A PRACTICAL TREATISE

ON THE

CULTIVATION OF THE GRAPE VINE

^ ON OPEN WALLS.

WITH A DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT OF AN
IMPROVED METHOD tfL/lNG AND MANAGING

ROOTS OF GEAPE YIMS.

BY CLEMENT HOARE.

TO WHICH IS ADDED,

AN APPENDIX,

CONTAINING
REMARKS ON THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE VINE

IN THE UNITED STATES.

NEW-YORK:

H. LONG AND BROTHER, 32 ANN STREET.
1847.

ADVERTISEMENT.

THE Author cannot permit a new edition of his Treatise on
the Vine to appear, without expressing the great pleasure that he
derives, in witnessing the rapid progress that the principles of
Vine culture, promulgated in its pages, have made since they
were fiist brought under the notice of the public. Several large
editions have been sold, and the demand is daily increasing.
The Author, therefore, flatters himself that he may now, without
being guilty of presumption, consider his Treatise as the standard
work of reference, in that branch of horticulture of which it treats ;
more particularly so, since the major part of the writers in horti-
cultural periodicals and other works, which, from time to time,
profess to give directions for the management of Vines, are in
the constant practice of quoting from his Treatise, (but in gene-
ral without acknowledgment,) the directions therein contained,
and the principles on which they are founded.
Shirley Vineyard, near Southampton.

14 C,

;

PRACTICAL TREATISE

ON THE

Cultivation

OF

THE GRAPE VINE

ON OPEN WALLS.

PREFACE.

THERE is not, that I am aware of, any work extant in the
English language that exclusively treats of the Vine, except the
Treatise on the Culture of the Vine, written by Speechly in the
year 1789. That work, however, though undoubtedly a valuable
one, and showing on the part of the author a thorough practical
knowledge of the nature of the Vine, in reference to its culture
under glass, is yet not sufficiently full nor explicit, with regard to
the management of that plant when cultivated on open walls.
Hence^the principal reason of the appearance of this volume.

In compiling it, I have endeavored, in as plain and as concise
a manner as the nature of the subject would admit, to embody
all the necessary points of culture, with the principles on which
they are founded ; and also to arrange them in such a manner as
to make their practical application a matter of easy attainment.
I have, also, excluded every thing of a technical nature, and have,
in many instances, not scrupled to use a phraseology different
from that usually employed by writers on horticulture. In adopt-
ing this course, my object has been to render the work more
generally useful, and especially so to the more humble part of the
rural population, by enabling them to avail themselves, without
difficulty, of the directions contained in it, and thereby the more
readily to induce them to turn their attention to the cultivation of
a plant, which is capable of adding to their comforts, and in-
creasing their enjoyments, in a much greater degree than has been
hitherto supposed.

The details of many operations relative to the culture of the
Vine that have been heretofore inserted in works on gardening,
have been excluded in the present work, for the simple, and, I
trust, satisfactory reason, that the operations themselves, when
submitted to the test of experience, have been found, either of un-
certain issue, or of very questionable utility.

It remains only to observe, that although the routine of man-
agement recommended in the following pages, is the result of
many years' diligent investigation, and of patient observation,
and rests, therefore, on the firm basis of actual experience, I have
no reason to expect, nor do I desire, indeed, that this treatise
should be considered as worthy of the patronage of the public,
otherwise than in proportion to the value and usefulness of the
improvements it is designed to introduce, in the culture of that
most grateful of all fruit trees, THE GRAPE VINE.

CLEMENT HOARE.

CULTIVATION OF THE GRAPE VINE
ON OPEN WALLS.

CHAPTER I.

INTROD U CTION.

The Grape Vine, VITIS VINIFERI. Class and order, PENTANDRIA. Mono*
GYNIA of Linnaeus.

"THE Grape Vine is a trailing, deciduous, hardy
shrub, with a twisted irregular stem, and long flexible
branches, decumbent, like those of the bramble, or sup-
porting themselves, when near other trees, by means of
tendrils, like the pea. The leaves are large, lobed, en-
tire, or serrated and downy, or smooth ; green in sum-
mer, but when mature, those of varieties in which the
predominating colour is red, constantly change to or are
tinged with some shade of that colour ; and those of
white, green, or yellow grapes, as constantly change
to a yellow, and are never in the least tinged either
with purple, red, or scarlet. The breadth of the leaves
varies from five to seven or ten inches, and the length
of the foot-stalks from four to eight inches. The
flowers are produced on the shoots of the same year,
which shoots generally proceed from those of the year
preceding ; they are in the form of a raceme, of a
greenish-white colour, and fragrant odour, appearing in

14 INTRODUCTION.

the open air in this country in June ; and the fruit,
which is of the berry kind, attains such maturity as
the season and situation admit, by the middle or end of
September. The berry or grape is generally globular,
but often ovate, oval, oblong, or finger-shaped ; the
colours green, white, red, yellow, amber, and black, or
a variegation of two or more of these colours. The
skin is smooth, the pulp and juice of a dulcet, poign-
ant, elevated, generous flavour. Every berry ought
to enclose five small heart or pear-shaped stones ;
though, as some generally fail, they have seldom more
than three, and some varieties as they attain a certain
age, as the ascalon, or sultana raisin, none. The
weight of a^ berry depends not only on its size, but on
the thickness of its skin, and texture of the flesh, the
lightest being the thin-skinned and juicy sorts, as the
sweet water or muscadine." — London's Encyclopedia of
Gardening.

Of all the productions of the vegetable world, which
the skill and ingenuity of man have rendered con-
ducive to his comfort, and to the enlargement of the
sphere of his enjoyments, and the increase of his
pleasurable gratifications, THE VINE stands forward
as the most pre-eminently conspicuous. Its quickness
of growth, — the great age to which it will live, so great
indeed as to be unknown,— its almost total exemption
from all those adverse contingencies which blight and
diminish the produce of other fruit-bearing trees, —
its astonishing vegetative powers, — its wonderful fer-
tility,— and its delicious fruit, applicable to so many
purposes, and agreeable to all palates, in all its varied
shapes, combine to mark it out as one of the greatest
blessings bestowed by Providence to promote the com-
fort and enjoyments of the human race.

From the remotest records of antiquity, the vine
has been celebrated in all ages as the type of plenty

INTRODUCTION. 15

and the symbol of happiness. The pages of Scripture
abound with allusions to the fertility of the. vine as
emblematical of prosperity ; and it is emphatically de-
clared, in describing the peaceful and flourishing state
of the kingdom of Israel during the reign of Solomon,
that '* Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under
his vine and under his fig-tree, from Dan even to Beer-
sheba." The source of enjoyment thus mentioned to
record the happy state of the Jewish nation, may be,
with reference to the vine, literally possessed by the
greater portion of the inhabitants of this island.

The native country of the vine is generally consi-
dered to be Persia, but it has been found wild in Amer-
ica, and is now become naturalized in all the temperate
regions of the world. In the northern hemisphere, it
forms an important branch of rural economy, from the
21st to the 51st parallel of latitude; and by an im-
proved method of culture, very fine grapes may be
annually grown on the surface of walls, in the open
air, as far north as the 54th parallel, and even beyond
that in favourable seasons.

The vine is supposed to have been introduced into
Britain at the commencement of the Christian era ;
and history amply proves, that for a long series of
ages, vineyards were very common in the southern
parts of that island, and that the quantity of wine pro-
duced from them was so great as to be considered one
of the staple products of the land. From some cause
or other, however, they have fallen into general ne-
glect, although good grapes might be grown on vines
trained as espaliers, or in the same manner as in the
vineyards abroad, from which excellent wine could be
made at a cost that would not exceed that of mode-
rately strong beer. Why vineyards should have so
completely disappeared, it is difficult to say, since there
are many thousands of acres of poor land that are of

16 INTRODUCTION.

little value in an agricultural point of view, but on
which vines would flourish, and produce abundant
crops of grapes, and yield thereby a most profitable
return.

Vines are now cultivated in England only against
walls, upon the roofs of buildings, and under glass.
The expense attending the growing of grapes under
glass is such, however, as obviously to place that
method out of the reach of the mass of the people ;
and vineyard culture, now that it has fallen into disuse,
is, perhaps, considered so much in the light of a com-
mercial speculation, that those who possess the means
of practising it are deterred from employing them,
from an apprehension that the risk and uncertainty
attending it would prove more than sufficient to coun-
terbalance its advantages. But the cultivation of vines
on open walls being free from these and all other ob-
jections, presents an advantageous method of producing
grapes, which may be embraced by every person who
has at his command a few square feet of the surface
of a wall. This mode of culture, indeed, offers to the
possessors of houses, buildings, and walled gardens,
and even to the most humble cottager, ample means
of procuring with the greatest certainty an abundant
supply of this most valuable fruit. It is not too much
to assert, that the surface of the walls of every cot-
tage of a medium size, that is applicable to the training
of vines, is capable of producing, annually, as many
grapes as would be worth half the amount of its rental.
Every square foot of the surface of a wall may, in a
short space of time, he covered with bearing wood,
sufficient to produce on an average a pound weight of
grapes, and I have frequently grown double that quan-
tity on a similar extent of surface.

From this it will be seen how valuable the surfaces
of walls are, and what advantages are lost by those

INTRODUCTION. 17

who suffer any portion of them to remain vacant. Nor
must it be supposed that a single vine requires for its
training a large portion of walling. That it does, I
am aware, is a very common notion, but it is a very
erroneous one, and one that has no doubt arisen from
the universally defective method of pruning and ma-
naging that plant ; whereby the wood is suffered, and
indeed encouraged, to extend itself most disproportion-
ately beyond the capability of its fruit-bearing powers.
I scarcely ever allot more than from forty to fifty
square feet of surface for one vine, and unless the soil
and situation be very superior indeed, a single vine
will require a space of time not less than twenty years
at least, before it will possess a sufficient degree of
strength to enable it to mature, annually, a greater
quantity of grapes than can be trained on the last-men-
tioned extent of surface. Qn a wall only twenty-five
inches in height, and eighteen feet in length, I have
for years trained a vine that is a perfect picture of fer-
tility, the whole surface of the wall being, every year,
literally covered with fine grapes close down to the very
stem of the plant. It will thus be seen, that small
detached portions and vacant spaces of the surface of
walls, which in innumerable instances are deemed of
no value, and are therefore neglected, may be turned
to a most beneficial account in the production of the
fruit of the vine.

And with reference to the importance of the culture
of the vine, as affording a most valuable and highly
esteemed fruit, it deserves especial remark, that for the
making of wine, not only are ripened grapes applicable
to that purpose, but from the leaves, tendrils, and
young shoots of vines, and also from unripe or imma-
ture grapes, very fine wine may be made, differing in
no respect from many sorts of wines imported from
abroad, as the following extract from Dr. Macculloch's

18 INTRODUCTION.

" Remarks on the Art of making Wine," will suffi-
ciently show :

" Chemical examination has proved that the young
shoots, the tendrils, and the leaves of the vine, possess
properties, and contain substances, exactly similar to
the crude fruit. It was no unnatural conclusion that
they might equally be used for the purposes of making
wine. Experiments were accordingly instituted in
France for this purpose, and they have been repeated
here with success. From vine leaves, water, and
sugar, wines have been thus produced, in no respect
differing from the produce of the immature fruit,
and consequently resembling wines of foreign growth."

Here, then, is a most important advantage resulting
from the culture of the vine, and one, indeed, that is
little inferior to that which is derived from the produc-
tion of the ripened fruit itself. And in order that it
may be properly estimated, it must be borne in mind,
that throughout the growing season, the superabun-
dant foliage of a vine, which consists chiefly of the ex-
tremities of the shoots, and the tendrils, is so great, as
to require to be plucked off once in every seven days,
if not oftener. It is further stated in the above men-
tioned work, that from forty to fifty pounds' weight of
leaves, &c., will produce about ten gallons of wine.

Now, every hundred square feet of the surface of a
wall, when covered with the foliage of vines in vigorous
growth, will yield on an average, every week from
the middle of May to the first of August, two pounds'
weight of excess of foliage. Allowing, therefore, the
surface of the walls of a common-sized cottage to
contain five hundred square feet, on which vines could
be trained, it appears that, during the eleven weeks
above mentioned, they would yield a sufficient quantity
of foliage to produce upwards of twenty gallons of

INTRODUCTION. 1 9

wine, which could be made for the mere cost of the
sugar !

Again, there would be a considerable quantity of
foliage to spare, during the remaining months of August
and September, to which must be added the excess in
the number of bunches of green fruit, which require
cutting off after the berries are set, in order to avoid
overcropping the vines, and which sometimes amount
to a great number ; and also the berries that are cut
out in the thinning of the bunches, the weight of
which is always considerable ; and these being added
to the former, would, at the most moderate calculation,
yield in the whole, thirty gallons of wine, thus pro-
duced from the superabundant foliage and green fruit
of vines trained on the surface of a cottage ! Bearing
in mind, therefore, these important facts which cannot
be controverted, it will, I think, be readily acknow-
ledged, that too great a degree of importance can
scarcely be attached to the cultivation of the vine.

The management of this plant is in itself, also, one
of the most pleasing and most interesting branches of
horticultural practice ; and it may with truth be as-
serted, that of ail the occupations that can be resorted
to for the purposes of recreation, those connected with
the garden are the most delightful. From these, in-
deed, spring many of the most elegant enjoyments of
life, and the exercise of them is at once a source of
health, of contentment, and of unalloyed and tranquil-
lizing pleasure. So congenial to our ideas of happi-
ness is the recreation afforded by a garden, that there
is scarcely any one to whom the possession of it is not
an object of strong desire.

Yet, to a very numerous class of persons, the inhab-
itants of towns, this source of enjoyment, is in a great
measure cut off.

The vine, however, can be cultivated equally as

20 INTRODUCTION.

•well in a town as in the country, and, in very many
instances, the means for that purpose are possessed in
a much greater degree than in the country. The im-
mense accumulation of buildings in towns, and their
suburban districts, and also those of the metropolis it-
self, present an astonishing extent of surface of walling,
well calculated to ripen the fruit of the vine. The
only obstacle to the growth of that plant in towns, is
the impurity of the atmosphere ; but though this im-
pediment is sufficiently formidable, certainly, it exists
only in the heart of London, and its dense and crowd-
ed districts, and in those of other large towns.

I am persuaded, therefore, that, if the method of cul-
tivating the vine on correct principles, and the cer-
tainty which, under proper management, never fails to
attend the production of its fruit, were more generally
known, its propagation and culture would increase both
in town and country, to an extent that at present can
scarcely be conceived.

It is for the purpose of diffusing a mode of cultiva-
ting this, valuable plant, which is more definite and
simple in its nature than any that has hitherto been
promulgated, and by which the quantity of its fruit
may be prodigiously increased, and the flavor greatly
improved, that the following pages have been written.
It is hoped that the whole management of the vine is
therein made sufficiently clear, to enable every person
who possesses facilities for the growing of grapes, to
employ them in the most advantageous manner in the
production of this highly esteemed fruit.

GRAPE VINES ON OPEN WALLS. 21

CHAPTER II.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE PRESENT METHOD OF CULTIVA-
TING GRAPE VINES ON OPEN WALLS.

THERE is, I believe, no branch of practical horticul-
ture, which the possessors of gardens are so deficient
in the knowledge of, as in that which embraces the
culture of the grape vine ; and, yet, singular as it may
appear, there is no fruit tree of any description that
grows in this country, that can be depended upon with
such certainty for a full crop, or that will yield so am-
pie a return, as a vine judiciously cultivated on an
open wall.

Let any person, in the month of September, make a
tour of inspection through the southern counties of
England, in which nearly every cottage may be seen
with a grape vine trained on its walls. Let him stop
at intervals in his journey, and select any number of
vines for examination, and carefully estimate the
weight of fruit growing on each, and the extent of
walling occupied in producing that fruit ; and having
calculated the average weight grown on every square
foot of walling, let him then be told, which he may be
with truth, that at least Jive times the quantity of
grapes of superior flavour might be annually produced
on the same extent of surface. Let him also select
any given district, and estimate the number of super-
ficial feet of walling which the buildings in that dis-
trict contain, and on which nothing whatever is grown,

22 PRESENT METHOD OF CULTIVATING

or at least nothing of any value, and which might, at
a trifling cost of time and trouble, be annually cover-
ed with fine crops of grapes; and he will find to his
astonishment, that for every square foot on which
vines are trained, there are at least twenty square feet
that are either entirely vacant, or occupied in a useless
manner. If he then sum up his calculations, the
result will show, that for every pound of grapes that is
now grown, not less than a hundred pounds might be
annually produced on the existing sarface of walling
without the addition of a single square foot ! Nor let
it be supposed that this estimate is made hypothetically ;
on the contrary, it is the result of actual inspection
and careful observation, and is considerably with-
in the mark as to the quantity of grapes that might
be annually grown. Every moderate-sized dwell-
ing-house, having a garden and a little walling at-
tached to it, may, with ease, be made to produce,
yearly, a quarter of a ton weight of grapes, leaving a
sufficient portion of its surface for the production of
other fruit.

It is difficult to account for the indifference which
has hitherto been manifested towards the propagation
of the vine, or to assign sufficient reasons why a fruit
so universally esteemed as the grape, should have re-
mained stationary in respect to any improvement in its
mode of culture.

• I suspect, however, that the force of custom and
example will be found amongst the chief operating
causes. Scarcely any person, when planting vines
against his premises, ever thinks of setting apart for
any one to be trained on, a less space of walling than
a hundred and fifty, or two hundred square feet, see-
ing that the universal practice is to suffer a single vine
to cover as quickly as possible the entire surface of
one side of a house or building, or a large portion of

GRAPE VINES ON OPEN WALLS. 23

that of a garden wall. And this seems to be done un-
der the idea, that the more wood there is in a vine the
more grapes it will produce, or that the one will be in
proportion to the other. It happens, however, that the
fact is precisely the reverse. If a vine be suffered to
make a large quantity of wood, it will bear but little
fruit ; if it- produce good crops of fruit, it will make but
little wood ; the one checks the other-. To permit a
vine, therefore, to make a great quantity of wood,
under the idea of getting thereby a great quantity of
grapes, is completely grasping at the substance, and
catching the shadow.

Another reason why the method of cultivating the
vine on open walls has remained stationary, may be
found in the fact, that in the gardens of the rich,
where professed gardeners are kept, grapes on vines
of this description are but seldom grown to any extent,
a sufficient quantity for the table being brought to
perfection under glass. Hence, one of the prin-
cipal sources from which improved modes of culture
are, in general, derived, is thus closed, and the routine
of management of this most valuable fruit thereby
consigned to the chances of empirical practice.

The grand parent error which prevails universally
in the cultivation of the vine on open walls, lies in the
method of pruning usually adopted, and this is, un-
doubtedly, the consequence of the nature of the plant
and its peculiar characteristics being, in general, but
little understood. The immense quantity of wood
which a vine annually produces, and the force with
which its sap flows, causing its most vigorous shoots
to be formed at the extremities, render it necessary, in
order to keep the plant in a good bearing condition,
and its branches within a reasonable distance of its
stem, that the pruning knife should be used to a far
greater extent than is ever practised on any other des.

24 PKESENT METHOD OF CULTIVATING

cription of fruit tree whatever. The most severe man-
ner, indeed, in which that instrument is at any time
applied to other trees, is as nothing when compared
with that required by the vine.

In the course of the growing season, a vine in a
healthy condition will make a quantity of bearing
wood sufficient to produce ten times as much fruit as
it can bring to maturity. When this fact is consider-
ed in connection with another, namely, that the wood
which bears fruit one year, never bears any after-
wards, and is therefore of no further use in that res-
pect, it will easily be seen to what a surprising ex-
tent the pruning knife must be used, to get rid of the
superabundant wood which the plant annually pro-
duces. But nine parts out of ten of the current! years'
shoots, and all those of the preceding year, if possible,
to be cut off and thrown away, is apparently so much
beyond all reasonable proportion, and the rules usually
observed in pruning other fruit-trees, that few persons
ever possess the courage to attempt it. And herein,
as remarked before, lies the capital error in the com-
mon method of managing the vine.

A vine, in the third or fourth year of its growth, will
in general show a few bunches of grapes, and these
are usually suffered to remain and ripen, instead of
being plucked off as soon as they appear, having been
produced before the plant has sufficient strength to
mature them, without injury to its constitution. Al-
though the quantity be small, it inflicts a severe blow
on the vital energies of the vine, from the exhausting
nature of the process of maturation. At the proper
season the pruning knife is applied, but the operator
being in perfect ignorance as to whether the plant has
sufficient strength to ripen any fruit or not in the fol-
lowing year, looks at the young wood, and seeing four
or five good strong shoots, cuts them back to as many

GRAPE VINES ON OPEN WALLS. 25

buds each, leaving, perhaps, twenty in the whole.
Summer comes, and the vine having been seriously
crippled by the premature ripening of fruit in the pre-
ceding year, and having now twenty shoots to supply
with nourishment instead of two or three, the sap is
so diminished in quantity, and distributed also through
so many channels, that it is incapable of forming an
inch of really good bearing, wood. The shoots protrude,
and though small, produce a great mass of foliage ;
the evaporation from this being far too great for its
loss to be supplied by the roots, a languid circulation
of the juices of the plant takes place, and it receives
thereby a most serious check in its growth. The re-
sult is, that, at the end of the season, no shoots larger
in size than that of a small wooden skewer are to be
seen, except at the extremities.

The proper season arriving, the vine is again pruned,
and again eight or ten times as many buds are retained
as the plant can nourish. The same disproportionate
mass of foliage follows of course, and the same exhaust-
ing effects are produced on the vital powers of the
plant. No bearing-shoots are formed except at the
extremities, and these being retained at the autumnal
pruning, old blank wood begins rapidly to cover the
surface of the wall. The method of pruning, also, be-
ing in general what is called the spur method, tends
more than any other to the permanent retention of old
wood. And thus the vine commences its fruit-bearing
life under the most adverse circumstances.

The same mode of culture being followed in yearly
succession, the vine quickly spreads over its allotted
space of walling, exceeding, perhaps, two hundred, or
even three hundred superficial feet. It then contains
a vast number of long and useless limbs, on which
may be seen scores of excrescences, dignified with the
name of -spurs, producing in the growing season a su-

26 PRESENT METHOD OF CULTURE.

perabundance of foliage, but with little fruit, and that of
an inferior description, and requiring in its manage-
ment a ten-fold portion of time and trouble beyond
what would be necessary under a proper mode of
culture.

To these characteristics of the usual method of
managing a vine, may be added two others, namely,
that of suffering the stem and principal branches to be
covered with several years' accumulation of decayed
layers of bark, and of continually digging the border
in which the roots run, and cropping it with vegeta-
bles, even close up to the very stem.

This brief description of the method of cultivating
vines on open walls, will apply, I believe, to ninety-
nine out of every hundred throughout the country.
And it may be remarked of it, that during the very
first year of the plant having been suffered premature-
ly to ripen fruit, and throughout every successive year
afterwards, not a single point of culture has been prac-
tised but what may be described as most erroneous.
Every step taken has been apparently for the purpose
of rearing a superstructure of old barren wood, rather
than the production of abundant crops of fine fla-
voured fruit.

Can it be matter of surprise, therefore, that under
such a mode of culture, grapes grown on open walls
do not, in general, attain to a higher degree of per-
fection ?

XA- BEARING POWERS OF THE VINE.

CHAPTER III.

ON THE CAPABILITY AND EXTENT OF THE FRUIT-
BEARING POWERS OF THE VINE.

THERE is not a single point of culture in the whole
routine of the management of a vine, the knowledge
of which is of so much importance as that which ena-
bles the cultivator to ascertain with precision the great-
est quantity of fruit he can annually extract from it,
without checking its growth, or injuring its vital pow-
ers. The operation of pruning, if it be not guided by
this, is an operation performed perfectly at random,
and every inch of bearing. wood either cut out or re-
tained, under such circumstances, is done in utter
ignorance of the consequences, whether they will
ultimately prove injurious or beneficial to the health
and fertility of the plant. And yet, necessary as is
this knowledge, and without the guidance of which, in
pruning, neither good flavoured grapes, nor good crops,
can with certainty be annually obtained, all the rules
hitherto laid down for the pruning of vines have been
promulgated, unaccompanied with the slightest instruc-
tion to lead the pruner to a knowledge of this most
valuable point of culture.

