t 1 H â tive .
All the above are free-stones ; as for cling-stone peaches and nectarines, indeed, few persons will have
them either for forcing or th e open wall. The Catherine might be cultivated on walls for its beautiful
appearance, late in the season, as well as its good quality ; but for th e purpose of forcing, no cling-stones
should be recommended.
3166. Choice of plants. “ Before a house for forcing peaches and nectarines be built,” MTh ail observes,
“ trees to plant in it should be got in readiness ; and, if they be growing on the premises, it will be
an advantage. If it can be avoided, no tre e should be planted in a forcing-house, until the fruit of it has
been seen and tasted. The trees should be well-trained ones, 4 ft. or 5 it. high : indeed, it is of no consequence
what their age be, provided they be healthy, well rooted, and in a bearing state ; and if they
have been transplanted several times since they were budded, they will be the fitter for transplanting
again ; and if the work of taking them up and ot planting them in the peach-house be carefully and methodically
done, the trees by their removal will be but little retarded iu their growth. When everything
in a forcing-house is got in readiness for the reception of th e trees, loosen them from the wall to which
they were fastened with nails and shreds, and dig a wide semicircular trench 4 ft. distant from the stem
of each tree, and a little deeper than their spreading roots ; then by little and little with a pointed stick
work the earth out among their roots, taking care to break as few of them as possible : in this manner
th e roots of the plants are to be divested of earth in a careful manner, so as to undermine the stem, that
the tree may be lifted out of its place without straining the roots of it. Having holes previously prepared
about 8 in. or 10 in. deep, and 4 ft. wide, set the trees into them one after another, training their
roots out in a regular horizontal manner a t full length, and after th e ends of the roots are cut so as to
take the raggedness off, cover them no deeper than about 6 in. a t their extremities, and at the stem of
th e tre e about 4 in .” “ Settle the soil properly,” says Mr. Thompson, “ but tread it not, if the trees be
meant to thrive as they ought, and not to be immovably fixed in their growth, or nearly so, for a year
or two.”
3167. Situation o f the plants in the house. Permanent occupants, intended to be forced earlv, Abercrombie
plants in a front border, training them on a trellis ju st under the roof. In late forcing-houses
he trains them to an upright trellis near the back wall. M'Pliail plants so as to train under the glass ;
and Nicol’s practice concurs with that recommended by Abercrombie.
3168. For a late peach.house, dwarfs should be planted in front, to be trained about half way up the
ro o f; and dwarfs, with riders between them, against the back wall, to be trained to the top. In this
case, the trees on the back treliis would not be shaded by those in front, provided they be not trained to
more than half way up the sloping glass ; and thus the greatest possible extent of unshaded surface, and
th e greatest quantity of unshaded fruit may be obtained. A house planted iu this manner, about 40 ft.
or 45 ft. in length, may have four dwarfs in front, and four dwarfs and five riders a t back ; and, when in
a full-bearing state, would produce a large quantity of nectarines and peaches. If only 30 ft. or 35 ft. in
length, three dwarfs in front, and three dwarfs and four riders a t back, would be trees enough to fill it.
{Pract. Gard.)
3169. For an early peach-house many consider th e plants as safer when trained against the back wall,
or on a trellis not nearer the glass than 3 ft. This is th e Dutch practice, and was that of Speechly, and
Kyle of Moredun.
3170. Season o f planting. Abercrombie recommends November and December as preferable; or otherwise
February and March : M'Phail, “ any time when the weather is open, between October and
March ; ” which practice is also agreeable to that of Nicol.
3171. Training. All seem agreed in recommending fan-training for peaches ancl nectarines ; which
being th e simplest and most natural of all training, we deem it unnecessary to quote opinions a t length.
Seymour’s mode, which will be described liereafter, is perhaps better adapted for the open wall than for
a forcing-house, because it requires more room.
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