Sucb> however, is the importance of proportioning
the quantity of fruit to be matured, to the capability
of the plant, that in Miller's Gardener's Dictionary,
it is stated, in reference to the cultivation of the vine
in foreign countries, *' that when gentlemen abroad let

28 FRUIT-BEARING POWERS

out vineyards to vignerons, there is always a clause in-
serted in their leases, to direct how many shoots shall
be left upon each vine, and the number of eyes to
which the branches must be shortened ; because, were
not the vignerons thus tied down, they would over-
bear the vines, so that in a few years they would ex-
haust their roots, and render them so weak, as not to
be recovered again in several years, and their wine
would be so bad as to bring a disreputaion on the
vineyard, to the great loss of the proprietor."

Here, then, is a distinct recognition of the fact, that
the flavour of grapes, and the vital energies of vines,
are materially affected by overcropping, and that, to
restrain the lessees of vineyards in foreign countries
from practising so injurious a course of culture, the
number of eyes to be left on each vine is actually lim-
ited, and even made the subject of special contract.
Now, if it be necessary to observe such a rule in
countries that are congenial to the growth of the vine,
and where, from its forming an important branch of
rural economy, it may be reasonably presumed that
the true nature of the plant is well nders ood, how
much more so must it be in the latitude of Great Brit-
ain, where, from the deficiency of solar heat, and the
variableness of the climate, a much greater portion of
the vital energy of the vine is put in requisition to ri-
pen the fruit ?

And yet, who has ever seen, in the English practice
of pruning vines, any rule observed of the above-men-
tioned nature? In short, the common method of
pruning vines on open walls is the most random opera-
tion imaginable.

In very warm summers, the juices of a vine plant
are more highly elaborated than usual, the sap being
inspissated, or thickened in a greater degree by the
increase of solar heat, in consequence of which it is

OF THE VINE, 29

rendered more productive of fruit-buds than leaf-buds.
Shoots that are considerably less in size than those
which bear fruit in ordinary summers, will, after being
ripened in such a summer, produce fine grapes in the
following season ; it is next to impossible, therefore, to
prune a vine when all the shoots are thus well ripened,
so as not to bear a good crop of fruit in the ensuing
year. Indeed, a person blindfolded may then take a
common sickle, and chop away at a vine right and
left, and if he chance to leave any young wood at all
remaining, that wood will produce fruit, because nearly
every bud formed in such a summer becomes a fruil-
bud. In the following year, almost every vine, how-
ever injudiciously managed, will be seen loaded with
fruit, and the year is then called "a grape year." In
such years I have frequently seen vines groaning as it
were beneath their prodigious number of bunches, and
have, on such occasions, invariably pointed out to the
owners of them, the certainty of the plants being
crippled for many years to come, if the whole quantity
produced were suffered to remain and ripen ; but no
representation of this sort made by me to any one,
whether gardener or otherwise, ever had, in any in-
stance, the effect of causing the excess in the quantity
to be reduced, even by a single bunch. So deeply
rooted seems to be the belief, that because a vine
shows a greater number of bunches of grapes, it can
therefore ripen them.

Many years ago, I was led to consider the necessity
of ascertaining the extent of the fruit-bearing powers
of vines, in order to insure their successful culture, by
founding thereon a system of pruning, which should be
simple in practice, and certain in its effects; being
based on the principle of proportioning the quantity of
bearing. wood retained at the autumnal pruning, to the
capability of their powers of maturation. For the

30 FRUIT- BEARING POWERS

attainment of that object, therefore, I commenced
a series of experiments on a great number of vines of
various ages and sorts, and training on every variety of
aspect, south of, and including the eastern and western
points of the horizon.

Knowing by previous experience, that it was possi-
ble to load a vine with such a quantity of fruit as
would completely deprive it of life in its endeavours to
mature it. and assuming that the circumference of the
stem of the plant would form a true index to its vital
powers, unless these had been injured by overbearing,
several vines remarkably vigorous in growth, and which
had been for three years previously closely pruned,
were in the first place selected for trial, for the purpose
of discovering that quantity. That point having been
ascertained, it was intended then to select, in every
succeeding year, a fresh set of vines, and to reduce,
annually, the weight of fruit to be borne by each of
them, until the actual quantity which any vine, in pro-
portion to the circumference of its stem, can perfectly
mature without injury to its vital powers, was correctly
ascertained.

In accordance wilh this intention, the vines first
selected as above mentioned, were pruned in the au-
tumn of 1825, and as much bearing wood retained as
was supposed would produce sufficient fruit, either to
kill them, or cripple them for many years to come.
The number of buds retained on each vine, and the cir-
cumference of its stem, were carefully registered. The
ensuing summer of 18*26 afforded a remarkably fine
vintage, and was, therefore, a highly favourable year
for the trial.

To describe the results, which with little variation
were the same in all, one vine may be advantageously
selected. This was a white muscadine, in the eighth
year of its age, and, tike all the rest, in the highest

@P THE VINE, 31'

bearing condition possible. It produced in the following
spring an abundant supply of vigorous bearing-shoots,
and showed seventy-eight bunches of fine grapes, the
produce of twenty-nine buds retained on two horizon-
tal right and left shoots. As the season advanced, the
shoots extended themselves rapidly, the bunches of fruit
increased in size, and the vine thrived as well as usual,
seemingly quite unconscious of the task it shortly had
to perform. Blossoming being over, and the fruit
set, the trial of strength commenced. On the first
of July many of the bunches measured eleven inches-
from the shoulders to the extremities, and when ma-
tured, would have weighed a pound and a half each.
They hung close together, forming, as far as they ex-
tended on the wall, an entire and compact mass of
grapes, the weight of which, if ripened, would have ex-
ceeded sixty pounds. The middle of that month
arrived, and the berries had only reached the size of
small peas, while those on other vines* not subjected
to any such trial, were full grown, and had commenced
the stoning process. On the first of August, no
perceptible increase of size in the berries had taken
place, and the vine began to show strong symptoms of
exhaustion. About the middle of that month the foli-
age assumed a withering appearance, and on the first of
September the vegetation of the plant was almost at a
stand. The shoots ceased to grow, the fruit and foli.
age were in a prostrate condition, and the vital energies-
of the vine appeared quite unable to supply the daily
increasing demand, for nourishment. Throughout that
month it continued in a pitiable condition, and though
a valuable plant, it was, nevertheless, suffered to take
its course, as well as all the others, in order that the
trial might be decisive. About the first ef October,,
the greater part of the berries having grown as large
as middling-sized peas, those on the shoulders of some

32 FRUIT-BEARING POWERS

of the bunches began to show symptoms of ripening, by
becoming a little transparent, and, at the same time,
the berries at the extremities of the bunches began to
shrivel. As the month advanced, the ripening process
proceeded slowly, but tho shrivelling increased rapidly.
Towards the latter end of October the trial was over,
and the experiment complete ; on many entire bunches
every berry had shrivelled, and in no bunch had the
process of maturation proceeded farther down than the
shoulders. The whole crop was gathered about the first
of November, and the ripened portions being put togeth-
er,weighed nine pounds and a half. Not one of these
ripened berries, however, was more than half the usual
size, and, in point of flavour, not to be compared to
others of the same sort, ripened, at least, six weeks
previously.

The vine was pruned immediately, and cut almost
to a stump, to give it every chance of recovering from
the blow it had received. But, in the following spring,
not a single bud unfolded till nearly a month after the
usual time, and at the close of the season the largest
shoot was only twenty-six inches in length, and no
larger than a packing-needle, although, in the previ-
ous year, the vine had emitted very vigorous shoots
twenty-five feet in length. It has been pruned very
closely every year since, and has in consequence gra-
dually acquired strength ; but although eight years
have elapsed since the experiment was made, it has
not yet recovered its former vigour. The effects pro-
duced on the other vines, have ultimately proved equal-
ly injurious, not one of them having yet acquired any-
thing like the same degree of health which it then
possessed.

The result of these experiments was decisive as to
the proportion of fruit having very greatly exceeded
the strength of the vines, some of which, no doubt,

OF THE VINE. 33

would have died from the effects of their own fertility,
if they had not previously been in an exceedingly vig-
orous state.

In the following year, 1827, another set of vines
was selected for a similar trial of strength, and only
half as much fruit retained on each as on those of
the preceding year. This quantity, however, proved
far too great, as the grapes only partially ripened, and
the vines were completely crippled for several years
afterwards.

In the three following years, 1828, 1829, and 1830,
fresh vines were annually selected for similar exper-
iments, and the weight of fruit reduced every succes-
sive year, until, in 1830, the object in view seemed to
be attained, the grapes having all been perfectly ma-
tured, and the vital powers of the vines (which has
subsequently been proved,) not in the least encroached
upon.

Other vines of different ages were also annually se-
lected, during the above-mentioned period, from 1826
to 1830, and as much fruit assigned to each of th m
to ripen as was then thought equal to their powers of
maturation. The weight so assigned has since proved
to have been pretty near the correct proportion.

The results of all these experiments were carefully
registered from year to year, and at the close of 1830,
the whole being accurately examined, it appeared
clearly that the capability of the vines to mature fruit
was in direct proportion to the circumference of their
respective sterns.

Simultaneously, also, with these experiments, sev-
eral young vines were annually set apart for the pur-
pose of discovering the effects of early bearing on
their subsequent growth, and of ascertaining the size
which the stem of a young vine must attain, before it
is capable of maturing any fruit without injury to its

34 FRUIT-BEARING POWERS

vital powers. From this source much valuable infor-
mation was obtained, and the fact was also established,
that young vines will always show fruit before they
can ripen it, without injuring their future growth and
fertility.

From the whole of these experiments, therefore, a
scale was then constructed in accordance with their
results, of the weight of fruit which any vine that
has not been previously overcropped, will bring to the
highest perfection which the climate will permit, with-
out impairing its vital powers, which was the point of
knowledge sought to be obtained.

Agreeably to this scale, which is inserted below, I
pruned, in the winter of 1830, nearly forty vines of
different sorts, and of various ages, leaving in each
no greater number of buds than appeared on an aver-
age calculation to be sufficient to produce as much
fruit as the vine was allowed to mature. In the follow-
ing summer, as soon as the berries were set, the num-
ber of bunches required to produce the given weight
of fruit was selected to remain, and the excess imme-
diately cut off. I have strictly adhered to this plan
ever since, and it has enabled me to produce liner
grapes than I have ever seen or heard of being grown
on open walls in this country. And so prolific does
every vine become, from the hard pruning which an
adherence to this scale compels, that I have frequent-
ly to cut off, at the proper period in the summer, as
much as one-half, and sometimes even three-fourths,
of the fruit which many of the vines show, in order to
reduce it to its proper quantity.

Vines thus pruned, with the bearing-wood annually
adjusted to their respective powers of maturation, be-
ing kept within a small compass on the surface of the
wall, are easily managed throughout the summer.
They never fail to produce an abundant supply of the

OF THE VINE.

35

finest description of bearing- shoots within a reasonable
distance of their sterns, and always bring their fruit
to the highest degree of perfection which the climate
will permit, with a certainty which has never yet at.
tended the production of grapes on open walls in this
country.

Scale of the greatest quantity of grapes which any vine can
perfectly mature, in proportion to the circumference of its
stem, measured just above the ground :

Cir. Ibs. Cir. Jbs

3 inches - - 5 7 inches - - 45
31 ditto - - 10 71 ditto - - 50

4 ditto . . 15 8 ditto - - 55
41 ditto - - 20 81 ditto . - 60

5 ditto - - 25 9 ditto - - 65
51 ditto - - 30 91 ditto - - 70
6~ ditto - - 35 10" ditto - - 75
61 ditto - - 40

It will be seen, that if 2£ inches be deducted from
the circumference of the stem of any vine, the capa-
bility of it will be equal to the maturation of ten
pounds of grapes for every remaining inch of girth.
The proportionate quantity for fractional parts of an
inch may be easily calculated.

The circumference of the largest stem in this scale
is ten inches, beyond which size I have had no oppor-
tunity of selecting a sufficient number of vines to
enable me to carry the experiments further in a satis-
factory manner. I have, however, at various times,
examined a great many vines about that size, and have
estimated the weight of their respective crops at the
vintage, and when the whole crop borne by any vine
has been perfectly matured, and a good supply of fine
vigorous shoots for future bearing-wood produced sim-

^So§?
.- n» — **

36 FRUIT-BEARING POWERS

ultaneously in the current year, the result has uniform,
ly been that the weight of fruit has not exceeded the
proportion mentioned in the scale. I think it not un-
reasonable, therefore, to conclude, that the same pro-
portionate quantity will apply to every vine, whatever
may be the girth of its stem.

No vine is taken cognizance of, until its stem mea-
sures three inches in girth, as, under that size, vines
ought never to be suffered to ripen nny fruit. This is
a rule that should be strictly adhered to in the man-
agement of young vines, for it may be safely asserted,
that for every pound weight of grapes extracted from a
vine before it has grown to that size, ten pounds will be
lost during the next five years, independently of the
very severe check which is given to its growth by pre-
mature bearing. But by husbanding its strength, till
its roots have multiplied sufficiently to provide a full
supply of nourishment, without suffering from exhaus-
tion, the plant commences its fruit-bearing life with a
degree of vigour which lays a sure foundation for its
future prosperity.

It may be remarked, that, in general, vines are suf-
fered to bear a much greater quantity of grapes than
the above scale represents, but in all such cases it will
be found that they are not perfectly ripened. The
grand desideratum in grapes, when used as table fruit,
is flavour, and this is entirely regulated by the circum-
stances under which they are ripened. One of those
circumstances is the quantity of grapes suffered to re-
main and ripen, as compared with the strength of the
vine. The respective quantities mentioned in the scale
are such as every vine of the given girth of stem can
perfectly mature, but if these be exceeded, the flavour
will immediately begin to diminish, and the vine may
then be said to be overcropped. On the other hand,
although a less quantity of grapes may be matured by

OF THE VINE. 37

a vine than the proportion represented in the scale, the
flavour will not thereby be increased, in which case the
vine will be undercropped. This, however, very sel-
dorn happens; but to go beyond the true bearing point,
and to overcrop a vine whenever the quantity of fruit
shown will admit of it, is of almost universal occur,
rence, not only with vines trained on open walls, but
with those under glass also. It is impossible to place
this injurious practice in too prominent a point of view,
for it is the prolific parent of almost every evil that
can befal a vine, and it is really so general, that
scarcely one vine in ten thousand escapes it.

Although, therefore, the proportionate quantities
mentioned in the scale are much less than vines are
frequently permitted to bear, they may be regarded
as a close approximation to the greatest weight of
fruit which can be borne, so as to be brought to the
highest degree of maturation which the climate will
permit. There may be a little increase in the powers
of maturation of vines, when trained on very warm
aspects, but I have never found it prevail to any ex-
tent, nor to be sufficiently uniform in its occurrence, to
justify any variation in the proportions laid down in
the scale. Some sorts of vines, also, are constitution-
ally disposed to shew more fruit than other sorts, but
the capability to mature the fruit is pretty nearly equal
in all. It may be further remarked, that if a vine du-
ring any season be undercropped, the deficiency may
be partly made good the following year, by causing it
to bear a considerable portion of fruit more than its al-
lotted quantity, as stated in the scale. This results
from the sap not having been all expended in ripening
the fruit ; it has in consequence accumulated, and the
plant is thereby enabled to mature a greater weight of
fruit in the ensuing season, that it otherwise could do,
from the -«ap generated in the current year.

«3S FRUIT.BEARING POWERS OF THE VINE.

The manner in which it is intended that this scale
should be practically applied, is to measure the stem of
a vine at the autumnal pruning, and to retain no more
good well-ripened fruit-buds than is supposed necessa-
ry to produce the given weight of fruit that corres-
ponds to its girt. And if there should be any excess
above that quantity in the ensuing summer, the crop
must be reduced to the given weight, by cutting off a
sufficient number of bunches, as soon as the blossom-
ing is over and the fruit set, as the weight of it when
ripened may then be easily estimated.

With respect to the number of buds that are neces-
sary to be left at the autumnal pruning to produce any
given weight of fruit, I have found it to be a good
general rule, and applicable to all those sorts of grapes
usually cultivated on open walls, to consider every
bud (rejecting the two bottom ones on each shoot) as
equal to the production of half a pound weight of
fruit ; — that is, if the stem of a vine measure five
inches in girt, its capability is equal to the maturation
of twenty-five pounds' weight of grapes, and, therefore,
the number of buds to remain after pruning will be
fifty. This proportion would, in general, be too great,
even in the shyest-bearing sorts ; but as accidents fre-
quently happen to the bunches during their early
growth, and as there will, in general, be some buds
that will not burst, provision must be made against
these casualties, by reserving a greater number of
buds than would otherwise be required. The propor-
tionate number, therefore, above-mentioned, I have
found to answer well, and to be sufficient to meet all
contingencies.

It is necessary to observe, that all the experiments
on which the scale is founded were made on vines
growing in 50° 46' north latitude.

ON ASPECT.

CHAPTER IV.

ON ASPECT.

A GOOD aspect, which is of prime importance in per-
feeling the fruit of the vine, may be termed, when
considered in reference to the surface of walls, an
amelioration of climate ; and soil and climate are the
two grand causes of all the differences which appear in
the productions of the earth.

The warmer the aspect, the greater perfection does
the grape attain in cur climate, provided all other cir-
cumstances are alike ; and if the greatest quantity
of the sun's rays shining'on the surface of a wall were
alone to be considered as constituting the best aspect,
there would, of course, be no difficulty in naming a
due southern one as better than any other. But warmth
alone is not sufficient ; shelter is equally necessary.
There is a strong counteracting agent, which, as its
effects fall more or less on any surface of walling on
which vines are trained, proportionately injures them
and retards their growth, and the maturations of their
fruit. That agent is the wind.

There is no period in the growth of a vine, from the
moment of its being planted as a cutting or otherwise
to the extremity of its existence, in which any move-
ment of the air, that may properly be called wind, will
not have a greater or less pernicious effect on its well-
being. The perspiration of a vine is so great, princi-
pally through the medium of its fine large leaves, with
their broad surfaces disposed in such a manner as to

40 ON ASPECT.

enjoy the full effects of the solar and atmospherical in-
fluence, that an extraordinary supply of sap is required,
to rise every instant of time throughout the growing
season, to enable it to recruit its loss. On the foliage
of a plant performing some of its most important func-
tions in such a manner, if a strong wind should blow
at any time for the space only of a few hours, the flow
of sap is seriously checked, evaporation proceeds at a
most exhausting rate, and the leaves and young shoots
being speedily emptied of the moisture accumulated in
their cells and vessels, become rigid, and their pores
completely closed. The vegetative powers of the
plant being thus prostrated, cannot resume their func-
tions till after the wind has ceased for several hours,
or even days, according to its previous violence and
duration.

I have made repeated observations on the growth of
the leading shoots of vines in the height of the growing
season, and have many times noted the fact, that dur-
ing the space of twenty four hours, when the wind has
blown briskly, the shoots exposed to its influence have
not perceptibly grown at all ; while, shortly afterwards,
the wind having entirely sunk away, the same shoots
have grown upwards of three inches in a similar space
of time, the temperature of the air in a sheltered situ-
ation being alike during each period.

And if two young vines be planted by the side of
each other, against a wall exposed to the north, for the
purpose of trying the experiment, by excluding the
influence of the sun's rays, and one be kept nailed to
the wall, every five or six inches of its growth through-
out the summer, and the other be suffered to be blown
about without any such protection, the former will
be found, at the end of the season, to have grown in
the size and extent of its shoots three or four times
as much as the latter. Nothing, indeed, can be more

ON ASPECT. 41

tender, or less calculated to withstand the effects of
the wind, than the extremities of the young shoots of
a vine, which, from being extremely porous, are al-
most as susceptible of its withering influence as the
Sensitive Plant is of the touch of the hand.

Many instances might be circumstantially detailed
of the injurious effects of the wind upon established
vines during the ir summer's growth ; two, however,
of recent occurrence, will perhaps suffice.

On the eleventh of June, 1833, a strong wind sprang
up early in the morning from the west, and increased
in force till noon, when it blew quite a gale, and con-
tinued so to do throughout the day. It slackened a
little during the night, and gradually decreased in vio-
lence the next day, dying entirely away by the evening.
The effects of this wind on a vine of the White Mus-
cadine sort, trained on a wall having a western aspect,
were carefully observed. It had on a full crop of fruit,
and a good supply of fine young bearing-shoots, and
was altogether in a most thriving condition. Such,
however, were the injurious effects of the wind, in dis-
sipating all the accumulated secretions of the foliage,
and then closing, almost hermetically, its pores, and
thereby totally deranging the vital functions of the plant,
that, although in the heighth of the growing season,
not the slightest appearance of renewed vegetation
could be discerned in any part of its leaves, shoots, or
fruit, until the third day of July, or twenty two days
afterwards. It never produced another inch of good
bearing wood throughout the remainder of the season,
but lingered in a very weak and sickly condition ; and
the fruit, which had been previously estimated at 90
Ibs, weight, did not exceed 55 Ibs. when gathered, and
that of a very inferior description, in point of flavour
and size of berry. Its leaves also, having been thus
crippled, were shed prematurely a month before their

42 ON ASPECT.

natural time, and hence the deficiency in the flavour
and size of the grapes.

The other instance, which happened shortly after-
wards, is still more decisive. On the 30th of August
following, about eight o'clock in the evening, a strong
wind began to blow from the south-west, accompanied
with heavy rain. At nine it blew violently, and con-
tinued so to do until noon the next day. It then
slackened, and, then veering to the north-west, died
away some time during the following night.

The full force of this wind fell on a remarkably fine
Black Hamburg vine, trained on a wall, having a
south-western aspect, and its effects were therefore
proportionately destructive. Many of the principal
branches were torn so completely from their fastenings,
that their extremities swept the ground. The bunches
of fruit were knocked about, and portions of them, as
well as single berries, lay scattered on the ground in
every direction. On the fruit, however, that survived
the wreck, the effects of the wind were remarkable.
It must be stated, that the wall on which the vine is
trained is ten feet hight, and is so situated that, to
the height of about three feet from the ground, the wind
had but little power over it, its force being broken by
an outer wall, standing at a little distance off, in front
of it. On the lower part of the wall so protected, the
grapes, not having been much injured, began to change
their colour and ripen about the twentieth of Septem-
ber, and on the twelfth of October every berry was
perfectly matured ; while all those that remained on
the vine above three feet from the ground, were, on the
first of November, as green and as hard as on the thir-
tieth of August, when the high'wind occurred. Shortly
afterwards these began to change their colour, and
ultimately ripened tolerably well by the first week in
December. Thus, solely through the effects of a

ON ASPECT. 43

strong wind, there were to be seen at the same time,
on the same branches of this vine, and within nine
inches of each other, bunches of grapes, the lowermost
of which were perfectly ripe, while the uppermost were
quite green and hard, and not within seven weeks of
reaching the same state of maturity.

These facts, which might be multiplied indefinitely,
sufficiently show the injurious effects of strong winds,
and the necessity of protecting vines as much as possi-
ble from their destructive consequences. Nor must it
be supposed that high winds are those only which injure
the vine. Every wind that blows on the foliage of a
vine deranges its functions, and thereby retards the
growth of the plant, and the maturation of its fruit, in
a greater or less degree, in proportion to its violence
and duration.

In the choice of a good aspect, therefore, shelter
from high or often-recurring winds becomes a prime
consideration ; and those aspects that are the least ex-
posed to their effects, and that receive a full portion of
the solar rays, may accordingly be deemed the best.
There are, however, in general, so many local circum-
stances which affect the warmth and shelter of the sur-
faces of walls and buildings,Jhat these alone, where
they exist, must determine the best aspects for the
training of vines. But if there be no such local cir-
cumstances to influence the choice of aspect, then, I
have no hesitation in stating, from a careful observa*
tion of the qualities and flavour of the fruit of the dif-
ferent vintages for many years past, that the best as-
pects in which grapes can be brought to the highest
degree of perfection on open walls that the latitude
and climate of the southern parts of England will per-
mit, are those that range from the eastern to the south*
eastern, both inclusive, the last of which, indeed, may
be considered the very best*

44 ON ASPECT.

On walls having any of these aspects the sun shines
with full force in the early part of the morning, at
which time there is something highly favourable to ve-
getation in the influence of his rays. These, darting
nearly perpendicularly on the foliage of a vine, while
the dew yet remains, and its beautiful crystal drops
hang suspended, as it were, by magic, to the angular
extremities of the leaves, seem to stimulate the vital
energies of the plant in an extraordinary degree, and
to excite them to a vigorous exercise of all the impor-
tant functions appertaining to vegetable life.

The next best aspects are those which follow in suc-
cession from south-east to south. An aspect due south
is undoubtedly a very good one, but its exposure to
those strong winds which so frequently blow from the
south-west, forms a great drawback to its excellence.
The remaining aspects are those which range succes-
sively from due south to due west. These are all good
ones, provided they are sheltered, or partially so, from
the destructive effects of the high winds above men-
tioned. North of the western point, the maturation of
the wood and fruit of the vine becomes uncertain ;
nevertheless, tolerably good grapes may be grown on
the surface of a wall Jiaving an aspect not farther
north than west by north. There is, however, another
aspect, that is north of the eastern point of the horizon,
which is a very good one indeed, and that is east by
north. On a wall facing this point, the sun shines till
about eleven o'clock in the morning. I. have, for many
years past, brought several sorts of grapes, including
the Black Hamburgh, to great perfection in this as-
pect. North of this point, however, the solar rays are
not sufficiently powerful to mature either the wood or
the fruit of the vine.

ON SOILS. 45

CHAPTER V.

ON SOIL.

THE natural soil which is most congenial to the
growth of the vine, and to the perfection of its fruit in
this country, is a light, rich, sandy loam, not more than
eighteen inches in depth, on a dry bottom of gravel,
stones, or rocks.

No sub-soil can possess too great a quantity of these
materials for the roots of the vine, which run with
eagerness into all the clefts, crevices, and openings,
in which such sub-soils abound. In these dry and
warm situations, the fibrous extremities, pushing them-
selves with the greatest avidity, and continually
branching out in every possible direction, lie secure
from that excess of moisture which frequently accu-
mulates in more compact soils ; and, clinging like ivy
round the porous surfaces of their retreats, extract
therefrom a species of food, more nourishing than that
obtained by them under any other circumstances what-
ever.

One of the principal causes of grapes not ripening
well on open walls in this country, is the great depth
of mould in which the roots of vines are suffered to
run, which, enticing them to penetrate in search of
food below the influence of the sun's rays, supplies
them with too great a quantity of moisture ; vegeta-
tion is thereby carried on till late in the summer, in
consequence of which the ripening process does not
commen:e till the declination of the sun becomes too

46 ON SOIL.

rapid to afford a sufficiency of solar heat to perfect
the fruit.

To prevent this, the subsoil should be composed of
dry materials. It is almost impossible, indeed, to make
a vine border of materials that shall be too dry or porous.
It is not mere earth that the roots require to come in
contact with, to induce growth and extension, but
air also, which is as necessary to them as to the leaves
and branches. The excrementitious matter discharged
from the roots of a vine is very great ; and if this be
given out in a soil that is close and adhesive, and
through which the action of the solar rays is feeble,
the air in the neighbourhood of the roots quickly be-
comes deleterious, and a languid and diseased vegeta-
tion immediately follows. But if the roots grow in
a soil composed of dry materials, mixed together in
such a manner as to possess a series of cavities and in-
terstices, into which the sun's rays can enter with free-
dom, and there exert their full power, the air in which
the roots perform their functions becomes warmed and
purified, they absorb their food in a medium which
dissipates their secretions, and a healthy and vigorous
vegetation is the never-failing consequence.

The roots of every plant have a peculiar tempera-
ture in which they thrive best ; and that which those
of the vine delight in most is generated in a greater
degree in stony or rocky soils than in any other.
This is easily accounted for from the fact that soils
of this description, being quickly rendered dry by eva-
poration, are always free from that excess of moisture
which is so injurious to the growth of the vine.

It may hence be inferred, that vines will not flour-
ish in a cold wet soil, nor in one composed of a stiff
heavy clay. Grapes produced on vines planted in such
soils scarcely ever ripen well, and, if so, never possess
the flavour of those grown on vines planted in a dry

ON SOILS. 47

soil. Vines may be seen in all parts of the country,
the fruit on which looks well during the early part of
the season, but when the ripening period arrives, the
berries remain green and hard, or otherwise shrivel
and decay. The results are sure to be produced
when the roots grow in a soil that is too wet and ad-
hesive, and into which the sun and air cannot freely
penetrate.

All borders, therefore, made expressly for the recep-
tion of vines, ought to be composed of a sufficient
quantity of dry materials, such as stones ; brickbats,
broken moderately small ; lumps of old mortar ; broken
pottery ; oyster shells, <fyc. <$fc., to enable the roots to
extend themselves freely in their search after food and
nourishment ; to keep them dry and warm by the free
admission of air and solar heat ; and to admit of heavy
rains passing quickly through, without being retained
sufficiently long to saturate the roots, and thereby in-
jure their tender extremities.

In preparing the border, then, the first thing is to
secure a dry bottom. If the soil and subsoil be natu-
rally such as is described above, as the most congenial
to the growth of the vine, nothing more is required
than to trench the ground two spit deep, to clean it
well from all weeds and roots, and to make it as fine
as possible, and it will then be in a proper state to re-
ceive the vines.

But if the sub-soil be not naturally dry, it must be
made so by the usual process of draining, which is the
basis of every improvement that can be made in the
soil. The bottom of the drains ought, if possible, to be
four feet from the surface, and the drains a foot deep ;
the clear depth of the border will then be three feet.
If the soil of this is heavy, and of a retentive nature,
two-thirds of it ought to be taken entirely away, and
the remaining portion, which should be the top spit,

48 ON SOIL.

made very fine. The deficiency should be made good,
by adding an equal quantity of dry materials of the
above-mentioned description, and of the sweepings of
a high road, all of which must be well mixed and
incorporated together. If the natural soil of the bor-
der be too sandy and light, the same process may be
followed, with the exception of the addition of road
sweepings. In lieu of these, should be added a suffi-
ciency of fine mould collected from molehills, which
is generally of a rich loamy nature ; or of fresh soil
from some neighbuoring meadow or common, which,
if well pastured, will prove very fertile ; but if neither
of these can be procured, the deficiency may be made
good from the top spit of a field of good arable land.
And of whatever nature the soil may be, in which it is
intended to plant vines, it ought to contain, at least,
one-third of dry materials of the above-mentioned de-
scription.

With respect to the sweepings of roads, I am deci-
dedly of opinion, that those obtained from a turnpike
road, or from any other high road, kept in a good state
of repair by the frequent addition of stones, and on
which there is a considerable traffic of horses or other
cattle, is the very best compost that can be added to
any border intended for the reception of vines. Its
component parts, consisting chiefly of sand, gravel,
pulverized stones, and the residuum of dung and urine,
afford a greater quantity of food, and of a richer and
more lasting nature, than can be found in any other
description of compost that I have ever seen, or heard
of being used for that purpose. I have, on many occa-
sions, opened the borders of vines to examine the direc-
tion of their roots, and to discover the particular species
of soil which they preferred, and I have uniformly
found, that where any portion of this compost had been
introduced, the fibrous extremities of the roots had

ON SOIL. 49

pushed themselves into it, and multiplied there in a ten-
fold degree beyond those in the adjacent soil. I think,
therefore, that however rich the soil of a vine border
may naturally be, a portion of this compost may be
added to it with the greatest advantage. It should be
scraped or swept off the road, when it is not so wet as
to cake together, nor so dry as to be bordering upon
dust, but in a moderately dry state, betwixt the two
extremes. It ought to be mixed with the other com-
ponents of the border, soon after it has been collected
from the road, as all its valuable qualities will then be
preserved entire.

In putting the materials of the border together, as
many whole bones as can possibly be procured should
be inserted with them, (in the manner mentioned in
Chapter VI., '* On Manure,") and if these cannot
be obtained in sufficient abundance, then such other
substances as are therein recommended as manures,
may be substituted. It is desirable that the width of
the border should not be less than eight feet, if local
circumstances will permit, but, if not, one of less width
must suffice. For the space of about a couple of feet
in breadth from the bottom of the wall, a sufficient
quantity of stones or gravel, but not of a binding nature
should be laid, to form a path to stand on, in order to
perform with cleanness and facility, those necessary
operations on the vines which are almost daily required
throughout the summer. Stones, or gravel, thus laid
over the border at the bottom of the wall, will likewise
be productive of great advantage in radiating the
heat of the sun's rays, and thereby hastening the
maturation of the fruit growing on the lower part uf
the wall ; and, also, in keeping it clean, and free from
splashes of dirt, that are frequently the consequences
of heavy rains. Small shingle, procured from the sea
beach, when local circumstances will permit, is exceed.

50 ON SOIIr.

ingly well calculated for the purpose, and the surfaces
of it being rendered white and smooth by the attrition
of the sea, it produces a very pleasing and cheerful
effect.

The border should be perfectly level, or, if a sloping
surface cannot be avoided, the descent must be from
the wall. No other plant or tree of any description
should be intermixed with the vines, or trained against
the wall. If other trees be trained on the surface of
the wall amongst the vines, the current year's shoots of
the latter will be liable to be shaded, and impeded in
their growth and training, and be thereby deprived of
the full advantages of the heat of the wall.

It will also prove very beneficial to the growth and
fertility of the vines, and to the flavour of the fruit, if
the border in which they are planted be never cropped
nor digged. The cropping of a vine border is of a
highly injurious tendency, for it not only impoverishes
the soil, but shades it from the influence of the sun and
air, which is a consideration of the very last importance.
Solar heat, indeed, is the only thing that this country
is deficient in, as it respects the culture of the vine ;
and there can be no doubt, I think, that if we had but
a trifling portion more of it, the southern parts of Eng-
land would produce grapes on open walls, equal in point
of flavour, to those grown in the most auspicious cli-
mates. Great care, therefore, ought to be taken, never
to intercept or obstruct for a single hour, during any
part of the year, the full and direct operation of the sun
and air on the surface of a vine border.

It must also be stated, that after a vine has been
planted three or four years, its roots will begin to make
their way upwards, towards the surface of the border,
doubtless attracted thither by the joint influence of the
sun and air. And if the border be not disturbed by
cropping or digging, they will come up close to the sur-

ON SOIL. 51

face about the ninth or tenth year. In this situation
they receive an extraordinary increase of solar heat,
the very life and soul of all vegetation, and being, more-
over, near the surface, they can be nourished with
liquid manure, to any extent that may be considered
necessary. These surface roots ought, therefore, to
be taken great care of and encouraged by all possible
means, as being amongst the most valuable of any be-
longing to the vine, and as contributing in a high de-
gree to improve the flavour of the fruit, and to insure
its ripening, even in the most unfavourable seasons.

The border, therefore, after it is once made, ought
never to be stirred but at intervals, when necessary to
prevent the surface of it from becoming a hard imper-
vious coat. On such occasions it should be carefully
forked to the depth of a couple of inches, which will
keep it sufficiently loose and open, to receive the full
influence of the sun and air. Whenever weeds ap-
pear, they should be hoed up, or plucked by the hand
immediately. In fine, the border should be kept sacred
from the intrusion of any other plant, tree, or vegeta-
ble production whatsoever, and be solely devoted to
the growth and nourishment of the roots of the vines.
Here, before concluding these remarks upon soil, it
is necessary to observe, that although the foregoing
directions with respect to soil, the preparation of bor-
ders, &c. will, if followed, ensure the prosperous growth
of vines, and the annual production and maturation
of fine crops of grapes, and are therefore highly de»
serving of being practically adopted at all times when
circumstances permit, yet it must not, therefore, be
supposed, that vines will not grow and mature fine
fruit, unless planted in well-prepared borders. Quite
the contrary is the fact, for vines will do well in any
unprepared soil, that is not too stiff, and that has a dry
bottom, but they grow quicker, and consequently bear

52 ON SOIL.

greater crops of grapes within a given space of time,
when planted in a soil that has been properly prepared
fcr their reception.

For instance, if two cuttings be planted, the one in
the soil of the former description, and the other in one
of the latter, it will be found at the end of ten years,
that the stem of the vine growing in the soil that was
unprepared, will not be more than half the size of that
planted in the other ; consequently, for every pound
weight of fruit which the smaller stemmed vine can
mature, the other will ripen very nearly three pounds.
This difference occurring annually, is sufficiently
great, to repay mcst amply the trouble and expense
incurred in making a suitable border, whenever local
circumstances will permit of such an operation being
performed. Nevertheless, the disadvantages of a poor
soil, or an unprepared one, may in some measure be
compensated, by planting the vines closer together, in
which case the surface of the wall will be much soon-
er covered with fruit than otherwise. If vines, indeed,
could not be planted with any prospect of success in
any other situations than in borders set apart for that
purpose, but a very small quantity of grapes could be
grown, compared with what the country is capable of
producing. Innumerable instances occur throughout
the country, and especially in towns and their subur-
ban districts, in which walls, cottages, houses, and va-
rious descriptions of brick and stone erections, present
very favourable aspects for the training of vines, but
which, nevertheless, are so situated locally, as to pos-
sess little or no soil at all on the surface adjoining their
sites ; the ground being either paved with bricks or
stone, or. perhaps, trodden so hard, as to be apparently
incapable of yielding sustenance to any vegetable pro-
duction.

In all such cases, however, if the ground adjoining

OT* SOIL. 53

the site of the wall or building, be opened to the ex-
tent of eighteen inches square, and as many deep, it
will be sufficient to admit the roots of a young vine,
which must be pruned to suit that space. If a wider
and deeper space can be made, it will of course ba
better, but if not, that will do. After the sides and
bottom have been loosened as much as possible, the vine
may be planted, and the hole filled up with two-thirds
of rich loamy earth and one-third of road scrapings,
previously mixed well together ; and, if necessary, the
surface covering, whether of stone, brick, or otherwise,
may be restored again to its former state, provided a
space of about six inches square be left open for the
stem to swell in during its future growth. Vines
planted in such situations, will, in general, do well, al-
though their growth will not be so rapid as when plant-
ed under more favourable circumstances.

In all cases where vines are planted against any
description of buildings, their roots push as soon as
possible under the foundations, being attracted thither
by the warm air which is there generated ; and such
situations being also dry, from the excavations which
have been made, offer to the roots the same protection
from excessive moisture, as the substratum of a well-
prepared border. The same may be observed of vines
planted against walls, the foundations of which pos-
sess similar advantages, although in a more limited de-
gree. Hence the fact may be inferred, that vines
planted in such situations, without any previous pre-
paration of the soil, will frequently grow as luxuriant-
ly, and produce as fine grapes, as those planted in rich
and well-prepared borders.

Indeed, it is hardly possible to plant a vine in any
situation in which it will not thrive, provided its roots
can by any means push themselves into a dry place,
and the aspect be such as to afford to its branches a

E*

54 ON SOIL.

sufficient portion of the sun's rays to elaborate the
juices of the plant. The truth is, that the roots of the
vine possess an extraordinary power of adapting them-
selves to any situation in which they may be planted,
provided it be a dry one. They will ramble in every
direction in search after food, and extract nourishment
from sources apparently the most barren. In short,
they are the best caterers that can possibly be ima-
gined, for they will grow, and even thrive luxuriantly,
where almost every other description of plant or tree
would inevitably starve.

ON MANURE. 55

CHAPTER VI.

ON MANURE.

EVERY substance that enriches the soil, and stimu-
lates the growth of plants, may be called a manure.

As a border in which vines are to be planted ought
never to be disturbed, after having been once properly
made, it follows, that those manures that can be ap-
plied with advantage to promote their growth, com-
prehend, first, such as can be mixed and incorporated
with the soil at the formation of the border, and which
add to its fertility, from time to time, according to the
respective periods of their decomposition and amal-
gamation with it ; and, secondly, such as can be ap-
plied in a liquid state, or otherwise, as a top-dressing,
at any subsequent period.

Of those manures, therefore, that may be mixed with
the soil when the border is first made, the best are
such as possess the two valuable qualities of affording
to the roots of the vine the highest degree of nourish-
ment, combined with the greatest permanency of dura-
tion. Of this description are bones, horns and hoofs of
cattle, bone dust, the entire carcases of animals, cuttings
of leather, woollen rags, feathers, and hair.

It is unnecessary to enter into a minute detail of the
various properties of these manures ; chemical analy-
sis having ascertained, and experience amply proved,
that all of them, as they gradually and respectively
decompose, offer to the roots of plants an abundant
supply of food of the most nourishing description.

56 ON MANURE.

Bones, however, on account of their prolonged effect,
are by far the most valuable manure that can be de-
posited in a vine border. They should be buried in
the soil whole, and as fresh as possible. Every varie-
ty of size may be procured, from the smallest bone of
a fowl, to the largest bone of an ox. The small bones
will decompose in a few months, but the largest will
remain for twenty, thirty, and even fifty years, before
they are entirely decayed, while the intermediate-sized
ones, according to their respective kinds, will be con-
tinually decomposing in succession for a great number
of years, yielding thereby a constant supply of nutri-
ment of the most valuable description. It is worthy
of remark, also, that every bone, whether small or
large, after it has been deposited in the soil a few
weeks, will begin to yield, by the decomposition of the
gluten on its surface, a steady supply of nutritious
matter, and continue so to do, until it be resolved into
its constituent parts, and form part of the soil itself.

Many results might be adduced, of experiments tried
at various times, to ascertain the value of entire bones
as manure to the roots of vines, all of which would
prove, that they yield, beyond all comparison, a more
permanent supply of nourishment than can be obtained
from any other substance used as manure. The
details of these would occupy too great a space ; those
of two, however, may perhaps be advantageously
mentioned.

In the year 1826, several vines were planted against
a wall having a south aspect, in a border the soil of
which is a stiff clayey loam. In the following year,
a quantity of bones, not more than a bushel, the largest
of which was the blade bone of a calf, was digged into
the border at a distance of five feet from the wall. They
were deposited all together as a horizontal layer of six
inches in depth, the upper surface being twelve inches,

ON MANUKE. 57

and the bottom eighteen, from the surface of the bor-
der. In the spring of 1833, the border was opened,
in order to ascertain to what extent the roots of the
vines were nourished by these bones. On examin-
ation, it was found that the roots had branched out in
every possible direction amongst the bones, the sur-
faces of which were completely covered with their fi-
bres. The blade bone happened to be in such a posi-
tion, that both sides of it could be distinctly seen, and
on examining them minutely, they appeared to have
every part of their surface covered with the smallest
fibres imaginable, so small, indeed, were some of them,
that they could scarcely be discerned by the naked
eye. Their extremities were fixed on the surface of
the bone, as firmly and in the same manner as a leech
when applied for the purpose of sucking blood, and
they were evidently extracting by means of their mouths
or pores, an abundant supply of nourishing food. From
the different shades of colour apparent in many of the
larger parent fibres, and other indications of annual
growth, it appeared that they had been enjoying the
banquet which this bone afforded for at least five years ;
and as it was but little decayed it seemed to promise
them a continuation of the feast for ten or fifteen years
to come. The whole appearance of the bone was sin-
gular in the extreme, being completely enveloped in a
mass of apparently beautiful gauze net-work.

The chief part of the roots which had multiplied so
prodigiously amongst these bones, was found to proceed
from a single root, which had pushed itself horizontally,
and in a direct line through the border, till it reached
the bones, throwing out in its course but few fibres, the
soil being of an unfavorable nature to afford them much
food. The root proceeded from a Black Hamburgh
vine, which has, for several years past, produced some
of the finest-bearing shoots I ever saw, from which I

58 ON MANURE.

annually obtain bunches of grapes weighing from one
to two pounds, with berries measuring from two inches
and a half to three inches in circumference.

A similar examination of another border some years
since, produced the like result. About seven years
previously to my inspecting it, a few bones had been
inserted in the soil, one of which was the thigh bone of
an ox. After carefully removing the top spit of the
border, into which the fibres of the roots had pushed
themselves pretty thickly, I discovered this bone about
a foot below the surface, and about four feet distant
from the stem of a vine. The hollow part which had
contained the marrow, was open at both ends. On
examining it, I found that a root of the vine had trav-
ersed the surface of it, in a direct line, from one end to
the other, throwing out an immense number of small
fibres, which covered its entire convex surface. On
a closer inspection, and tracing the course of the root,
it appeared, that when it had reached the end of the
bone, instead of pushing straight forward into the soil,
it had turned down over the single thickness, entered
the hollow part, and was returning, through the inside
of the bone, towards the same end at which it first
came in contact with it. The bone was very thick, and
though it had been in the ground seven years, it pre-
sented scarcely any signs of decay. It was so com-
pletely enveloped in fibres, that no further examina-
tion could take place without putting the health of the
vine in jeopardy. This vine is also a Black Hamburgh,
and for many years past it has annually produced both
fruit and current year's bearing-shoots of the very finest
description, although the soil in which it grows is far
from being a rich one. The fact of the root clinging
to the bone, and making a retrograde movement through
the hollow part of it, rather than push forward into the
soil, is conclusive as to its decided preference of the for-

ON MANURE. 59

mer to the latter ; and the surprising number of fibres
which, in both of these instances, were absorbing nutri-
ment through the medium of their spongioles, or newly,
formed extremities, clearly shews, that whole bones
deposited in the soil in their fresh and entire state, fur-
nish to the roots of vines for a long period of time an
extraordinary supply of food of the richest description.

I have stated these circumstances in detail, because
such facts are worth all the theories in the world.

Horns and hoofs of cattle, or the parings or shavings
of them, may be classed next to bones in point of value,
while their effects last, but their duration is not so long,
nor are they, indeed, to be procured in sufficient abun-
dance to be calculated upon for an adequate supply.

Bone dus^ is a very powerful manure, producing im-
mediate effect, and is lasting in its duration ; but the
process of boiling bones, previously to their being
crushed, deprives them of their very best qualities.

The entire carcases of animals, or any portions of
them, dead birds, <$fc. <$fc. independently of their bones,
yield, after decomposition, an extraordinary supply of
food for the roots of vines, impregnating the soil all
around with a great quantity of nutritious matter.
Dead animals of every description, therefore, such as
dogs, cats, pigs, &c. that have died, may be thus dis-
posed of in a most advantageous manner, by depositing
them, in their entire state, in the vine border.

Cuttings of leather, old or new, old shoes, fyc. are a
very valuable manure, remaining in the ground many
years before entirely decomposed. The roots of vines
are very partial to this description of manure. I have
examined the soles of old shoes that have been depos-
ited in the soil upwards of seven years, and have found
their surfaces covered with fibres, feeding eagerly upon
them.

WboUg* rags, feathers, and hair, may all be mentioned

60 ON MANURE.

as valuable manures, yielding, during their decomposi-
tion, a great supply of nutritious matter.

A vast number of other substances well known as
manures might be enumerated, but though many of
these would be found to be very valuable with refer-
ence to their immediate effect, their good qualities be-
ing of transient duration, would be entirely dissipated
before the roots of the vines could derive any lasting
benefit from them. Moreover, powerful manures of
short duration excite vines to a sort of premature
growth, and when the roots are becoming strong and
vigorous, and capable of absorbing with advantage a
greater quantity of nutriment, the manure is exhaust-
ed, and the plants immediately make a retrograde
movement, in consequence of having been unnaturally
excited by a gluttonous supply of stimulating food.
Steadiness of supply and permanency of duration, are
the two grand requisites of all manures intended to be
deposited in borders appropriated for the growth of
vines ; and those already enumerated have been found
by experience to possess these valuable qualities in a
greater degree than any other.

As a point of culture of great importance to be at-
tended to, in depositing manure in the soil, care must
be taken not to dig it in too deeply. The roots of
vines should be induced to extend themselves in a hori-
zontal manner, and as near the surface of the border as
possible. Solar heat is generally supposed to pene-
trate to the depth of three feet, but its effects at that
distance from the surface cannot be very strong, espe-
cially in soils that are of an adhesive nature. The
food, therefore, that is provided for the roots of vines,
should lie imbedded in the soil in the form of a hori-
zontal stratum or layer, the top of which should be
about six inches, and the bottom not more than two
feet, below the surface. Manure so deposited will cause

ON MANURE. 61

the roots to spread themselves oui within such a dis-
tance of the surface as will keep mem warm and dry,
and enable them to receive the cherishing influence of
the sun and air.

Liquid manure. This is a species of manure that is
highly valuable where immediate effect is required. As
the pores which abound in the fibres of the roots of
plants are too small to admit of any solid substance
passing into them, and can only absorb nutriment when
presented to them either in a fluid or gaseous state,
liquid manures act with a far greater degree of energy
than those of a solid nature, inasmuch as they contain
all the soluble parts of manure in such a state as to ad-
mit of being taken up by the roots as soon as applied.
The most powerful are urine, soot-water, blood, the
drainings of dung-heaps, and soap-suds.

Urine, on account of its saline qualities, is better cal-
culated to promote the fertility of the vine than any
other liquid whatever. It should be used as fresh as
possible, and if applied in the growing season, or betwixt
the middle of March and the first of November, it should
be mixed with an equal quantity of water ; at any other
period of the year it may be cast on the border in its
natural state.

Soot, dissolved in water, in the proportion of one
quart of soot to twelve quarts of water, and mixed
a few days previously to its being used, is an ex-
ceedingly strong manure, highly stimulating in its na-
ture, and a great purifier of the soil.

Blood, the drainings of dung -heaps, and, soap-suds,
should be used as fresh as possible, in order that their
good qualities may be preserved entire. They are all
valuable manures, calculated to enrich the soil in a
very high degree.

To the foregoing may be added, every description of
liquid refuse that proceeds from a dwellng-house or hu-
F

62 ON MANURE.

man habitation. All such constitute a valuable class
of manures, and n^y, therefore, be applied to a vine
border with the greatest advantage. If any be too
strong and spirituous, an equal quantity of water should
be mixed with them previously to their being used.

For the purpose of top-dressing, and to be forked into
the border when requisite, may be named as highly en-
riching manures, night-soil, fish, stable manure, and the
excrements of every description of birds and animals.
Night-soil is a very stimulating manure, but transient
in its effects, which renders it more fit for a top-dress-
ing than to be used as a component part of the border
when first made. If spread on the surface in a thin
layer, it will soon dry, and may then be forked in, in a
pulverised state.

In concluding these remarks on manure, it is neces-
sary further to observe, with respect to the application
of liquid manures and top-dressings, that care must be
taken not to make the surface of the border too rich.
An excess of manure deteriorates the flavour of grapes,
and is, moreover, injurious to the fertility of a vine,
inasmuch as it stimulates the plant too highly, causing
thereby an excessive and unnatural growth of wood,
which, being formed too rapidly, becomes long-jointed
and productive of leaf-buds instead of fruit-buds.
Liquid manures and top-dressings, therefore, must be
judiciously applied, lest a rank and barren vegetation be
induced, in lieu of a healthy and fruitful one. This
cautionary remark is the more necessary, as vines are
well known to be amongst the grossest feeders in na-
ture ; their roots absorbing with the appetite of a
glutton every description of liquid refuse that is placed
within their reach, however fetid or nauseous it may be.

ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF WALLS. 63

CHAPTER VII.

ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF WALLS.

To ripen any of the sorts of grapes cultivated in this
country, (England,) sufficiently to be used as table fruit,
requires the shelter and reflected heat of a wall.

The proper height of a wall intended for the training
of vines upon, must depend in a great measure on local
circumstances. In an unsheltered situation, and an
aspect exposed to the injurious influence of westerly or
south-westerly winds, I have never seen fine grapes
produced much higher than eight feet from the ground.
But, in situations and aspects of an opposite descrip-
tion no limit to the height of a wall need be assigned,
for as fine grapes may be matured at the distance of
twenty feet from the ground as at any less height.
Grapes, when growing at a less distance than about
four feet from the ground, certainly enjoy a considera-
ble increase of reflected heat, particularly if the surface
adjoining the wall be paved or covered with stones, or
gravel ; but, on the other hand, to counterbalance this
advantage, if the aspect be cast or west, the sun will
shine longer on the upper part of the wall than on the
lower part, in consequence of which, the surface of the
wall will be found, in general, pretty equally heated in
all its parts. But, if the aspect be south, the solar rays
during the summer will strike the entire surface of the
wall at the same instant of time, unless there be some
local impediment; and in this aspect, therefore, the
lower pa-t of the wall will always enjoy an increased

64 ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF WALLS.

degree of warmth ft*>m the reflection of the ground.
Hence, grapes growing within two or three feet of the
bottom of a wall facing the south, will, in general,
ripen from ten days to a fortnight earlier than those
growing on the upper part of it. There is a disadvan-
tage, however, in training grapes near the ground, as it
respects their remaining on the vine after being ripe.
If grapes can be kept perfectly dry, they will hang on
the vine, and improve in flavour, for a long time after
they are ripe ; but if dampness or moisture of any de-
scription reach them, the consequences are quickly
seen in the decay of the berries. After the middle of
October, therefore, it will be found a difficult matter to
preserve grapes that hang within two feet of the ground,
on account of the damp exhalations that continually
arise from the soil at that period of the year.

If walls be built for the express purpose of producing
grapes, the most judicious expenditure of the materials
will be in the erection of several low walls, not more
than six feet high, in preference to a small number of
very high walls. For the purposes of pruning and
training, and the general management of the vines,
walls of this height are far more convenient than those
of a greater height ; and if built to run directly north
and south, the entire surface of both sides of each wall
will be available for the training of the vines; and as
snch walls need not be built at a great distance apart,
an astonishing quantity of grapes may be thus annually
grown on a small extent of ground, by the erection of
a few walls of this description, built parallel to, and not
far distant from each other.

The best materials for the construction of vine walls
are, without doubt, bricks, as they present a more
even surface than can be obtained from walls built of
any other description of materials ; and evenness of
surface is a quantity that cannot be dispensed with.

ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF WALLS. 65

It is not only necessary for the training of vines with
precision, but if the surface of tn% wall be not smooth
and even, the grapes will, at times, be considerably in-
jured, by being blown to and fro by the wind, against
the rough and uneven parts of it.

Dark-coloured flint walls are hotter than those built
of brick, but this advantage is more than counterbal-
anced by their uneven surface. But if the faces of
the flints be well hammer-dressed, and the Joints of
the wall made to run in proper courses, they make a
handsome wall, and one that will absorb and retain
heat in a greater degree than any other.

If, from local causes, neither bricks nor flints can
be procured, stone of any description may be substitu-
ted, but the darker the colour, and the closer the tex-
ture, the more will it absorb and retain heat, and repel
moisture ; and, consequently, the better will it be
adapted for the end in view.

As a substitute for walls, stout ranges of paling,
made of well-seasoned wood, or of the planks of old
ships, well coated over with paint, are at times erected,
but grapes produced in this way are seldom equal to
those grown on walls.

For the foundation of a vine wall, stone is preferable
to bricks, the former being more solid and durable.
And, if the wall be an outer one, and the soil on the
outside of it be of such a description as to render it
necessary that the roots of the vines should be prevent-
ed from getting into it, the foundation ought to be
deep, and cemented firmly together, so as to make it
as solid as possible. But if the soil, on each side of
the wall, be such as to make it advantageous for the
roots to run freely into it, no greater depth need be
gone to, nor should any more cement be used in put-
ting the materials together, than is necessary to make
the foundation sufficiently strong and firm to support

F*

66 ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF WALLS.

the superstructure. The drier and looser, indeed, that
the materials can Be laid together, and the greater
number of cavities and interstices that can be left in the
foundation, the better adapted will it be to admit the
roots of the vines, which delight to ramble amongst
such materials, in preference to growing in even the
richest soil.

Blacke-ning the surface of a wall, is productive of a
considerable increase of heat as long as the sun shines
upon it, out during the night, and such part of the day
as the surface is in the shade, it will make the wall
colder. This arises from the black-coloured surface
parting with its heat immediately the sun's rays are
withdrawn. With respect, therefore, to walls racing
the east or west, the surfaces of which, even in the
height of summer, do not receive the solar rays more
than one-third of every twenty-four hours, the colour-
ing of them black will be injurious rather than other-
wise, inasmuch as the intensity of the cold increases
in proportion to the sun's absence. Hut when the as-
pect is due south, or very nearly so, the surface of a
wall may be blackened with advantage, as the duration
of the sun's absence as compared with his presence, in
this aspect, is more equally balanced throughout the
summe'r months ; and the increase of heat, therefore, is
more than equivalent to that of the cold ; the former
being, on a clear day, and when the sun is on the
meridian, frequently from ten to twenty degrees more
than that of the surface of an unblackened wall.

Lime-washing the surface of a vine wall every year,
will be found very advantageous in keeping it clean,
and free from insects and the growth of moss. Walls
newly-built may be exempted from this operation
during the first three or four years after their erection,
but in every subsequent year it is almost indispensable.
When the surface of a wall is covered with the foliage

ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF WALLS. 67

of a vine, the nails used in training the shoots are
necessarily numerous, and these 'being withdrawn at
the autumnal pruning, their holes are quickly taken
possession of by various descriptions of insects. If
these be suffered to remain unmolested, they will multi-
ply amazingly during the next summer; and in the au-
tumn, when the fruit is cut, the bunches will be infested
with them to an injurious and offensive degree. The
nail holes may certainly be filled up with mortar, but
this is a tedious operation, and produces an unsightly
appearance. I have never found any thing so effec-
tual as a good coating of white-wash, made from new
lirne, and of a thickish consistence. This, by filling
up the holes and other vacancies, effectually destroys
all the vermin, prevents the growth of moss, and pro-
motes, not a little, the healthy vegetation of the vines.
The face of the wall will thus be renovated, and made
to look as well as when first built, and its pure white-
ness will add greatly to the cheerful appearance of the
garden. The proper time of the year to perform this
operation is at the beginning of March, just as the winter
covering of the bud is about to open ; but if the season
be forward, the last week in February will do better.
The vines should be unnailed, and held a little distance
from the wall by one person, while another washes its
surface, after which the branches may be trained, and
nailed for the season, or otherwise temporarily so, until
that operation can be conveniently performed. If the
wash fall on any of the branches, it will not be of the
slightest consequence, as, though a little unsightly at
first, it will quickly disappear at the rising of the
sap.

Projecting copings, fixed on vine walls, though at-
tended with many advantages, are not without some
disadvantages. They are very beneficial in protecting
the young shoots of the vines from the effects of late

68 ON THE CONSTRUCTION OP WALLS.

frosts in the spring, in preserving the blossoms from
cold dews and heavy rains, and in keeping the grapes
in good condition, for a considerable period of time
after they have become ripe. They also contribute to
prevent the escape of heat from the wall, and are like-
wise extremely convenient to fasten netting, bunting,
&c. to, when necessary to protect the fruit from birds
and insects. On the other hand, they exclude a por-
tion of light and air, and prevent the dew, and in some
measure the rain also, from descending on the foliage,
and these are very beneficial after the fruit is set, and
until it begins to ripen. Nevertheless, the advantages
of projecting copings decidedly preponderate. If there
were no other benefit arising from them, that of pro-
tecting the fruit from heavy rains, and thereby keeping
it dry and in good condition, for two or three months
after it is ripe, would be quite sufficient to turn the
scale at once in their favour. With respect to the
width of the projecting part when permanently fixed,
that must depend on the aspect and height of the wall.
If the latter be less than four feet, and the aspect south,
the coping ought not to project at all, as the light and solar
heat excluded by it will be a serious drawback on the
healthy vegetation of the vines. But if the wall be
four feet high, then the coping may project as many
inches, and if this width be increased an inch every
foot that the wall increases in height up to twelve
feet, the principal advantages arising from the protec-
tion which a coping affords, will be secured, in con-
junction with the smallest portion of its disadvantages.
If the wall, therefore, be twelve feet high, the coping
will project a foot, more than which no coping should
project, whatever may be the height of the wall. If
the aspect be east, or west, the coping must be as nar-
row as possible, as every inch of projection in these
aspects, causes a considerable diminution in the dura-

ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF WALLS. 69

tion of sunshine on the surface of the wall. If the
height of the wall be less than six feet, a projection had
better bo dispensed with, but if it reach that height,
one of four inches in width may be used, and this may
be increased half an inch every foot the wall is higher,
until it reaches the width of twelve inches, which will
give a height of twenty-two feet for the wall. It is
seldom that a mere wall reaches this height ; but what-
ever height a wall may be, if the width of the coping
correspond to these proportions, the advantages derived
therefrom will be as great as can be obtained in these
aspects, without, in an injurious degree, excluding the
solar rays. It may be remarked, also, that a projec-
tion of less than four inches in width on a vine wail is
calculated to do more harm than good, as the drip will
fall on the fruit, which, in any stage of its growth, will
greatly injure it.

Mweablc wooden copings may be ussd with great ad-
vantage, as they produce all the benefit of fixed copings
without any of their disadvantages. Copings of this
description may project a little more than the propor-
tions above-mentioned, those being intended to apply
tojixed copings only. If temporary copings be used,
the proper periods of the year for their application will
be as follows : first, from the twenty. first of March to
the middle of May, to protect the young shoots from
the injurious effects of late frosts, and from descending
cold; — secondly, from the first expanding of the blos-
soms, until the berries are well set ; — and, thirdly, from
the period of the berries becoming transparent, and
showing symptoms of ripening, until the fruit be all cut
from the vines. During this last-mentioned period, the
coping will prove of the greatest advantage in keeping
the fruit dry, for it may be remarked, that as soon as
grapes begin to make their last swell, which is indica-
ted by^ :heir becoming transparent, not a drop of rain

70 QN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WALLS.

should ever be suffered to fall upon them, if it can pos-
sibly be avoided. All the moisture which they stand
in need of they will freely imbibe from the atmos-
phere.

In concluding these observations on the construction
of walls, it must be further observed, that, in addition to
the surface of a vine wall being as smooth as possible,
it ought, also, to be a true perpendicular, and the wall
itself to run in a straight line. These qualities are
necessary to ensure an equal distribution of solar heat
on its surface, and also an exemption from the increased
action of violent winds, which is sure to be generated
in some way or other, if the wall be built otherwise
than in a straight line.

ON THE PKOPAGATION OP VINES. 71

CHAPTER VIII.

ON THE PROPAGATION OF VINES.

VINES are propagated in the open ground, by layers,
and by cuttings.

By layers. This is the most expeditious method of
raising vines, provided the shoots be laid down in pots
and planted out the same summer. But vines raised
from shoots laid down in the open ground, seldom ri-
pen their roots well, and are, therefore, inferior to
those raised from cuttings. There is also another ob-
jection to this mode of propagating vines. No shoots
of a well-established vine can be laid down in a border,
without the roots growing amongst those of the parent
vine. When the proper season arrives for the remov-
al of the young plant, the ground requires to be digged
to the depth of eighteen inches, in order to take
up its roots as entire as possible. Now, a vine border
cannot be digged to this depth, nor indeed anything
like it, without very greatly injuring the roots of the
parent vine. For this reason, therefore, and on ac-
count of the roots of young plants, so raised, frequently
dying off to a considerable extent in the ensuing win-
ter, through not being sufficiently ripened, the raising
of vines by layers in the open ground may be regarded
as an inferior method of propagation.

To raise vines by laying down the shoots in pots, to
be planted out in the current summer, the following
directions, if observed, will ensure success. For each
layer procure a pot of the size of No. 24, and prepare

72 ON THE PROPAGATION OF VINES.

some rich mould, which must be sifted very fine. Put
a large piece of potsherd, or a good-sized oyster shell,
over the hole at the bottom ; fill the pot about two-
thirds full with the mould, and sink it three inches be-
low the surface of the soil. Then take the shoot, the
four last buds of which will be required to form the
layer, and cut the fourth bud cleanly and smoothly out,
so that no shoot can afterwards push from it. Bend
the shoot carefully down, in such a manner that the
second and third buds shall be at least three inches be-
low the surface of the mould when filled in, and the
first bud even with it, or, rather, just peeping out of
the mould. Secure the shoot firmly in this position,
so that its own force will not raise it up. then fill the
pot up with mould to within half an inch of the top,
which space must be left for the purpose of holding
liquid manure. If the mould settle down afterwards,
and leave a greater space than this, more must be add-
ed to make good the deficiency. Shoots may be thus
laid down any time from the fall of the leaf to the mid-
dle of March. The latter period will be quite early
enough, as no roots will be made before the latter end
of June, or the beginning of July. After the first of
April, the mould in the pot must be constantly kept moist,
for which purpose supply it as often as necessary with
soap-suds or the dramings of a dung-heap. The layer
must be separated from the parent vine sometime be-
tween the twentieth of August and the first of Sep-
tember, and planted out immediately, with the ball of
earth entire, in the situation in which it is intended to
remain. Supply it plentifully with liquid manure of
the above-mentioned description, throughout the re-
mainder of the season till the fall of the leaf. It is
not necessary to ring, twist, cut, or p:erce the layer, be-
fore bending it down in the pot ; keeping the mould con-
stantly moist with liquid manure, will excite it to root

ON THE PROPAGATION OF VINES. 73

very freely without any such operation. If the fore-
going directions be followed, the roots will be four feet
long before the winter sets in.

It is necessary, however, to state distinctly, that the
success of the operation depends entirely on keeping
the mould in the pot continually moist, on separating the
layer from the parent vine at the time above-mentioned^
on immediately planting it in the spot where it is to re-
main, and in keeping it well supplied with liquid ma-
nure throughout the remaining part of the season. If
the layer were suffered to maintain its union with the
parent vine throughout the autumn, the roots would
nearly all die away, in consequence of their not having
attained to a sufficient degree of maturity to support
thoir own vitality. If the terminal bud, when it bursts,
should show fruit, the latter must be pinched off im-
mediately ; and as the shoot advances in growth, it
must, as often as necessary, be tied to a stake, or, what
will be much better, trained against the wall. The
tendrils should be cut off as soon as they are about
four inches long, and the lateral or side shoots kept
pinched back to one eye. At the end of the season,
as soon as the leaves are shed, the plant must be cut
down to the two lower- most buds. It may be remark-
ed, that by laying shoots in this manner, fine grapes
may be grown in pots for the purpose of being cut
from the parent vine when the fruit is ripe, and pro-
duced at table as living plants in full bearing. . t

By cuttings. This is the best method propagating
vines in the open ground, when tLe plants are either
to be raised in the situation where they are finally to
remain, or to be transplanted in the ensuing winter, or
at any subsequent period. To provide cuttings to be
planted at the proper season, select at the autumnal
pruning- a sufficient number of shoots of the preced-
ing summer's growth. Choose such as are well-ripen-
G

74 ON THE PROPAGATION OF VINES.

ed, of a medium size, and moderately short-jointed.
Cut them into convenient lengths of six or eight buds
each, leaving at the ends not less than a couple of
inches of the blank wood for the protection of the
terminal buds. Stick these temporary cuttings about
nine inches in the ground, in a warm and sheltered sit-
uation, where they will be effectually protected from
the severity of the winter. The best time to plant them
out is about the middle of March, but any time from
the first of that month to the tenth of April will do
very well. When this period arrives, if the young vines
about to be raised are afterwards to be transplanted,
choose such a situation for the planting of the cuttings,
as is well sheltered from the wind, and not too much
exposed to the sun. More than six hours' sunshine in
any day will be injurious rather than beneficial, and
with respect to the wind, if the cuttings be not pro-
tected from its injurious effects, they will scarcely
strike at all, even in the very best prepared soil. A
moderate portion of sunshine, and effectual shelter
from the wind, are absolutely necessary to ensure the
growth of the cuttings. Previously to planting them,
the soil must be well prepared for their reception, by
being digged to the depth of eighteen inches, and the
earth made very fine. If it be in any degree stiff or
heavy, take two-thirds of it entirely away, and supply
its place with light rich mould, or road scrapings. For
every cutting, add half a spit of well-rotted dung from
an old cucumber bed, and mix the whole well together,
making it as fine as possible. This being done, prepare
the cuttings in the following manner. Cut the shoots
into lengths containing two buds each, and let the
uppermost buds have an inch of the blank wood re-
maining beyond them. The extremities of these must
be cut in a slanting manner, and the slant sides be op-
posite to the buds. Take the other ends of the cuttings

ON THE PROPAGATION OP VINES. 75

that are to be inserted in the ground, and cut them trans-
versely JMS/ below the buds, and the cuttings will be com-
plete. The priming-knife should be very sharp, so
that the cuts at the ends may be perfectly smooth. The
length of each cutting betwixt the two buds should
not be less thanybwr, nor more than six inches, in or-
der that the bottom buds may be at such a distance
from the surface of the soil as will best promote their
vegetation.

The cuttings being thus prepared, must be planted
immediately, for which purpose make holes in the
ground (about a foot apart each way, if the plants when
raised are to be subsequently transplanted) with a stick
about the size of the cuttings, and insert the latter, so
that the uppermost buds shall be just even with the
surface of the ground. Press the mould close round
each cutting, in order to prevent the sun and air dry-
ing up its juices. If the mould should subsequently
sink down, and leave the buds above the surface, more
must be added to keep them even with it. After the
first of May, care must be taken to keep the soil round
the cuttings constantly moist. For this purpose, sup-
ply each cutting as often as required, according to the
state of the weather, with about a pint of soapsuds, and
continue so to do, until it has formed a communication
with the soil, which will soon be rendered apparent by
the protrusion of a shoot, and its daily elongation.
When the bud bursts, the process of evaporation com-
mences, and if the moisture in the cutting be consumed
quicker than the latter can absorb it from the soil, the
young loaves turn yellow and die, and the vitality of
the cutting will be in danger of being destroyed.* It

* If the first shoot that pushes from the cutting should die off,
which at times it will do, even after it has grown five or six inches
in length the cutting must not on that account be taken up, be-
cause another shoot produced from the bottom bud, will, most

76 ON THE PROPAGATION OF VINES.

is indispensable, therefore, that the soil round each
cutting should be constantly kept moist, in order that
the latter may absorb sufficient nourishment to supply
the bud with food, until, by the emission of roots, it has
established a communication with the soil, and is there-
by enabled to feed itself. As soon as the cuttings have
protruded shoots about three inches long, and their
leaves have a healthy appearance, watering may cease
for a time; but throughout the summer, when the weath-
er is dry, the young plants should be assisted in their
frowth by the moderate application of liquid manure,
oap-suds are the best for this purpose, but dung-water
will do very well, provided it be not loo powerful. The
surface of the soil round the cuttings should never be
allowed to cake or get hard, but should be kept open,
and in a fresh and finely-pulverised state, by being, as
often as necessary, forked lightly up. As the shoots
advance in growth, they must be constantly kept staked,
or nailed to the wall ; and their tendrils and lateral
shoots managed throughout the summer in the same
manner as those of the layers. At the fall of the leaf,
cut every plant down to the two lowermost buds.

probably, push through the socket of the decayed one about the
middle of the summer, or, as soon as the bottom bud becomes suf-
ficiently warmed by the sun to emit roots, and thereby form a
communication with the soil.

ON THE PRUNING OF VINES. 77

CHAPTER IX.

ON THE PRUNING OF VINES.

PRUNING and TRAINING are so closely connected to-
gether, and so mutually dependent on each other, that
they almost constitute one operation. In pruning a vine,
regard must be had to the manner in which it is after-
wards to be trained ; and in training it, the position
of the branches must, in a great measure, be regulated
by the mode in which it has previously been pruned.
Nevertheless, the two operations are sufficiently distinct
to be treated of separately, although many observations
that will be made will relate as much to the one as to
the other.

The chief object in pruning a vine is to increase its
fertility ; which is effected by cutting out the supera-
bundant wood which it annually produces, and adjusting
the number and length of the branches that are to re-
main, to the capacity of the plant for the maturation of
its next crop of fruit, and for the production of future
bearing-wood. The necessity for this operation will
appear evident when it is considered, first, that the
shoots of a vine which bear fruit one year, never bear
any afterwards ; — secondly, that those parts of the
shoots that grow in the latter part of the summer, are
not sufficiently ripened to produce fruit ; — thirdly,
that a great number of shoots, including those that push
from the bases of the buds, and which are thence called
lateral or side shoots, are too small, and otherwise unfit
to produce fruit ; — and fourthly, that a vine in vigor-
o*

78 ON THE PRUNING OF VINES.

ous growth and under judicious management, will annu-
ally produce a much greater number of buds, that
would bear fruit in the following year, if retained, than
it can possibly bring to perfection. To get rid, there-
fore, of all this useless and superabundant wood, the
operation of pruning must be resorted to ; and as the
excess is very great, the pruning-knife must be exer-
cised in a correspondingly severe manner, in order to
restore the balance betwixt the roots and the branches.
From these considerations it follows, that the judicious
pruning of a vine is one of the most important points
of culture throughout the whole routine of its manage-
ment.

There are three methods of pruning vines in practice
among gardeners ; namely, long pruning, spur-pruning,
and the fan or fruit-tree method. The first mentioned
is that which will hereafter be shewn to be the most
eligible method of pruning a vine, which, with respect
to this point of culture, requires to be treated very dif-
ferently to every other description of fruit-tree cultiva-
ted in this country. Many elaborate directions on this
subject have been given by writers on gardening, but
these being, in general, based upon no definite principle,
cannot with any degree of certainty be reduced to
practice. The truth is, that, although the fertility of
a vine depends in a great measure on the manner in
which it is pruned from time to time, and that, for va-
rious reasons, the operation may be supposed by those
who are unacquainted with the nature of the plant, to
be intricate, and to require a considerable portion of
skill, yet the contrary is the fact ; for, if the principle
on which it is to be performed be carefully kept in view,
the whole art of pruning a vine lies in a nut-shell.

In order to render this art as clear as possible, the
reasons on which it is founded require to be distinctly
shewn. For this purpose it is necessary to make an

ON THE PRUNING OF VINES. 79

important preliminary remark, namely : that the old
wood of a vine, or that which has previously bore fruit,
is not only of no further use at any subsequent period,
but is a positive injury to the fertility of the plant. The
truth of this remark depends on the fact, that every
branch of a vine that produces no foliage, appropriates
for its own support a portion of the juices of the plant
that is generated by those branches that do produce fo-
liage. To prove this fact, and to make it as clear as
possible, it will be necessary to describe, briefly, and in
part, the process by which the life of a vine is sustained,
and its parts annually nourished.

The first movement of the sap in the spring takes
place in the branches, and lastly in the roots. The
buds, in consequence of the increasing temperature of
the air, first swell, and attract the sap in their vicinity.
This fluid having lain dormant, or nearly so, throughout
the preceding winter, becomes gradually expanded by
the influence of the solar rays, and supplies the buds
with nourishment from the parts immediately below
them. The vessels which yield this supply, becom-
ing in consequence exhausted, are quickly filled by
fluid from the parts below them, and in this manner the
motion continues until it reaches the roots, the grand
reservoir of the sap ; by which time the solar heat hav-
ing penetrated the soil, the roots begin to feel its enli-
vening influence. The whole body of sap then begins
to move upwards, and as soon as the quantity propelled is
more than sufficient to distend all the vessels in the stem
and the branches, the buds begin to elongate and unfold.
This takes place in general about the vernal equinox.
From this time the fluid becoming more expanded eve-
ry hour, its ascent is simultaneously increased in force
and velocity. The vessels in the branches being filled
to repletion, the buds quickly open, and shoots and
leaves rupidly protrude. The beginning of May ar-

80 ON THE PRUNING OF VINES.

rives, and by that time the sap being in full motion,
all is life, vigour, and activity, from one extremity of
the vine to the other.

The leaves attract the sap as soon as it reaches their
vicinity, and by one of the most wonderful processes
that can be conceived, the result of exquisite organisa-
tion, elaborate and prepare it, and render it fit for the
nourishment of all the parts of the plant. The sap, after
being thus prepared, is called the proper juice of the
plant. It then returns downwards betwixt the bark
and the alburnum, and in its descent is distributed lat-
erally to every part of the plant, until it finally reaches
the extremities of the roots. During its descent, a
considerable portion of it is expended in the formation
of a concentric layer of woody substance betwixt the
bark and the wood, on every branch, and also on the
stem, which layer becomes the new alburnum.

Now, it is of importance to remember, that every
branch annually requires this new concentric layer ; —
that this layer is formed from the proper juice prepared
in the leaves ; — and that the thickness or thinness of
this layer depends on the proportion which the quantity
of proper juice, so prepared, bears to the number, length,
and size of the branches, which it has in its descent to
cover and feed.

If, therefore, the foliage of a vine be strong and vig-
orous in its growth, and there be no naked branches be-
twixt the stem and the shoots which produce the foli-
age, then the proper juice in its descent will deposit
on the stem a thick layer, and will also descend into
the roots in great quantity. But if there be a great
number of naked branches which the proper juice in its
descent has to clothe and nourish, then, having to spread
itself over a much greater surface, the new layer will
be comparatively a thin one, and the surplus left to en-
ter the roots, proportionately lessened in quantity. And,

ON THE PRUNING OF VINES. 81

further, if the foliage be weak, which is invariably indi-
cated by the shoots and leaves being small in size, and
sickly in appearance, and the vine contain many naked
branches, then the quantity of proper juice prepared in
the leaves will be so small, in proportion to the demands
which in its descent will be made upon it, that a new
layer will with difficulty be formed at all, while but a
very small portion of the proper juice will be left to de-
scend into the roots.

Again, the formation of this concentric layer being
continued from the stem downwards on all the roots,
the latter become increased in their solid diameter, in
direct proportion to the quantity of the proper juice
which they thus receive. Whatever, therefore, con-
tributes to diminish this quantity of proper juice, pre-
vents in a proportionate degree the growth of the roots ;
while, on the other hand, whatever causes an increase
of it, produces effects precisely opposite. Further, there
is no reason to believe that the naked branches of a vine,
especially such as are more than two or three years old,
are in any way instrumental in increasing the volumo
of sap in its ascent ; the processes of transpiration and
absorption which they carry on, being limited in their
effects to the preservation of their own vitality.

From the foregoing observations, therefore, it appears
that every naked branch of a vine, or one that does not
directly produce foliage, diminishes the capacity of the
plant for the production of young bearing shoots, inas-
much as it contributes nothing to the growth of the vine,
but, on the contrary, requires to be fed annually with a
certain portion of the elaborated juice of the plant, which
would otherwise be expended in the enlargement of the
diameter of its stem, and thereby the increase of its ca-
pacity to mature fruit ; and in the extension and multipli-
cation of its roots. Naked branches,therefore, are consu-
mers but not producers ; or in other words, drones in the

j* os ma

82 ON THE PRUNING OF VINES.

hive. If the vine were cultivated for the sake of its
wood, the case would be different. The growth and
extension of large branches, and the increase of their
diameters, would then be the legitimate object in view ;
but when fruit only is sought, and the operation of
pruning resorted to, in order to obtain the largest quan-
tity within the smallest possible extent of a given surface
of walling, it is obvious that no description of wood
should be suffered to remain in a vine but such as di-
rectly contributes in some way or other to the produc-
tion of fruit.

It follows, therefore, that as the sole object in view
in pruning a vine, is to increase its fertility, the best
method to accomplish this must be that which leaves a
sufficient supply of bearing -shoots on the least possible
proportionate quantity of old wood.

It will be necessary now to examine, which of the
three methods of pruning before-mentioned agree
best with the principle here laid down. First, there-
fore, of

The Fan Method. Vines pruned according to this
method have their branches trained in from their stems
in a similar manner to the spokes of a fan. To this
method there are several objections, the two principal
of which a,re,jirst, the shoots in the vicinity of the stem
are too near each other to admit of either the wood
or fruit being properly matured, and too far distant
from each other at their extremities to allow of the
fruit being judiciously shaded and protected by the fo-
liage of the adjacent shoots. And, secondly, a vine
pruned to be trained in this manner, must of necessity
possess several branches radiating as it were from a
common centre. These branches cannot conveniently
be trained otherwise than in straight lines, and betwixt
a horizontal and a vertical position, which is the most
objectionable position that the fruiting shoots of a vine

ON THE PRUNING OF VINES. 83

can occupy, because the ascent of the sap is thereby
facilitated ; in consequence of which all the lowermost
buds break very weakly, and some not at all, while the
sap flies with such force to the extremities, that scarcely
any good bearing-shoots can be made to grow from the
vicinity of the stem. This necessarily causes the
retention of old naked wood at the autumnal pruning,
and this annually increasing in distance from the stem,
no species of pruning will prevent it occupying in a
short time a disproportionate extent of the surface of
the wall, and causing all the fruit to be borne at the
extremities of the branches. Other objections might
be urged, but the foregoing sufficiently show, that,
without very disadvantageous results, vines cannot be
pruned to be trained in the fruit-tree method.

Spur Pruning. This is the usual method adopted
throughout the country in the pruning of vines, but
although almost universally practised, it is calculated
in a high degree to create a large scaffolding or su-
perstructure of old naked wood. A spur may be
defined to be a shoot, shortened so as to contain not
more than four buds. If a shoot contain five buds, it
cannot with propriety be called a spur. Spur pruning,
therefore, is the annual shortening of the fruit-bearing
shoots of a vine, so that each shall contain not more
than four buds. This being premised, it will be neces-
sary to point out in as distinct a manner as possible the
disadvantages attending this method of pruning a
vine.

First, every shoot that is sufficiently large to bear
fruit, emitted by an established vine, if it be trainad
at full length throughout the summer, in the manner
hereafter mentioned in the chapter on training, will
produce, at least, twenty good well-ripened fruit-buds,
and each of these, in the following year, will produce
on an average two bunches of grapes, so that a shoot

84 ON THE PRUNING OF VINES.

of this description will bear forty bunches. Now, if a
shoot be shortened to three buds, which is the number
that spurs on an average usually contain, two of these
will be almost useless, being but imperfectly formed,
and therefore seldom producing fruit. Only the upper-
most bud can be depended upon to show fruit, and,
consequently, in order to ensure the production of as
many bunches of fruit as the single shoot will bear,
not less than twenty spurs must be provided. This is
the parent of many evils. First, these spurs if joined
together would be nearly three times the length of the
single shoot ; the surface of the wall, therefore, which
they occupy, will yield only one-third of the quantity
of fruit produced from that on which the single shoot
is trained. Secondly, the latter can be nailed to the
wall withjive nails, whereas, the twenty spurs will re-
quire twenty nails, and as many holes will be made in
the joints of the wall by driving them in. This evil is
not a light one. Moreover, a fourfold degree of trouble
and time will be required to nail and unnail these spurs,
beyond that necessary for the single shoot. Thirdly,
the fruit produced from the latter will be far superior
both in size and flavour, to that borne by the spurs,
for this reason : — the best grapes are uniformly pro-
duced from the fullest-sized and best-ripened buds,
and these are generated on the shoots, from the begin-
ning of May to the middle of July, and in moderately
vigorous vines, range in order on each shoot, from the
fourth bud to about the twentieth ; but if a vine be
well established and very vigorous in its growth, it will,
under a judicious system of pruning, produce, on a
single shoot, from twenty-five to thirty buds within that
space of time. If a shoot be spurred, therefore, to
three buds, it will contain none, and ifto^fowr, only one
of these well-ripened buds, all the rest will have been
cut off in the pruning ; or, what is tantamount to it,

ON TIIE PRUNING OF VINES. 85

the shoots will have been pinched back in the early part
of the summer, just as the vine was entering its most
vigorous state of vegetation, and about to generate tho
very best description of fruit-buds.

Secondly, the cutting down of the single shoot in
autumn to one or two buds, in order that it may pro-
duce in the next summer, a strong and vigorous shoot
to be reserved as a fruit-bearer, occasions to the vine
only one wound, but the pruning of the three shoots,
that have pushed from each of the spurs, will occasion
sixty wounds. This is another most serious evil, for
though a vine from its inherent nature commands an
immense volume of sap, and can, therefore, easily
overcome a wound here and there inflicted by the
pruning knife, it does not follow that it can overcome
these wounds when they are multiplied by scores, and
even by hundreds, without making such extraordinary
efforts as would materially compromise its vital ener-
gies. The fact is, that the immense number of wounds
caused by spur pruning, are highly injurious to the
health of a vine.

If any doubt be entertained on this point, let a shoot
that has been spurred five or six years successively be
taken, and slit open lengthways, and it will be seen
distinctly, that the union which has annually taken
place betwixt the older and younger wood, has not been
effected without a considerable effort on the part of
the vine. At the points of union the sap vessels will be
all crippled, and in some instances the wood will be
found to have died back nearly to the centre of the
shoot ; and the sap being thus intercepted at so many
points in its ascent, flows through the parent limb to
the extreme horizontal shoots, thereby generating the
most vigorous bearing-wood at a great distance from
the stem of the vine. The proper juice of the plant is,
also, in its descent, very uselessly expended in vainly

86 ON THE PRUNING or VINES.

endeavouring to cover with a new alburnum these nu-
merous scars made by the pruning knife, around the
edges of which it accumulates in considerable quan-
tity.

Moreover, although by pruning a vine, its fertility
is increased, its existence is no doubt thereby shortened.
The severing of a healthy branch from any tree, is,
without doubt, doing an act of violence to it, the effects
of which are only overcome by the superior strength of
the vegetative powers of its roots. By annually making
many scores of amputations in a vine, therefore, the
energies of the roots become paralyzed, and the efforts
which nature is compelled to make for self-preservation
are such as to affect, to a considerable extent, the
vital powers of the plant.

Thirdly, by adopting the spur system in the pruning
of a vine, the old branches must be retained, because it
is on these that the spurs are formed. These branches
being annually lengthened, and new spurs created at
their extremities, while the former spurs become long-
er and more naked every year, the vine, in a few years,
contains an immense assemblage of old naked limbs,
presenting the most unsightly appearance imaginable,
and occupying the surface of the wall to the entire ex-
clusion of young bearing-shoots. The disadva ntages
of retaining old wood having been already pointed out,
it is only necessary further to observe, that these dis-
advantages are produced to the greatest possible extent
by spur pruning.

For the foregoing reasons,' therefore, this method may
be considered the most objectionable that can be adopt-
ed in the pruning of vines on open walls. It may,
perhaps, be practised with success on vines under glass,
and also in warmer climates, because, in such cases,
the sap being far more highly elaborated, will produce
fruit from the buds seated at the bases of the spurs.

ON THE PKUMNG OF VINES. 87

Such spurs, therefore, need not be more than from half
an inch to an inch in length, and they may with ease
be retained for several successive years without be-
coming much longer. The results of spur pruning,
under such circumstances, are very different from those
which follow that method, when practised on vines
trained on open walls in this country.

Long Pruning. This method consists in obtaining
all the fruit of a vine from a few shoots, trained at full
length, instead of from a great number of spurs or
short shoots. To provide these shoots, the former
bearers are cut down to very short spurs at the autum-
nal pruning, and, at the same time, a sufficient number
of shoots are left at whole length to produce fruit in
the following year ; at the succeeding autumn these
latter are cut down to very short spurs, and the long
shoote that have pushed from the spurs, are trained at
whole length as before, and so on annually in alternate
succession. This method recommends itself by its
simplicity ; by the old wood of the vine being annually
got rid of ; by the small number of wounds inflicted
in the pruning; by the clean and handsome appear-
ance of the vine ; and by the great ease with which it
is managed, in consequence of its occupying but a
small portion of the surface of the wall. These char-
acteristics of long pruning are sufficient to make that
method superior to every other. As the details of it
are given more fully in the two following chapters, it
is not necessary to describe it further here. Before
entering on the subject of Training, a few general rules
may be advantageously laid down for the guidance of
the primer.

1st. In pruning, always cut upwards, and in a
sloping direction.

2d. Always leave an inch of blank wood beyond

88 ON THE PRUNING OF VINES.

the terminal bud, and let the cut be on the opposite
side of the bud.

3d. Prune so as to leave as few wounds as possible,
and let the surface of every cut be perfectly smooth.

4th. In cutting out an old branch, prune it even
with the parent limb, that the wound may quickly
heal.

5th. Prune so as to obtain the quantity of fruit de-
sired, on the smallest number of snoots possible.

6th. Never prune in frosty weather, nor when a
frost is expected.

7th. Never prune in the months of March, April,
or May. Pruning in either of these months causes
bleeding, and occasions thereby a wasteful and an
injurious expenditure of sap.

8th. Let the general autumnal pruning take place
as soon after the first of October as the gathering of
the fruit will permit.

Lastly, use a pruning-knife of the best description,
and let it be, if possible, as sharp as a razor.

ON THE TRAINING OF VINES.

89

CHAPTER X.

ON THE TRAINING OF VINES.

To train a vine on the surface of a wall, is to regu-
late the position of its branches, the principal objects
of which are, to protect them from the influence of the
wind ; to bring them into close contact with the wall,
for the purpose of receiving the benefit of its warmth ;
to spread them at proper distances from each other,
that the foliage and fruit may receive the full effect of
the sun's rays ; and to retard the motion of the sap,
for the purpose of inducing the formation of fruit-buds.

The flow of sap, it must be remembered, is always
strongest in a vertical direction, and weakest in a
downward one ; thus, if a shoot be trained in the di-
fig, 1, the sap will ascend with the

rection

of a,

H*

90'

ON THE TRAINING OF VINES.

greatest degree of force with which the strength of the
roots can propel it ; if it be trained in the direction of
&, c, or d, that force will be gradually diminished, as
the shoot approaches the horizontal position of d ; nev-
ertheless, the difference in the flow of the sap betwixt
the shoot at a, and that at d, will not be very great.
Immediately, however, the horizontal line d is passed,
and the shoot depressed below it in the direction of e,
the sap receives a considerable check, and the shoots
that push from it are proportionately weak. If trained
in the direction off, they will be weaker still, and if
directly downwards, as at g, the supply of sap will be
barely sufficient to mature the fruit. And, further, if
the shoot, instead of being trained in a straight line, be
bent in a crooked or serpentine manner, the flow of the
sap will be additionally retarded. Thus, if it be
trained in a serpentine manner, resembling the line h,
fig. 2, the sap will flow slower than if trained in a

straight line ; if like the lines i, k, Z, successively slow-
er, the degree of slowness increasing in proportion to
the number of bends or curves which the shoot is made
to assume. If, therefore, the shoot g, fig. 1, be close-
ly serpentined in the manner of the line Z, fig. 2, the

ON THE TRAINING OP VINES. 91

sap will be so retarded, that many of the buds will not
burst at all.

Now, to apply to a practical purpose this principle
of retarding the ascent of the sap, by depressing or
serpentining the shoots of a vine, it will be convenient
to treat of it in reference to winter training and sum-
mer training.

Winter Training. — When the shoots are nailed to the
wall in the early part of the year, those which are
trained at full length as fruit-bearers, are, in all cases,
to be cut down to the lowermost bud or two at the next
autumnal pruning. With respect, therefore, to all
such shoots, no greater supply of sap should be permit-
ted to flow into them, than is necessary to mature their
fruit, as all above that quantity will be so much nour-
ishment uselessly expended, and taken, indeed, from
the young shoots that are to be produced in the cur-
rent year for future bearers. For example, if the
shoots 1, 2, 3, 4, fig. 3, were trained in straight lines,
the sap would ascend with such force, that many of
the lowermost buds would scarcely break at all, the sap
passing by them, and accumulating in those at the up-
per part of the shoots, which would burst with great
force, and form very strong shoots ; these would rob all
the fruit on those below of its due share of nourishment,
and also the shoots emitted from the spurs D ; which,
to form good bearing-wood, require as great a supply
as the fruiting-shoots. It is true, that, by pinching off
the extremities of these latter ones in the spring, an eye
or two ^bove the last bunch of fruit, the sap will be
partially kept back, but the ascending current having

92

ON THE TRAINING OF VINES.

Fig. 3.

set in very strongly, it cannot be diverted into the oth-
er channels in which it is required, except in a com-
paratively trifling degree. But if, as represented in
the above figure, the shoots be trained in a serpentine
manner in the early part of the year, before the sap
is in motion, it will, in its ascent, be thereby made to
flow more equally into all the fruiting-shoots that push
from them, and also into those which will be emitted
from the spurs D, for future bearers. And by bending
the bottom part of the shoots pretty circularly at a, the
buds will there burst strongly, and thus a good supply
of bearing-wood will be obtained close to the arms Z, Z,

ON THE TRAINING OF VINES. 93

which is of primary importance ; for, if, by injudicious
pruning or training, or both combined, the sap have an
opportunity of exerting its full force at a distance from
the arms, it is sure to embrace it, and the consequence
is, that blank wood begins immediately to be formed in
all directions near the stem, and when that is the case,
no method of pruning will ever again procure a supply of
bearing- wood at home, short of that of cutting the vine
down to a perfect stump. In training the shoots 1, 2,
3, 4, the spaces between them must be regulated by the
number of shoots intended to be trained up from the
spurs D. Each of these latter will require Jive inches
of clear space on each side of it, and the former nine,
for the fruiting-shoots, as represented by the dotted lines
e,y, g, h, at the shoot 1. These shoots, producing on
an average two bunches each, are to be topped one joint
beyond the last bunch, as directed in the Calendarial
Register, June 10th. (See page 115.)

For the foregoing reasons, therefore, the method of
serpentine training may be considered preferable to
every other, being calculated in a greater degree to check
the too rapid ascent of the sap, and to make it flow
more equally into the fruiting-shoots, and those intend-
ed for future bearers. On walls that are much less than
five feet high, a portion of the shoots must be trained
horizontally. Let fig. 4 (page 94) represent a wall
four feet high, and let the face of it be divided into equal
parallel portions of twelve inches in height, by the hori-
zontal lines 1, 2, 3, 4 ; then on each side of the stem,
from the arms A, A, may be trained two fruiting-shoots
at 2, and 4, and the same number of current year's shoots
at the dotted lines above 1, and 3. And in like manner,
half that number of shoots may be easily trained on a wall
two feet high. The pruning, in these cases, will be pre-
cisely the same as if the shoots were trained vertically
as in fig. 3. In a similar manner, also, a series of

94 ON THE TRAINING OF VINES.

Fig. 4.

vines may be trained on a high wall, allowing to each
a certain parallel space in a horizontal direction, and
running the stems to such heights as the arms of each
vine are to be trained. And when the height of a
wall exceeds eight or nine feet, this method may be
adopted with great advantage ; for, by planting the
vines sufficiently close to each other, the surface of
the wall may, in a very few years, be completely cov-
ered with fruit and bearing-wood.

But although the mode of training represented by
figures 3 and 4, may be considered the most eligible
in all cases where the surface of a wall receives the
solar rays in an equal degree, yet, as it will frequently
happen that some parts of the surface of a wall, are,
from local causes, either wholly or partially in the
shade, while the other parts receive the full force of the
sun's rays, it is necessary to observe, that in such cases
the figures above-mentioned cannot be adhered to with-
out inconvenience ; the mode of training, therefore,
must, in those instances, be governed entirely by local
circumstances.

It must be remarked, in reference to the winter
training of the shoots, that when they are trained in a
horizontal manner, there is not that necessity for ser-
pentining them, as when they are trained vertically ;
unless the vegetation of the vine be so extremely vig-

ON THE TRAINING OF VINES. 95

orous, as to generate wild or long-jointed wood. It
may, also, be further mentioned, that every shoot
trained in a serpentine manner, ought to be wholly cut
down at the next autumnal pruning after it has borne
fruit, as the further retention of it would produce great
confusion in the future training of theshoots.

Summer Training. — In order that the principles on
which this important point of culture is based, may be
clearly understood, it will be necessary to point out,
as distinctly as possible, the circumstances under which
bearing- wood is produced.

It must be borne in mind, that the fruit of the
vine is produced on shoots of the preceding year's
growth, or, in other words, the grapes that are grown
in the present year 1843, are produced from shoots
grown in 1842. Now, during the growth of a current
year's shoot, all the buds which it developes previously
to the month of August, will be fruit-buds, provided,
first, that the size of the shoot be large enough for its
vessels to convey a sufficient quantity of the juices of
the plant, to generate and nourish bunches of fruit in
embryo ; and, secondly, that the shoot be duly exposed
to light, and to the full operation of the sun's rays, on
the surface of a wall, having any aspect south of and
including the eastern and western points of the horizon,
by which these juices will be elaborated, and the pro-
cess of the formation of fruit-buds thereby completed.
If, therefore, the shoot itself be not sufficiently large
to develope fruit-buds, or, if being so, it be shaded from
the sun's rays during the first protrusion and early for-
mation of them, then, in the following year, shoots only
will be produced, but no fruit. But, on the contrary,
if the shoot, being of a proper fruit-bearing size, be con-
stantly triined on the surface of a wall, having any of
the aspects before-mentioned, and a clear space of five
inches be left on each side of it, by which no adjacent

96 ON THE TRAINING OP VINES.

foliage will shade it, then, under these circumstances,
every bud (except the two first) produced previously to
the month already named, will be a fruit-bud, and will
show accordingly, when it unfolds in the following year,
one or more bunches of grapes.

The cause of the production of fruit-buds in the lat-
ter instance, and of their non-production in the former,
may be thus further explained. As the shoot is pro-
gressively developed, if it be shaded by any adjacent
foliage, the sap of the shaded part remains in its origi-
nal thin and watery state, being excluded from the
sun's rays, which are necessary to warm and elaborate
it, and thereby prepare it for the developement of
bunches of fruit in embryo. The sap being thus thin
and watery, for want of due exposure to the sun, pushes
on with amazing quickness, the shoot elongating it-
self on the surface of the wall, much more rapidly than
it otherwise would do, thereby forming long-jointed
wood, not one bud of which will be sufficiently matured
to produce fruit ; the principle of growth having been
in full operation, but that of maturation having remained
dormant. But, if the shoot be trained on the wall,
and exposed to the full power of the solar rays, in the
manner already mentioned, the sap, by being warmed,
becomes thickened, or, as it is termed inspissated, in
which state it accumulates at the joints of the shoot,
and expends itself in the formation of fruit-buds. In
this case the principles of growth and of maturation
will have been in active co-operation.

I have had good grapes produced from buds formed
as late as the beginning of September in a favourable
season, and also from shoots trained within three inches
of each other, as well as on aspects considerably north
of the eastern and western points of the horizon ; but as
there is some degree of uncertainty attached in these
cases they are rejected in the rule, lest the practical

ON THE TRAINING OF VINES. 97

operation of it might, in some instances, be productive
of disappointment.

I know of no exception to this rule, for procuring
the developement and formation of fruit-buds, except
in the case of a vine having been overcropped, or in
that of an exceedingly vigorous growth of the shoots,
the result of the soil being too highly manured. But
the former can never happen, if the quantity of fruit
borne by the vine be proportioned to its capacity of
maturation, agreeably to the scale given in the former
part of this work ; and the latter can be easily reme-
died by training the shoots in a curved direction. In-
deed, the principle of retarding the flow of the sap, by
curving or depressing the shoots, may be applied with
as much advantage to the training of the summer
shoots of a vine, as to that of the shoots grown in the
preceding year. For although by training the sum-
mer shoots in the manner before-mentioned, all the
buds developed will be fruit-buds, and the number and
size of their bunches be, in a great measure, regulated
by the duration and intensity of the solar rays they
enjoyed during their formation, yet the number, and
more especially the size, of the bunches of fruit pro-
duced from a bud, can, without doubt, be further in-
creased by the application of this principle. If a sum-
mer shoot, therefore, every time it is nailed throughout
the season, be bent or pointed in a different direction to
that in which it grew at the preceding nailing, the vig-
our of its growth will be checked, and the sap will im-
mediately accumulate, and expend itself in forming
round short-jointed wood, and in the developement of
the finest description of fruit-buds. This is the key
to the production of large bunches of fruit, which are
not the necessary consequence of very large-sized
bearing shoots, but rather of sap that has been accu-

98 ON THE TRAINING OF VINES.

mulated, and highly elaborated by slowness of growth,
in combination with full exposure to the sun's rays.

Sufficient has now been said to show the principles
by which the training of the summer shoots of a vine,
that are reserved as future bearers, must be regulated
throughout the season. They are simple, and of easy
practical application ; and it is evident that, by con-
forming to them, abundant crops of grapes are always
at the command of the cultivator.

Ample details of the routine of summer training be-
ing given in the Calendarial Register, it only remains,
in closing this chapter, to say a few words in reference
to the nailing of the shoots to the wall. Linen or cot-
ton shreds are the best that can be used for this purpose,
woollen ones being too thick, and also too retentive of
moisture. But if woollen shreds be used, those cut
from old cloth are better than those from new, as the
latter abound with oil, and are, therefore, pernicious,
especially to the summer shoots.

Strength, thinness, and openness of texture, are
qualities necessary to form a good shred, and these
will be found combined in a much greater degree in
linen or cotton fabrics, than in those made of wool.
The shreds should be from three quarters of an inch to
an inch and a half in breadth, according to the size of
the shoot to be nailed, and they should be cut sufficiently
long, to admit of space enough being left for the shoots
freely to swell in, after they are encircled by the
shreds. It must not be forgotten, that the covering of
portions of the branches with shreds, and thereby pre-
venting them from receiving the benefit of the sun and
air, is, to a certain extent, a direct injury to the vege-
tation of the vine, and is only resorted to because there
are no other means by which the branches can be con-
fined in their position on the wall, so as to receive the

ON THE TRAINING OF VINES.

benefit of its warmth by close contact. Bearing this
in mind, therefore, care should be taken never to use
more shreds, nor any of a greater breadth, than are
necessary to secure the branches in a firm and effect-
ual manner.

100

CHAPTER XI.

ON THE MANAGEMENT OF A VINE DURING THE FIRST
FIVE YEARS OF ITS GROWTH.

As the routine of practice hereafter given in the
Calendarial Register, applies more particularly to vines
that are well established, and in full bearing, it is ne-
cessary that some practical directions should be given
for the management of young vines, until they arrive
at such a state of growth, as to admit of their being
subjected to a regular course of pruning and training .
Previously, however, to this being done, some observa-
tions relative to the transplanting of vines may per-
haps not be unacceptable.

The best time of the year to transplant a vine is im-
mediately after the fall of the leaf ; the longer its
removal is postponed after this period, the later in the
ensuing spring does it begin to vegetate. The ground
in which it is to be planted must be prepared agreeably
to the directions given in Chapter V., "On Soil." This
being done, dig a hole for the reception of the vine,
about two feet deep, and of the same width and length ;
and if, after the plant is taken up, its roots should prove
too long for this, the size of the hole must be increased,
as on no account must the roots be crippled in their
extension. Loosen the sides and bottom of the hole,
and to the soil that is taken out, add a couple of spits
of well-rotted dung, and mix the whole well together,

MANAGEMENT. 101

making it very fine. Put the mould into the hole
again to within nine inches of the top, and it will be
ready to receive the vine. This must be now care-
fully taken up, with its roots as entire as possible, and
if any of them be bruised, or in any way injured, they
must be pruned back to the sound parts ; fix the vine
in the hole with its stem about three inches from the
wall, and let the bottom bud be just even with the sur-
face of the ground. Spread the roots out in a hori-
zontal direction at equal distances from each other
and in a similar manner to the spokes of a fan, and
then fill the hole with the mould nearly to the top.
Take hold of the stem, and, drawing it upwards a lit-
tle, give it two or three good shakes with the hand,
that the mould may settle well round the roots ; after
which, fill up the hole with the remainder of the mould,
cut the vine down to the two bottom buds, and the op-
eration will be completed.

If the vine have been raised in a pot, the roots will
most probably be matted together, in which case they
must be freed from the mould, by having it shaken en-
tirely off; and if any of them should have grown in an
adverse direction, so as to cross each other, or in any
way that is likely to interfere with their future growth,
which is frequently the case with the roots of vines
raised in pots, all such must be cut completely out,
close to the part whence they have sprung. Also, such
of the roots as are very taper and long, and that appear
to have been over-excited in their growth, prune back
to within a foot of the stem, or to such parts as appear
to be sufficiently strong and healthy to generate new
fibres. Transplanting should always be done in dry
and still weather, and when the soil works freely. Du-
ring the removal of a vine, the roots must be carefully
kept from exposure to the atmosphere, the influence of
which w*uld dry up their tender extremities, and
i*

102

cause them to perish. The better way is, never to
take up a young vine about to be transplanted, until
its new residence be prepared to receive it, and then to
let its removal be effected as quickly as possible.

Assuming now that the vine thus transplanted is a
young one, it may be considered equal in its growth to
one raised from a layer or cutting in the preceding
summer ; and as ample directions have already been
given for the management of a vine during its first
summer's growth, its future culture will be here taken
up at the autumn of the first year, and after it has
been cut down to the two lowermost buds, as directed
in Chapter VIII. , " On the Propagation of Vines."

FIRST YEAR.

Dec. 1st. — As long as the weather remains open,
the soil round the roots should not be covered over, but
as soon as frost comes, a good covering of litter, or of
well-rotted stable manure, must be laid over the ground
as far as the roots extend, and if the weather be very
severe, it will be better also to cover over the stem, to
the depth of five or six inches above the top of it.
The young plant being thus well protected from the
severity of the winter, may remain in this state till
the first of March.

SECOND YEAR.

March 1st. — Remove the covering and fork up the
surface of the ground, to the depth of two or three
inches, that the sun and air may freely penetrate it.

April 1st. — Keep the soil round the roots free from
weeds, and the surface of it loose, either by raking or
forking it up as often as necessary.

May 1st. — Now, remember, that only a single shoot
is permanently to be trained throughout the summer,
the object of leaving two buds in the previous au-

MANAGEMENT. 103

tumn, being to provide against the loss of a shoot in
case of any accident. As soon, therefore, as the
strongest has grown sufficiently to be out of danger of
being accidentally rubbed off, the other is to be cut
out as hereafter directed. If any other shoots have
pushed besides the two principal ones, rub them all
off. As soon as the shoots have grown about a foot in
length, nail them to the wall. Do this very carefully,
for they are, as yet, extremely tender. When they
have grown about six inches from the last nailing, they
must again be nailed, and continually kept so, never
suffering the tops of the shoot to be blown about by
the wind. As the tendrils and lateral shoots succes-
sively appear throughout the summer, pinch off the
former when they have grown about three or four
inches in length, and the latter to an inch beyond the
first eye.

June 1st. — Throughout this month and the two fol-
lowing ones, whenever the ground appears parched
through the heat of the weather, give the roots, once a
day, about half a gallon of soap-suds or dung- water.
Keep the ground free from weeds, and the surface
loose and open, by raking, or forking it up once a
week throughout the summer.

July 1st. — The young shoots being firmly united to
the preceding year's wood, and therefore past all dan-
ger of being broken off by any accident, unnail the
weakest shoot of the two, and cut it out close to the
stem, making the surface of the wound quite smooth
and even, The remaining shoot must be kept nailed
to the wall, as before directed.

Nov. 1st. — Cut the vine down to the two lower-
most buds, and in the winter, if the weather be frosty,
cover the ground over in the same manner as in the
preceding winter.

104 FIRST FIVE YEARS'

THIRD YEAR.

March 1st. — Remove the winter covering, and fork
up the surface of the ground, and let the subsequent
management throughout the season be precisely the
same as in the preceding summer. If any fruit be
shown, pinch it off immediately it appears.

Nov. 1st. — The stem of the vine will now be more
than two inches in girt, and therefore two leading shoots
are to be permanently retained in the next year. For
this purpose, cut the vine down now to the three low-
ermost buds, thus reserving, as before, one to spare in
case of accident. The vine will then resemble fig. 5.
The roots being now sufficiently strong to withstand
the severity of the weather, will not in future require
to be covered.

Fig. 5.

FOURTH YEAR.

March 1st. — Clean the surface of the ground, and
fork it up lightly, and let the subsequent management
throughout the season be the same as before, unless di-
rected otherwise.

May 1st. — As soon as the shoots have attained a suf-
ficient length, nail them carefully to the wall, and rub
off all others, if any should have gushed. If fruit be
shown, pinch it off as in the preceding year.

July 1st — Unnail and cut out the weakest of the

MANAGEMENT. 105

three shoots, and train the two remaining ones care-
fully during the remainder of the season.

September 1st. — Pinch off the tops of the shoots.

November 1st. — As the girt of the stem will not be
less now than three inches, the vine may be permitted
to mature fruit the next year, not exceeding five
pounds' weight. For this purpose, cut down the
two shoots to the seven lowermost buds each, prune
away the remaining portions of the tendrils and dead
wood close to the shoots, and cut out, carefully, all
the lateral shoots close to the bases of the buds, whence
they have sprung. If the outer bark of the stem be
decayed, peel it off clean, and then nail the shoots to
the wall in a temporary manner.

FIFTH YEAR.

February 1st. — As soon after this time as the weath-
er is open, cut out of each shoot ihejirst, second, fburth,
fifth, and sixth buds ; then bend the two shoots care-
fully down, and secure them in a horizontal position,
similar to that represented in fig. 6.

Fi«. 6.

o .3

106 FIRST FIVE YEARS'

March 1st. — Clean the surface of the ground, and
fork it up as in the preceding year.

May 1st. — Train the shoots that push from the shoots
3 and 7, in the manner represented by the dotted lines
1, 2, 3, 4, and if more fruit shows than is equivalent to
the weight before-mentioned, the excess must be cut off
when the berries are set, as directed in the Calendarial
Register, July 15th (p. 171). Continue the samecourse
of management as in the preceding year, and when the
roots require watering, they are now sufficiently strong
to have applied to them for that purpose, any descrip-
tion of liquid manure that can be most conveniently
obtained.

September 1st. — Pinch off the tops of the shoots,
and the sap will then accumulate in the buds.

October 1st. — As soon after this time as the fruit is
gathered, cut back the first and third shoots, to as
many buds as may be deemed necessary to produce
the quantity of fruit which the vine can mature in the
next year ; and the second and fourth shoots to the
lowermost bud each. Cut out the lateral shoots and
the stumps of the tendrils, as directed in the preceding
year, and peel or scrape off all loose and decayed bark ;
then nail the shoots temporarily to the wall to protect
them throughout the winter.

SIXTH YEAR.

March 1st. — Train the two shoots in the manner
represented by S, S, fig. 7, and those that push from
the spurs H, H, train also in a similar form. Clean
the surface of the ground, and fork it up as in the pre-
ceding year. The Calendarial Register will now
supply the details of the future management.

The vine has now assumed the form which it is per-
manently to retain, and the manner in which it is
trained may be considered as the commencement of a

MANAGEMENT.

Fig. 7.

107

u

It

system of alternately fruiting two shoots, and training
two at full length for bearing- wood in the following
year ; which method may be continued every year
without any alteration, until the capacity of the vine is
equal to the maturation of more fruit than can possi-
bly be borne by two single shoots ; which, on an ave-
rage, may be estimated at sixty pounds' weight annu-
ally. Several years must elapse before this will be the
case, but when it is, the arms may be easily lengthened
by the training in of a shoot at their extremities, and
managing it in the same manner as when the arms of
the vine were first formed. It is very advisable, how-
ever, that the vine should not be suffered to extend

108

itself further on the wall, for in such case the bearing-
shoots emitted from the centre* are sure to decline in
strength; whereas, by confining the dimensions of the
vine to a single arm on each side of the stem, and
each arm to the support and nourishment of two
branches only, the very best description of bearing-
shoots will never fail to be generated close at home,
and these, as the vine advances in age, will become
prolific almost beyond conception. I have often ri-
pened as many as seven full-sized bunches of grapes,
on two shoots which have pushed from a single bud,
on vines managed in this manner. Indeed, those who
have been accustomed to permit their vines to cover a
large space of walling, and to possess a great number
of branches, can scarcely imagine how much easier a
vine is managed, and with what certainty the fruit is
increased in quantity, and improved in quality, when
it is kept within a small compass on the surface of the
wall.

Moreover, there cannot be the slightest reason given,
why vines should be encouraged to spread over the
extent of surface which they usually do, their propaga-
tion being so easy, that a wall, however long or high,
may be entirely covered with fruit and bearing- wood
in the space of six or seven years, provided the vines
are planted sufficiently near to each other. The roots
of vines do not prejudice each other by running togeth-
er, but, on the contrary, rather serve to prevent any
redundancy of moisture in the soil, by more fully occu-
pying it, and to cause the shoots to be less luxuriant in
their growth, than if they enjoyed a more extensive
range for food ; and this, without doubt, increases
their fertility.

I have planted vines within eighteen inches of each
other, for the purpose of speedily filling a wall ; and
they thrive, and produce as fine grapes, as if planted

MANAGEMENT. 109

as many yards apart. The distance, therefore, at which
vines may be planted from each other, need have but
little reference to the space which their roots will oc-
cupy in the border, but rather to the surface of the
wall, on which the branches are to be trained. A
vine trained as represented by fig. 7, will stretch its
two arms about five feet in length, and if ten feet in
height be set apart for the shoots to be trained on, the
whole surface required will be fifty square feet. Now,
the annual increase in the girt of the stem of a vine
planted in good ground, will be found on an average,
after it comes to be fruited regularly, to be about half
an inch, which gives an increase in its powers of ma-
turation equal to five pounds' weight of fruit ; and if
sixty pounds be estimated as the greatest quantity which
annually can be obtained from a vine confined within
this space, it will appear, that if a cutting be planted,
it will be fifteen or sixteen years before it can be ex-
pected to arrive at such a degree of strength, as to be
able to mature that quantity of fruit. This space of
time is so great, that it seems highly desirable to shorten
it. And this is easily done by allowing to each vine
when first planted no more than half this portion of the
surface of the wall, namely, twenty-five square feet
for the training of the branches ; and when it has at-
tained such a degree of strength that its shoots can-
not be kept within the limits of that space, let every
alternate vine be cut out. If the wall, therefore, be ten
feet high, plant the vines two feet and a half apart,
and appropriate to each vine the five lower feet of the
surface, and the five upper in alternate succession. To
form the stems of those destined for the upper portion
of the wall, instead of cutting down the vine in the
autumn ^f the third year of its growth to the three
lowermost buds, cut out all the buds on the shoot, to the
height of five feet from the ground, and select the three

110 FIRST FIVE YEARS' MANAGEMENT.

next buds, to obtain the two shoots for the arms. And
if the wall be seven or eight feet high, plant the vines
about three feet and a half apart, and train every alter-
nate one similar to fig. 7, and the others in a horizon-
tal manner, resembling fig. 4. If the summer shoots,
during their growth, interfere with each other, the rem-
edy is easy. From the flexibility of the shoots of the
vine, they can be trained in any manner that conve-
nience may dictate ; and the more they are bent and
curved about, the more fruitful do they become. It is
this property, indeed, that enables the skilful cultivator
to cover the face of a wall with full crops of grapes, in
a much shorter space of time, and with a far greater
degree of certainty, than can be done in respect to any
other description of fruit.

WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER. Ill

CHAPTER XII.

WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER ; comprehending
the practical details of the Management* of a Vine,
from the bursting of the bud to the fall of the leaf.

April 1st. — This is one of the most interesting pe-
riods of the year to observe the vine. The plant hav-
ing been apparently in a state of rest for several
months, now begins to awake from its slumber, and
the buds will be seen swelling with eagerness to escape
from their winter habitation. Examine them all care-
fully, to see if any are impeded in their growth, in
consequence of the shoots having been nailed too close-
ly to the wall or otherwise. All such buds must be
immediately relieved, by cutting the shreds which con-
fine them, or by putting small bits of wood, or other
convenient things, betwixt the shoots and the wall, and
thereby making a space for the buds to swell in. In
dry weather, fork up the border to the depth of a

* The operations directed in the following Register, to be per-
formed on or about the respective days named, are applicable to a
medium aspect, a season moderately favourable to the culture of
the vine, and to latitude 50f ° north. In a very favourable aspect,
or season, therefore, or in a latitude farther south, the different
stages in the. growth of the shoots, &c. of a vine, as indicated in
the Register, will occur a little earlier ; while, on the contrary, if
the aspect or season be unfavourable, or the latitude be much far-
ther north, they will be found to take place a few days later. It
may be remarked, also, that the directions for management are in-
tended to be of general application, and.not to refer exclusively to
a vine pruned or trained in any particular manner.

112 WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER.

couple of inches, that it may be loose and open, to re-
ceive the full benefit of the sun and air.

April 8th. — The buds will now be sufficiently un-
folded, to show the extremities of the first bunches of
fruit, peeping out betwixt the beautiful crimson edges
of the embryo leaves. Look carefully again over all
the buds, and if any be confined, and have not suffi-
cient room to push their shoots freely, give them relief
immediately.

April 15th. — Some of the buds will now be unfolded
two or three inches in length, and the leaves, as they
increase in size, will part with their variegated tints,
and gradually assume their permanent colours. The
small buds which frequently accompany the principal
ones, should now be rubbed off.

April 22nd. — Such shoots as have grown four or five
inches in length, will show all the bunches of fruit which
they will bear in the current season. Continue to ex-
amine the young shoots, to see if any of them are crip-
pled or obstructed in their growth, and, if so, give the
necessary relief.

April 29th. — If any small or secondary buds still
remain, rub them off immediately, as they will now im-
pede the growth of the young shoots. If weeds begin
to appear in the border, hoe them up, or pull them with
the hand, and rake the surface smooth and clean.

May 6th. — The shoots will now grow rapidly, and
the bunches of fruit unfold in quick succession. Con-
tinue to look over the former, and to remove any thing
that may obstruct their growth.

May 13th.— The shoots will now be of sufficient
length to be nailed to the wall. With respect to this
operation, the rule to be observed, is, never to suffer
any shoot to grow more than twelve inches without
nailing it, to protect it from the injurious effects of the
wind, and to give it the benefit of the warmth of the

WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER. 113

wall by close contact. This operation must be per-
formed very carefully throughout this month, as the
young shoots are extremely tender and brittle. There
will be many shoots emitted from different parts of
the vine, that will neither show fruit, nor be of a suffi-
cient size to be retained for future bearers. All such
must be now rubbed off, unless foliage be required to
cover any adjacent bunches of fruit, in which case
pinch the tops off at the second or third joint, and they
will not then require to be nailed. In managing the
vine throughout the season, be careful to observe this
general rule ; that every operation in which the shoots,
leaves, or fruit are concerned, must be performed when
the weather is dry, and after the dew is dissipated in
the morning, and before it begins to fall in the
evening.

May *2Qth. — Nail the shoots that show fruit, and
that are intended to be cut out at the next autumnal
pruning, sufficiently near to each other to cause their
leaves, when they attain their full size, to form a con-
tinued unbroken surface, which will be hereafter of the
greatest service in protecting and maturing the fruit.
But such shoots as are intended to be trained for fu-
ture bearers, must have as much clear surface of the
wall to themselves as possible, never less, indeed, than
five inches on each side of every shoot.

The whole crop of grapes will have been shown pre-
viously to this time. During the last three or four
weeks, the leafing of the vine, and the unfolding of the
bunches of fruit in rapid succession, will have presented
a sight of the most pleasing and gratifying nature. If
the cultivator has not, during the preceding year, im-
posed on the vine the task of ripening a greater quan-
tity of fruit than its strength would permit, without
encroaching too much on its vital energies, and has
subsequently used the pruning-knife in a skilful man-
j*

114

WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER.

ner, he will now be rewarded with the prospect of not
only an abundant, but, most probably, an overflowing
crop. Many shoots will show three bunches of fruit,
and here and there, on some, will be found even four.

May 21th. — The shoots will now push so rapidly, as
to require almost daily inspection. Nail the future
bearers firmly, and if any of them be disposed to grow
long-jointed, bend them a little out of their former di-
rection, every time they are nailed ; this will soon
check their growth, and insure the developement of
full-sized fruit-buds. Some of the strongest shoots
will, perhaps, grow in an adverse direction to the sur-
face of the wall ; if so, these must be managed at the
outset, with more than ordinary care. For the purpose
of inducing them to grow close to the wall, provide a
sufficient number of shreds from twelve to eighteen
inches in length, or longer, if required ; and as soon
as any shoot which has thus pushed, has attained the
length of fifteen, or not more than eighteen inches,
put a shred, sufficiently long, carefully round that part
of it that is nine or ten inches from the old wood, out
of which it has grown, and, drawing it out of its natu-
ral position about an inch towards the wall, nail it
firmly. In the course of two or three days, the shoot
will have taken a direction towards the wall ; it may
then have another shred put round it much shorter than
the first, and somewhat nearer the extremity of the
shoot. Repeat this operation two or three days after-
wards, if required, and the shoot will then grow close
to the surface of the wall.

The tendrils that push from the footstalks of the
bunches of fruit must now be pinched off.

The lateral or side shoots, also, which are now push-
ing vigorously, must be pinched off about an inch
beyond the first joint, as soon as they are about four
inches in length, but such as are near any bunches of

WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER. 115

fruit should not be thus topped, till they are about six
inches in length, as their foliage will then be of great-
er use in protecting the fruit. It must be observed,
that the lateral shoots are not on any account to be
pulled off, as they are intimately connected with the or-
ganisation of the buds; being evidently intended to
carry off the superabundant sap generated at the joints
of the shoots, and to return to them an increased por-
tion of elaborated juice.

June 3rd. — The tendrils will now grow rapidly, and
must, therefore, be attended to without delay. As soon
as they are about six inches long, pinch them off to
within about half an inch of the shoots. If neglected,
they will, in a short time, entwine themselves round
the adjacent shoots, and cripple them.

Keep the surface of the border open, and free from
weeds, as before directed.

Now, as the comparative size and vigour of the
young shoots will be distinctly seen, select for future
bearers the largest and most vigorous shoots, and such
as are round, and short-jointed, and that are appropri-
ately situated nearest to the stem of the vine. Nail
all such very firmly to the wall, and, as before directed,
suffer no other shoot of any description to be trained
within five inches of any one of these. On the care-
ful observance of this point of culture depends the cer-
tainty of the next year's crop.

This is the earliest period that any part of ihe old
wood of the vine can be cut out without the risk of
bleeding. If, therefore, too much of the preceding
year's wood has been inadvertently nailed in, or if any
other cause exist, that may render it necessary to take
off any of the principal limbs of the vine, they may
now be cut out with safety.

June IQth. — As the shoots will now be pushing with
the utmost vigour, all such as have fruit on them, and

116 WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER.

that are not intended to be retained for future bearers,
must be pinched off about an inch beyond the first joint
above the last bunch of fruit. The object in view in
doing this, is to prevent, as much as possible, any un-
necessary expenditure of sap, and, also, to cause it to
flow with greater force into the fruit, and the future
bearing-shoots. This operation being performed, all
nailing will now cease, except that required for the fu-
ture bearers. If any useless shoots are to be found in
any part of the vine, rub them off immediately.

June YHth. — The vegetation of the vine being now
in its highest vigour, daily inspection will be necessary.
The future bearing-shoots being in general upwards of
three feet in length, and having full-sized leaves, the
wind has a proportionate power over them, and unless
kept firmly nailed to the wall, they will be in great dan-
ger of being blown down and broken off, if a high wind
should arise. To prevent this, nail them hereafter ev-
ery nine inches of growth, with strong linen or cotton
shreds, doubling the edges over, and driving the nails
with considerable force through the four thicknesses.
Take care, also, to drive the nails on each side of every
shoot in alternate succession, so that no two following
nails shall be on the same side of any shoot.

June 24th. — The fruit will now be in blossom, and
continue so in succession, till the latter part of the
next month. During this period, great care must be
taken not to touch the bunches, lest this beautiful pro-
cess of vegetable life, be thereby marred, and rendered
abortive. Keep the border free from weeds, and the
surface loose and open ; and look over the vine daily,
as it will now be pushing in every direction with the
greatest vigour.

The tendrils, also, will grow with surprising rapidity,
and quickly curl round, and injure the neighbouring

WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER . 117

foliage, unless constantly looked after, and pinched off,
as before directed.

July 1st. — The fruit being now in full blossom, will
yield a most delightful fragrance. Take care that the
bunches are not handled, nor in any way disturbed, till
the berries are set.

The lateral shoots which were topped some time
since will now be sending forth fresh shoots from their
terminal buds. Pinch off all these succession shoots
just above their first joints, as before ; and if any should
hereafter break again, pinch them back in like manner
throughout the season.

Pay great attention to the future bearing-shoots, and
nail them firmly, as directed June 17th.

July 8th. — Continue daily inspection, as the vine
will still grow most vigorously, and if neglected, useless
shoots, laterals, and tendrils, will speedily appear in all
parts of it. The bunches first in blossom will now be-
gin to have their berries set.

July 15th. — Keep the border clear of weeds, by hoe-
ing or forking up the surface, which will admit the sun's
rays to pass through it, and thereby warm and cherish
the surface roots.

The blossoming being now nearly over, the berries
will be setting in rapid succession. As soon, therefore,
as they have all grown to the size of very small peas,
an estimate must be made as near as possible of the
weight which the whole crop would ultimately attain
if suffered to remain and ripen ; and the excess, if any,
above the quantity which the vine can mature, agreea-
bly to the scale given in page 35, must be cut off.
This is a most important operation, and one that can-
not be delayed without materially compromising the
health of the vine. In some instances, the excess, per-
haps, will be but trifling, while, in others, it will proba-
bly be very great. I have frequently had young vines

118 WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER.

produce from eighty to a hundred full-sized bunches of
grapes each, which, if matured, would have weighed, at
least, sixty pounds ; while their individual strength was
not equal to the ripening of more than a fourth part of
that quantity. In such cases, three bunches out of ev-
ery four have been cut off. In reducing the number
of bunches, get rid of the smallest, and the ragged and
uneven ones, if any, and also all such as hang too far
distant from the wall, to have the full benefit of the
warmth and reflection of it ; and select, to remain,
those which are largest in size and berry, taking care
that they be distributed over the vine as equally as
possible.

Many sorts of grapes frequently produce on the
footstalks of the bunches of fruit, a small supplementary
bunch, consisting of a few grapes at the end of a long
slender stalk, constituting a sort of bastard "shoulder."
When such an appendage to a bunch is protruded, it
should be cut off, as the berries on it seldom come to
perfection, while they unprofitably consume a por-
tion of the nourishment destined for the bunch it-
self.

July 22nd. — Now that the bunches have been re-
duced to their proper number, examine the vine, and
see if there be any vacancies in the foliage, through
which any of the bunches are exposed to the direct
rays of the sun ; and if so, unnaii the adjacent shoots,
and re-nail them in such positions as will effectually
shade the fruit. If, however, this cannot conveniently
be done, put a long narrow shred round the footstalks
of such bunches as are thus exposed, and drawing
them gently aside, nail them in a position in which
the adjacent leaves will shade them. In doing this,
take care not to twist or injure the footstalks, nor draw
them too far out of their natural direction, which would
derange their functions ; as, through these very slen-

WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER. 119

der, but beautifully constituted organs, must flow the
chief part of the nourishment, required to bring the
fruit to perfection. Observe, also, that in no instance
should there be more than the thickness of one leaf
to shade the fruit. The solar rays, being thus trans-
mitted through the medium of the leaves, are divested
of their scorching effect, and are also modified in such a
manner as to operate most beneficially on the swelling
of the berries. Grapes that are exposed to the direct
operation of the sun's rays, scarcely ever attain their
proper size or flavour ; while, on the contrary, the
finest and most highly flavoured fruit will uniformly
be found, to hang in close contact with the wall, and
to be moderately shaded by the leaves. The leaves,
also, not only serve as a chastened medium for the so-
lar rays to pass through, but they prevent, in a con-
siderable degree, the heat from escaping from the
wall, and, as a necessary consequence, make the tem-
perature of the air in which the fruit grows, warmer
than that of the atmosphere. They also protect the
fruit from the effects of hail, and from continual and
heavy rains ; which, in the latter part of the season,
when it is ripe, are advantages that cannot be too
highly appreciated. It may therefore be considered
as an important, and, indeed, an indispensable point cf
culture, that all the fruit of a vine ought, from the mo-
ment of its coming into blossom, till it be ripened and
gathered, to be shaded by a surface of continuous sin-
gle leaves, so that no part of it can be seen by an ob-
server, without pulling them aside. It is true, that the
shape of the leaves prevents any species of training, so
disposing them, as to present one continued single-leaf
surface, but though this point of perfection cannot be
attained, yet the nearer you approach to it, the better
the culture will be.
July 29th. — Pay great attention to the future bear-

120 WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER.

rng-shoots, which will now be of considerable length,
and if not nailed firmly to the wall, will be in danger of
being blown down, if a strong wind should arise. If
any of them be disposed to grow long-jointed, curve
them in the training, which, by compressing the sap
vessels, will immediately cause the sap to accumulate,
and produce short-jointed wood.

Keep laterals, tendrils, and useless shoots of every
description, in constant check.

The grapes will now be as large as small peas ; they
must, therefore, be thinned on the bunches without loss
of time. For this purpose provide a pair of sharp-
pointed scissors, that will cut well at the points ; and
at this first thinning, commence with the bunches that
are the most forward in growth, and reduce the number
of berries full one half, cutting out all the smallest, and
such as are too close together, so that they may be
equally distributed on the bunches. And in thinning
such sorts as set thickly, or that cluster, care must be
taken to reduce the number of berries in the vicinity of
the stalks to such an extent, as to admit a free passage
for the circulation of the air directly through the bunch-
es, and for the admission of the solar heat to all the
innermost berries. This will be found necessary to
insure an equal degree of maturity and flavour to all
the berries of a bunch.

This thinning of the berries is one of the most neces-
sary and most beneficial operations in the whole cul-
ture of the vine. No grapes can be produced fit for the
table without it. It increases the size of the berries,
improves their flavour, hastens the period of their ripen-
ing, by preventing their clustering, enables a vine lo
mature a much greater weight of fruit, and counteracts,
in a considerable degree, those exhausting effects,
which the perfecting of it would otherwise produce on
the vital energies of the plant. It is a species of pruning,

WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER. 121

indeed, and may not improperly be called pruning of the
fruit, in contradistinction to the pruning of the wood.
To form a proper estimate of the advantages of thin-
ning the berries, it must be remembered, that during
the spring of the year, and until the fruit has blossomed,
and is fairly set, the vine has been emitting its shoots,
principally by the aid of sap generated in it during
the preceding year. In doing this, its vital energies
have not been taxed in the slightest degree ; for, if it
had emitted a hundred shoots, and every shoot were a
hundred feet long, the vine would not only not be
weakened by them, but such shoots would form a cer-
tain index to its increased strength and vigour, created
by a corresponding extension of its roots. But far dif-
ferent is the case with respect to the production of the
fruit, the perfecting of which, from the exhaustion it
occasions to the vegetative powers of the plant, may be
properly designated as a task. Other fruit trees are en-
dowed with the faculty of throwing off, to a considera-
ble extent, any excess of fruit which they may shew
at the commencement of the season, before its size is
such as to draw on their vital energies, but no such
faculty is possessed by the vine. The absence of this,
therefore, must be remedied by the cultivator, on whose
knowledge of the extent of the powers of maturation
possessed by the vine depends entirely the quality of
the crop when perfected. Now, the primary object of
every cultivator must undoubtedly be, to obtain every
year in succession the most valuable crop possible ; and
the qualities that confer value on a crop of grapes, are,
first, high flavour ; secondly, largeberries ; thirdly, large
bunches ; and in proportion to the degree in which
these three grand requisites are combined, will the crop
become really valuable. And, that neither high fla-
vour, nor large-sized berries, can be produced without
reducing the number of them on the bunches, will ap-

K

122 WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER.

pear evident for the following reasons; — the fruit is
perfected chiefly through the influence of the atmos-
phere, as the secret fluid attracted by it from the wood
is comparatively crude in its nature when it enters the
berries : being then distributed through the almost in-
numerable vessels, which are most appropriately, and,
indeed, most beautifully arranged just within the skins
of the berries, it there becomes gradually elaborated
by the process of evaporation and absorption, which are
incessantly carried on through the combined agency of
light and air, stimulated by the direct rays of the sun^
And in proportion to the energy with which these pro-
cesses are conducted, will the berries increase in size
and flavour. To generate an energetic action of
these processes, therefore, it is necessary that the
entire convex surface of every berry should be ex-
posed to the unimpeded influence of the grand agents
above-mentioned ; and this cannot be effected without
reducing the number of berries on each bunch by the
aid of the scissors, to such an extent that they shall not
touch each other until fully ripened. Further, it must
be borne in mind, that the str.ength of the vine is not
put in requisition in creating the pulp of the berries,
but in perfecting the seed. The former is the substance
on which the latter feeds ; the number of seeds, there-
fore, which the vine has to nourish, constitutes in reali-
ty the true measure of its task. And to render the
performance of this task as easy as possible, it is not
enough that the bunches be reduced in number, so as
to bring the whole crop within a given weight, but it is
also equally necessary that the number of berries should
be lessened ; by which operation, not only is great re-
lief given to the vital powers of the vine during the
maturation of the fruit, but the value of the crop be-
comes thereby doubled, and in many instances quad-
rupled, in consequence of the extraordinary increase in
the size and flavour of the berries.

WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER. 123

August 6th. — If the weather be hot and dry, supply
the border with liquid manure. To prevent this from
being, to any extent, lost by evaporation, draw drills
about eighteen inches or two feet apart, and a couple
of inches deep ; and along these pour the manure, hold-
ing the spout of the watering-pot, with the rose taken
off, close to the bottom of them, that the liquid may
not wash the earth into a cream-like consistence, in
which case it would cake together, and intercept the
rays of the sun in passing through the surface to the
roots. When sufficient has been poured into one drill,
rake the earth over it; and proceed in like manner till
the whole border be manured. This operation, which
should be done in the latter part of the day as soon as
the sun has ceased shining on the border, may, if the
state of the weather require it, be repeated every two
or three days, from the time the fruit is first set until
it becomes ripe, and it will be found very beneficial in
promoting the swelling of the berries.

August 12th. — As the berries are now rapidly in-
creasing in size, the thinning of them must be attend-
ed to every seven days, and if oftener, the better.
This is rendered necessary, in consequence of the
unequal manner in which they sometimes swell . If
the berries on any given bunch be thinned, so that the
remaining ones are all equal in size, it will generally
be found, on inspecting it five or six days afterwards,
that many of them have remained, in point of size,
stationary ; while others have grown, perhaps, twice
as large as when previously thinned. In consequence
of this the bunches require frequent examination, in
order that all such berries as thus appear, by their in-
ferior size, to have been deprived of their portion of
nourishment may, as speedily as possible, be cut out.
The oftener this is attended to, the more rapidly will
the remaining berries increase in size, and the finer

124 WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER.

will be their flavour when ripe. To lay down any rule,
as to the number of berries that should be cut out of
any bunch of a given weight, is impracticable. I have
many times found, that of bunches of the Black
Hamburgh grape, with the berries well set, I have,
from first to last, cut out four out of every Jive ; while
on other bunches of the same sort having their berries
not so thickly set, the diminution has been about three
out of five, and sometimes not more than two out of
that number. The best general rule that can be given
is, that the berries during the whole period of their
growth, until after they have made their last swell,
must never be suffered to cluster, or to press the sides
of each other.

August 19th. — Continue to nail the future bearing-
shoots firmly, and keep in constant check all tendrils,
and lateral and succession shoots, throughout the re-
maining part of the season. The growth of these
will now begin to decrease in vigour, in consequence
of the fluids in the vessels of the plant being partially
diverted in their course, and attracted to the fruit.

Keep the border clear of weeds, and its surface
loose and open, and suffer nothing to be on it, or near
it, that can in the slightest degree intercept the rays of
the sun. Solar heat is now the grand desideratum.

If the atmosphere be dry and arid, or if the weather
be windy, evaporation will proceed at a prodigious
rate, and unless the nights be still and serene, and the
dews very copious, the balance betwixt absorption and
evaporation will be destroyed. To supply the waste,
therefore, that will be thus occasioned in the juices of
the vine during this critical period, let the foliage and
fruit be now and then watered after sunset, and also the
border, in addition to the application of liquid manure
to the latter as before directed. The atmosphere contig-
uous to the vine will be thereby rendered humid, and

WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER. 125

thus offer a supply of moisture, which the foliage and
fruit will quickly and most advantageously absorb.

The whole strength of the vine will now be put in
requisition by the daily increasing size of the berries.
Pay great attention, therefore, to the thinning of them,
and use the scissors very freely. Remember, that ev-
ery berry cut out leaves its share of nourishment to be
divided amongst the remaining ones. Leave none but
the largest berries, and those as nearly as you can at
•equal distances from each other on the bunches, bear-
ing in mind, that two of the characteristics of a fine
bunch of grapes, are large berries, of equal size.

August 26th. — Now, as the period of ripening hast-
ens on, the full benefit of the sun's rays will be of the
greatest advantage. Take care, therefore, that no
portion of the fruit be shaded by more than the con-
sistence of a single leaf. If, through inattention in
training the shoots, the leaves should be too crowded
in any part, the former must be loosened from the wall,
and re-nailed at a proper distance from each other, as
the leaves must not on any account be pulled off.
Stripping off the leaves, for the purpose of exposing
the fruit to the direct rays of the sun, under the mista-
ken notion that it will thereby ripen earlier, is a prac-
tice that cannot be too strongly condemned. The
value of the leaves in protecting the fruit has already
been pointed out, it is only necessary, therefore, further
to remark, that, as the greater portion of the secretions
of the plant is prepared in the leaves, every leaf that
is pulled off, not only greatly injures the vegetation of
the vine ; but the bud at the base of the footstalk of the
leaf, by being deprived of its principal source of nour-
ishment, is crippled in its growth, and otherwise seri-
ously injured in its vitality. Moreover, if a leaf that
is growing near to, and on the same shoot as a bunch
of fruit, be pulled off, the ripening of the latter will not

126 WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER.

only be thereby actually retarded, instead of being hast-
ened, but the berries will, in consequence, never attain
their proper size or flavour.

Bloom on the berries will begin to appear about this
time, in consequence of which the bunches must be
hereafter handled as lightly as possible, that no more
of it may be rubbed off, than can well be avoided.

Continue to use the scissors freely in thinning the
berries, which must on no account be neglected, as, in
a few days, the operation will be of no use. Do not
suppose, that by thus continually reducing the number
of the berries, the weight of the bunches will be less-
ened, for quite the reverse will be the case ; if the thin-
ning be judiciously performed, every bunch will ulti-
mately weigh more than it otherwise would do, were
the whole of the berries suffered to remain.

The grapes are now, what is technically called
"stoning;" that is, the seeds or stones enclosed in the
berries, being in the last stage of their growth, are in
the act of being perfected ; which when completed is
immediately followed by a change of the pulp from a
state of acidity to one of a sugary sweetness. During
this process of stoning, which lasts, in general, about
twenty-eight days, the berries appear to be at a stand
in their growth, and do not perceptibly increase in
size.

September "2nd. — Now pinch off the extremity of
every future bearing-shoot, about an inch beyond the
last joint, and nail the shoot firmly directly below that
joint. This operation, by stopping the sap, causes it
to accumulate in the buds, and thereby hastens the ma-
turation of the wood. The sooner, indeed, the future
bearers are thus stopped in their growth, the better,
but if done before this time, there is danger that the
buds will prematurely burst.

As the berries are now about to make their last

WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER. 127

swell, the thinning of them must be completed. Ex-
amine the bunches, therefore, very carefully, and if
you meet with any berries, about which a doubt may
exist, as to whether they ought to be cut out or not,
give the vine in all such cases the benefit of that doubt,
and cut them out accordingly. Be assured, that by
so doing you will ultimately gain both in weight and
flavour.

September 9th. — The process of stoning being com-
pleted, the grapes will now begin to ripen. This will
be first indicated by the skins of the berries be-
coming in a slight degree transparent, and in black
grapes, also, by a beautiful purple tinge appearing on
those that are the most forward. As soon as this
change takes place, no reduction of the number of
berries on a bunch will increase the size of the remain-
der.

They should be finally thinned, therefore, before
they begin to swell off, after which, indeed, the bunch-
es should never be handled at all, except for the purpose
of cutting out such berries as may from time to time
be injured by insects, birds, or otherwise.

September ~\ 6th. — As the grapes will now be getting
ripe pretty generally, all watering must cease, both of
the foliage and the border. A moist atmosphere is the
most favourable to the growth of the berries, from the
period of their setting to that of making their last
swell, after which, neither the atmosphere nor the soil
can be well too dry.

Large-sized bunches, or such as weigh not much less
than a pound, must now be eased in their position,
previously to their becoming fully ripe. To do this,
unnail each shoot on which a bunch of this description
may be hanging, to the extent of about a foot on each
side of it. Then, betwixt the shoot and the wall, and
near to the footstalk of the bunch, insert a piece of

128 WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER.

wood cut in the shape of a narrow wedge about a couple
of inches in length, and an inch and a half in depth at
the thick end, or deeper, if the bunch be very large.
After which re-nail the shoot, using fresh shreds, as
much longer than the former ones as may be required
to give full effect to the increased distance of the
shoot from the wall. This precaution is very neces-
sary to be taken with respect to large bunches of
grapes, in order that they may hang as perpendicular-
ly as possible, and be thereby prevented from resting
their whole weight against the wall, which, when the
berries are fully ripe, would cause many of them to be
bruised and spoiled.

The change which the pulp of the fruit undergoes, at
the completion of the ripening process, is highly inter-
esting. It is marked in all bunches that have been
properly thinned, by an extraordinary increase in the
size of the berries, in a short space of time ; the natu-
ral consequence of the sudden expansion of the pulp,
arising, partly from the seed being perfected, and,
therefore, no longer consuming any portion of it for
its nourishment j and partly from the continued action
of the solar rays on the full-sized berries. I have fre-
quently had berries of the Black Hamburgh sort, swell
in size in the course of a few days, from a circumfer-
ence of two inches to one of three, being an increase
of one half.

Sept. 23rd. — As the nights will now be getting longer
than the days, the cold will increase ; in consequence
of which the border must not be forked up any more,
during the remainder of the season. Keep the surface
of it, however, free from weeds, and from decayed
leaves, which latter, if suffered to accumulate, will not
only intercept the rays of the sun, but also serve as a
harbour for the snails, and these vermin, if not pre-

WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER. 129

vented, will do great damage to the fruit, especially in
showery weather.

As the grapes are now rapidly approaching to ma-
turity, they will present a sight of the most gratifying
description. The beautiful symmetry of the berries,
the elegant form of the clusters, and the graceful man-
ner in which they are suspended from the branches,
are in strict unison with the delicious flavour of the
fruit, and challenge, alike, our grateful admiration.

Sept. 30£&.— Examine the bunches frequently, for the
purpose of cutting out injured and decayed berries,
which, if suffered to remain, will quickly affect all the
adjoining ones.

The fruit will now, most probably, be attacked by
birds and insects ; if so, means must be used to protect
it. If a few wide-mouthed bottles containing sugared
beer, be hung up in different parts of the vine, great
numbers of wasps and flies will be enticed into them
and destroyed. But if these insects be very numer-
ous, this will only prove a partial protection. The
bunches must be bagged, or the entire vine covered
with bunting, or some other fabric of a similar des-
cription, and this will, at the same time, protect the
fruit from the attacks of the birds.

If the former mode be resorted to, the best sort of
bags that can be used for that purpose, are those made
of hair cloth. The texture of these being open, and
their fabric stiff, the sides of them stand out at a dis-
tance from the berries, and thus a free circulation of
air is permitted round the surface of the latter, which
has the effect of keeping them dry and in good pre-
servation. If hair cloth bags, however, cannot be pro-
cured, crape bags may be used instead ; but it must
be observed, that, whatever sort may be used, they
must be taken off every four or five days, in order to
examine the bunches, and to cut out decayed berries,

130 WEEKLY CALENDAUIAL REGISTER.

if any should appear. It is necessary, therefore, that
the bags should be made large, that they may be taken
off and put on again, with ease and facility. If the
bunches of fruit, however, be numerous, it will be
much easier, and better, indeed, to protect the vine
with a covering of bunting, or ieno, or of some other
fabric that is thin, and also open in its texture. But,
as the exclusion of air thus occasioned, will operate
injuriously with respect to the keeping of the fruit, if
the covering be continually kept on, it will be neces-
sary to remove it every night, and replace it in the
morning ; or, if it be temporarily nailed to the top of
the wall, which is the better way, it can be drawn up,
and let down again as circumstances may require. If
this be not attended to, it will be found that the cover-
ing, by excluding the air, will cause the fruit to lose its
flavour, and to decay.

It must also be mentioned, that rats and mice are
very fond of grapes, and that when they attack them
they destroy a great quantity in a short space of time.
The visits of these vermin, though made generally in
the dark, may soon be detected, by laying, in the even-
ing, a linen or other cloth along the border close to the
wall, and directly under the fruit, and if it be attacked
by them in the night, their dung, dropped while con-
suming the fruit, will invariably be found on the cloth
in the morning. If it should appear that they infest
the fruit, prompt means must be taken to destroy them,
for they travel with the greatest facility over every
branch of the vine, from one extremity of it to the
other, and will, most assuredly, if not prevented, speedi-
ly devour the whole crop. Amongst the means which
may be resorted to, to ensure their destruction may be
employed with advantage, the laying of poison on the
branches contiguous to the fruit, and also the setting of
traps well baited with fresh toasted cheese, and secured

WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER. 131

to the wall close to the main branches of the vine,
along which it is supposed they go, to commit their
depredations.

October 1th. Continue to remove decayed leaves
from the border, and suffer nothing to accumulate on
it that can either shade it, or harbour the snails. If
these are not prevented, they will soon find hiding
places in the vicinity of the wall, and in the night, and
also in wet weather, will crawl up the surface of it,
and commit great havock amongst the fruit. To pre-
vent this, the wall should be carefully looked over every
three or four days, and when the weather is wet, every
day will not be too often. A full-grown shell-snail
will destroy a large bunch of grapes in twenty-four
hours. This fact will shew the necessity of looking
sharply after these vermin.

Take care not to cut any of the fruit until it be
thoroughly ripe. This is so often done, that it de-
serves to be mentioned as one of the many capital
errors that are committed, almost universally, in the
culture of the vine. There is a certain point of time,
when grapes attain their highest degree of maturity,
but that is not when they first appear to be ripe, but a
considerable period afterwards. There are so many
circumstances, however, that influence the ripening of
grapes, on open walls, that it is impossible to lay down
any rule for determining the precise period, when they
will have reached their extreme point of maturity^
The season, the soil, the culture, the sort of grape, and,
lastly, the aspect, modified as this is by a variety of
local circumstances, either accelerate or retzyrd the
maturity of the fruit, as they combine, favourably or
unfavourably. It is seldom indeed, that all the fruit
of a vine becomes ripe at the same period of tirne^
And it is worthy of remark, also, that every bunch of
grapes ripens progressively, beginning first at what is

132 WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER.

called " the shoulders," or that part next to the foot-
stalk, and proceeding downwards to the extremity of
the bunch. And so slowly is this process carried on
in backward seasons, and in unfavourable aspects, that
there is frequently from ten to fifteen days' difference
in the time betwixt the ripening of the shoulders and
that of the extremity of the same bunch of fruit. And
if a vine be over-cropped to any extent, its vital ener-
gies will be exhausted before the process of maturation
is completed, in which case the extremities of ths
bunches never ripen, but shrivel and decay. Without,
therefore, venturing to give any very specific directions
with respect to the vintage, it may be laid down as a
good general rule, applicable in most cases, that after
the period when all the berries of a bunch of grapes
have first become apparently ripe, the bunch ought to
remain on the vine a month longer, in order, that, by
the continued action of the solar rays, the watery por-
tion of the pulp may be evaporated, and the sugary
portion thereby relatively increased.

It is of great importance, also, in gathering the
fruit, that it be cut in dry weather, on the warmest
days that can be selected, and not till after the morning
dew has been entirely dissipated. The juice of grapes
is materially concerned in these respects, for, if the
weather be very damp and foggy for two or three days
in succession, or, if a heavy rain continue for twenty-
four hours, or longer, the water in the berries will be
considerably increased, and their flavour and sweet-
ness proportionately diminished.

Such branches of the vine as have no fruit on them,
should now, without loss of time, be subjected to the
operation of the pruning knife.

October 14th. — In dry weather, examine the bunches
frequently, and carefully cut out all decayed berries.

WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER. 133

Protect the fruit, also, as fast as it ripens, from the
wasps, flies, &c.

If the extremities of any of the bunches are not
yet ripened, cut them off immediately, as the few ber-
ries growing on them will, if suffered to remain, cost
the vine a greater effort to mature them, than three or
four times the same number has, that are situated near
the footstalks.

October 2lst. — Keep the border clear of weeds, and as
soon as decayed leaves appear on it, remove them imme-
diately, and continue so to do, until all the fruit be cut.

The beneficial effects of shading the fruit with a
continuous surface of leaves, will now be distinctly
seen. Grapes so protected, will uniformly be found
to ripen earlier, to be larger in size, and bettej flavoured,
and to be covered with a bloom, nearly, if not quite,
equal to that on grapes ripened under glass. The
leaves will, also, be of great advantage in keeping the
fruit dry and warm, and in protecting it from the in-
jurious effects of heavy rains, which is of great con-
sequence ; for, if the fruit be kept dry, it will remain
on the vine in good condition, and preserve its flavour
for a long time yet to come. But, if it be exposed to
the effects of every rainy day and night, all the pre-
vious good culture will be lost, and nothing will prevent
a great portion of it from perishing, independently of
the consideration, that the remainder will be greatly
deteriorated in flavour from the effects of the wet.

In gathering the fruit as it becomes ripe, it will be
best to choose first such bunches as hang within two
feet of the ground, the berries on these being apt to
rot, in consequence of the damp exhalations that now
begin to rise from it ; and, next, all such as are on the
upper part of the wall above six feet from the ground,
(if the wall reach that height,) these being exposed to
the injurious effects of the wind ; thus leaving to be

134 WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER.

gathered last, those bunches that hang from twa to six
feet from the bottom of the wall. If the wall have
a projecting coping, the fruit on it will keep much
longer than on a wall that is destitute of such a
protection.

October 28th. — The leaves now" begin to fall pretty
fast, and where a good collection of vines are planted,
the great variety of tints and shades of colour of the
leaves, in their different stages of decay, will present
a pleasing object to the eye, and offer to the mind an
interesting subject of contemplation. The fine dark
purple red of the claret grape leaves, contrast charm-
ingly with the bright yellow shades of the white sweet-
water, and the rich vermilion tints of the black mus-
cadine.

November &th. — As long as any bunches of fruit re-
main, they must be examined every three or four days,
and all decayed berries carefully cut out.

The wasps and flies that now remain, will be too-
weak to injure the fruit. If, covering the vine, there-
fore, bagging the branches, have been resorted to, to
protect the fruit, it should now be discontinued, and
netting substituted in its stead. Nets offer but little
obstruction to the free circulation of the air, the bene-
fit of which will now be more than ever necessary to
keep the fruit dry. In putting the netting on, great
care must be taken that the extremities of it are in
close contact with the wall, and the body of it a suf-
ficient distance from its surface, that the birds may be
prevented from getting inside, or picking the berries
through the meshes. To effect this latter object, pro-
cure some sticks or bits of lath, about a foot in length,
and making the ends smooth, cut a notch or two at one
end of each of them. Put the smooth ends against
the wall, and the notched ones against the netting,
which must be stretched out sufficiently far from the

WEEKLY CALENDATCIAL REGISTER. 135

wall to admit of the sticks being perpendicular to the
•surface of it. Place the cords of the netting in the
notches, and the sticks will then keep their position.
The netting will thus be in a strain, and at a sufficient
distance from the fruit to keep it out of the reach of
the birds. These precautions will be found necessary,
as the delicious flavour of the grapes now makes them
an object of intense desire, to a numerous class of birds
that frequent the garden.

These little feathered creatures having been industri-
ously engaged, during the preceding part of the year,
in rendering the most important services to man, by
destroying the larvae of a host of insects that prove
destructive to vegetation, now come to enjoy their share
of the bounties of Providence; and it would, perhaps,
be difficult to prove that their claim is not as well
founded as that of the lords of the creation. They waste,
however, and spoil so much, in comparison with what
they really eat, that no other course can be pursued
than that of rejecting their claim altogether. Amongst
these claimants, the blue titmouse (torn -tit), parus cce-
ruleus, will, in genera], be found to be the most perse-
vering. This elegant little bird visits the grapes about
the middle of October, and selects the ripest for exami-
nation. If the flavour be agreeable, the work of de-
struction commences, but if not, an interval of a week
or ten days elapses, when a second examination takes
place, and the fruit being then ripe, the banquet begins,
by his attacking invariably the finest grapes on the vine,
and consuming about a sixth part of each berry, leav-
ing the other five-sixths to rot and waste. After this,
he never ceases to pay his daily visits, as long as a sin-
gle bunch remains, and the slightest chance appears
of a possibility of getting at it.

As soon as any shoots are divested of their fruit,
they should be pruned immediately.

136 WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER.

Nov. 1 1th. — Fall of the leaf. This interesting event
takes place in general about this time. In well shel-
tered situations, some vines will retain their foliage to
the end of this month, but in aspects that are exposed
to the effects of the wind, the leaves are generally shed
in the early part of it.

After the grapes have been deprived of the protec-
tion of the leaves, they begin to lose their weight and
flavour ;J but if the aspect be favourable, and the wall
have a projecting coping, they may be preserved in
pretty good condition a fortnight or three weeks longer,
after which, however, no reliance can be placed on the
continuance of their flavour, although, in some instan-
ces, when the weather is very favourable, and great
care is used in keeping the grapes dry, and in protect-
ing them by proper coverings from the effects of
severe frosts, they may be kept on the vine in tolerable
preservation till the beginning of January.

Many methods have been devised to preserve grapes
after they have been cut from the vine, but none, that
I am aware of, have ever proved very effectual. The
best of these, however, will be found, I believe, to be
that of cutting off an entire branch of the vine with
the fruit upon it, and sealing the cut end with sealing-
wax, and then hanging it up in a dry and warm room,
in which there is a pretty free circulation of air. The
greater quantity of wood that the branch contains be-
hind the last bunch of fruit, the longer will the latter
keep ; but it may be remarked, that with every pre-
caution that can be taken, the fruit may, in general,
be preserved much better by letting it remain on the
vine, and protecting it by proper means from the seve-
rity of the weather.

GENERAL AVTU3INAL PRUNING. 137

CHAPTER XIII.

GENERAL AUTUMMAL PRUNING.

MANY reasons of a decisive nature point out the au-
tumn as the proper season for pruning the vine. When,
by judicious management, the branches of a vine are
kept within a small compass, its vegetative powers be-
come exceedingly vigorous ; and the quantity of su-
perabundant wood that is necessary to be cut out at the
close of every season, being, in general, very great in pro-
portion to that which is retained, the number of chan-
nels for the future ascent of the sap becomes, after the
general pruning, proportionably limited. In conse-
quence of this, the sap acquires at its rising, a corres-
ponding increase of strength and velocity ; and unless
the vine be pruned early in the autumn, in order that
the utmost possible period of time may intervene, to
harden the extremities and such other parts of the
branches as the pruning knife has passed over, previ-
ously to the ascent of the sap in the following spring,
the sap, at its rising, will burst through the wounds,
and the vine will bleed profusely at all points. To
guard against the occurrence of this very injurious
casualty, there is no other way than to prune at the-
earliest period possible in the autumn.

The sooner, also, that the vine is pruned in the fall
of the year, the earlier will its buds unfold in the ensu-
ing spring ; the cause of which may be thus explained.
The buds, fronvtheir first developement, are endowed
with the power of attracting a sufficient quantity of
the juices of the plant, to nourish them, and to promote
their growth. But this power, although it gradually

L*

138 GENEKAL AUTUMNAL PRUNING.

increases with their growth, is held in subjection
throughout the summer, by a similar, but superior
power, possessed by the fruit, which in an extraordinary
degree diverts the fluids of the plant, and appropriates
them to its own growth and maturation. As soon,
however, as the fruit is ripened, this power which it
previously possessed becomes nearly extinct, and the
fluids of the plant are then chiefly appropriated to the
nourishment of the buds, and to the growth of the roots
and branches. Now, as the great effort of the vine in
ripening its fruit is made either before the autumnal
equinox, or immediately after it, while the sap is yet
moving pretty briskly, if the vine be pruned shortly
after that period, the sap quickly accumulates in the
shoots that are retained, and the buds attracting it very
powerfully, rapidly advance in their growth and ma-
turation. They thus steal a march, as it were, on
their next year's vegetation. But if the vine be pruned
too early, before the motion of the sap is sufficiently
weakened by the declining power of the sun, the buds
then feed themselves to repletion, and prematurely burst.
Hence it follows, that the most advantageous period
for the general pruning of the vine must, undoubtedly,
be that point of time when the sap can be made to ac-
cumulate in the buds in such quantity as to increase
them to their utmost possible size, without bursting them.
And this point of time cannot with safety be considered
as having arrived till the first of October. A single
branch of a moderate-sized vine may be cut out or
shortened as early as the middle of September, but the
whole vine cannot be pruned, and its entire body of sap
thereby suddenly checked in its motion, before the ex-
piration of that month, without incurring very great
risk of bursting the buds, independently, also, of
giving to the vital powers of the plant an injurious
shock, by performing such a severe operation prema-
turely. As soon, however, as the month of October

GENERAL AUTUMNAL PRUNING. 139

commences, and the fruit is cut, the general pruning
should be done, and the buds, in consequence, increas-
ing in size by the accumulation of the sap, become there-
by endowed with a greater degree of vitality than they
would otherwise possess. They are thus enabled to
attract the sap at its rising with more power, and con-
sequently to expand themselves earlier than the buds
of a vine pruned later in the season ; and this is an
advantage not to be estimated lightly in a country
where the summers are barely long enough to ripen
the fruit.

In addition to the foregoing reasons, others will here-
after incidentally appear, in favour of early autumnal
pruning.

In giving directions for the general pruning of the
vine, it is scarcely possible to lay down any rules for
the guidance of the pruner, except such as are of gen-
eral application. If the vine has been attended to
throughout the summer in the manner directed in the
Calendariai Register, there will be, comparatively, little
to do at the autumnal pruning. As vines, however, are
managed in a great variety of ways, it appears necessa-
ry to give such directions as will apply in a general man-
ner to any vine, whatever may have been the method
in which it has been previously pruned and trained.

Before doing this, however, a few observations may
be made relative to vines that have been suffered to
cover a disproportionate extent of walling, and which
have, as a necessary consequence, a great number of
old, naked, and barren limbs. Vines of this descrip-
tion, when their leaves are shed, present a perfect chaos
of useless branches, the general appearance of which
bids defiance to any thing like systematic pruning.
To give any directions, therefore, that can be practically
followed ia the pruning of such vines, is next to impos-
sible ; the only course that can be recommended
to be adopted, with respect to any vine that is in

140 GENERA*, AUTUMNAL

this state, is to cut it down to a complete stump
By doing this the fruit will be only sacrificed for one
season, for the next year after this operation has
been performed, the vine will send forth an abun-
dant quantity of the finest description of bearing-
shoots, which, in the following year, will produce as
much fruit, with only a tenth part of the trouble in the
management of it, as could be obtained if the previ-
ous course of culture had been continued. There is
no other way, indeed, of renovating a vine than this,
for no method of pruning that can be adopted will
ever get rid of the old blank wood, and procure in its
stead a proper supply of bearing- wood within a rea-
sonable distance of the stem. Vines that are cut down-
in this manner will frequently produce in the follow-
ing summer very fine bearing-shoots upwards of forty
feet long.

When it is deemed advisable, therefore, to renew
the branches of a vine by thus cutting it down, the
best time to perform the operation is the latter part of
the month of November. If the stem be short, cut it
off about five inches above the ground, but if it be long,
leave it of such a height as it is intended to train the fu-
ture bearing- wood to ; remembering, that whatever por-
tion of the naked stem be left, the shoots will, in gene-
ral, be emitted from the upper part of it. As soon as the
vine is cut off, sear the wound well with a hot iron, and
then seal the surface of it over with sealing wax, in order
to prevent the sap at its rising from bursting through.

In the following spring a great number of bulbs will
push, near the top of the stump, and these being allow-
ed to swell sufficiently to show their relative strength,
as many of the strongest as are required should be se-
lected to remain, and all the rest rubbed off. The
shoots being carefully trained throughout the summer,
will present in the autumn an abundant choice for fu-
ture bearers.

GENERAL AUTUMNAL PRUNING. 141

DIRECTIONS FOR THE AUTUMNAL PRUNING.

1st. Every nail must be drawn from the wall, and
every shred taken off the branches. This will give the
vine great relief, the shreds having throughout the
summer kept those parts of the branches which they
have encircled from the beneficial influence of the sun
and air. They, also, become the receptacles of numer-
ous insects, and if woollen shreds have been used, they
are very retentive of moisture, and, if suffered to re-
main, would chill the juices of the vine, and thereby
retard its vegetation in the spring. In unnailing the
branches, care must be taken not to draw all the nails
at once, as the former would be then left destitute of
their necessary support. Unnail a part at a time,
therefore, arid having pruned that part, re-nail it in a
temporary manner, before any other part of the vine be
pruned, and so proceed till the whole be pruned.
Observe, that every nail before it is drawn must be
driven farther into the wall, by a good blow or two on
its head with the hammer, in order to disengage it from
the mortar ; otherwise, in drawing it out, portions of
the mortar which adhere to it, will be drawn with it, and
the joints of the wall will be thereby defaced and injured.

2nd. Ascertain the girt of the stem, and calculate
the quantity of fruit which the vine can mature in the
following year, agreeably to the scale given in page
35, and, assuming (for the sake of making the opera-
tion clear,) that the strength of the vine is equal to the
maturation of fifty pounds' wieght of fruit, the num-
ber of buds that it will be advisable to retain, to pro-
duce that quantity, will be from ninety to a hundred.

142 GENERAL AUTUMNAL PRUNING.

Now, before selecting the shoots that are to .contain
this number of buds, means must be taken to provide
for a proper supply of future bearing-wood. For this
purpose, choose some of the strongest current year's
shoots that are situated nearest to the stem of the vine,
and at appropriate distances form each other, and cut
each of these down to the two lowermost buds. The
number of shoots to be thus spurred, must not be less than
two, nor need they be more than six. Having thus pro-
vided for the supply of future bearing-wood, proceed in
the next place, to select the shoots that are to be retained
as fruit-bearers. In doing this, remember that good
bearing-wood is almost invariably round and hard, of
a good size, and short- jointed, with large prominent buds,
that are, in general, rather round at their extremities.
Bearing these qualities in mind, choose such shoots as
answer this description, and that are situated nearest to
the stem, but sufficiently distant from each other to
admit of their fruiting shoots being conveniently trained
in the next summer, without being crowded. Shorten
each shoot to such part of it as is sound and hard,
retaining as many well-ripened buds as possible. Let
the shoots be situated in equal numbers on each of the
main branches ; for instance, if the vine contain only
two arms, similar to figure 3, (page 92,) and four bear-
ing-shoots be retained, let two be situated on each arm ;
also, let the two shoots on one arm contain the same
number of buds, or nearly so, as the two on the other
arm. Now, count the buds on each shoot, omitting the
two bottom ones, and set apart the required number on
the fewest shoots possible. Having done this, cut all the
other parts of the vine entirely away, retaining only
those on which are situated these bearing-shoots and
the spurs to produce future bearers ; the main object
in view, being, to get rid of the greatest quantity pos-
sible of old wood. But if any of the shoots that are
to be thus cut away, should be favourably situated for

GENERAL AUTUMNAL PRUNING. 143"

the production of bearing-shoots at some future period,
leave on all such the lowermost bud, but cut all the
rest out close to their respective parent branches.

3rd. Cut out from the bearing-shoots that are re^
tained, all their lateral shoots, close to the bases of the-
buds, and also the remaining portions of the tendrils
and footstalks of the bunches of fruit, (if any,) as
well as all excrescences, and every portion of dead
wood that remains in the vine. Prune them all
smoothly, close to their parent branches, leaving no un-
sightly ragged edges or extremities to disfigure the vine.

Ath. If any part of the outer bark of the stem or
branches be decayed, which will be easily seen by its
loose and ragged appearance ; peel or scrape off all
such parts with a blunt-edged pocket-knife, taking care-
not to wound, or in any way injure the live bark.
The decayed bark having lost its vitality, and with it
its power of resisting and throwing off the rain, be-
comes so highly retentive of moisture, as to be almost
sodden wet throughout the winter months, especially
if several layers of it have been suffered to accumu-
late. In this state, if permitted to remain, it speedily
generates moss, and becomes, also, the receptacle of
innumerable insects. And it is contrary to every
known principle of vegetable life, that a plant like the
vine, which is a native of a warm climate, should ever
flourish, while its stem and branches are thus encircled
with a decayed bandage, covered with moss and satu~
rated with moisture, which constantly chills its juices,
and thereby paralyzes the beneficial effects of the sun
and air, during a period of the year when they are of
the last importance to the health of the plant. The an-
nual removal of the decayed bark, therefore, may be
regarded as a point of culture, that tends very greatly
to promote the prosperous vegetation of a vine.

5th. The barking of the vine being finished, the
whole operation will be completed, and the branches

144 GENERAL AUTUMNAL PRUNING.

must then be nailed to the wall in a temporary manner.
In doing this, remember that the wind has very little
power over the naked wood, and that, therefore, a few
strong shreds nailed firmly over the branches at proper
distances, will be sufficient to protect them. Let the
bearing-shoots be nailed on those parts of the wall
where they will receive the greatest portion of the
sun's rays, without any regard to the situation which
they will subsequently be made to occupy at the winter
training. The vine, thus pruned, barked, and nailed,
will be in readiness to receive the influence of the sea -
son at the earliest period possible, and will, throughout
the winter, present a beautiful appearance of dormant
vegetation.

WINTER MANAGEMENT. 145

CHAPTER XIV.

ON THE WINTER MANAGEMENT OF THE VINE.

December 1st.— The winter being the proper time
to manure the border, let it now be lightly forked up,
and a good coating of manure laid over it about six
inches deep, which will answer the two-fold purpose
of enriching the border, and protecting the roots of the
vine. It has been already stated, that, after a vine
has been planted a few years, its roots will make their
way up to the surface, if the border be not disturbed
by cropping or digging ; but it is necessary to observe,
that when they are so situated, their tender fibres will
inevitably perish, unless protected from severe weather,
during the depth of the winter. To prevent this, there-
fore, and also to keep the roots as warm as possible,
the border should be covered over through this month,
and the two following ones. For this purpose, long stable
manure about half made is the most suitable, as, from
its spirituous nature, it will keep the soil warmer, and
more effectually resist the frost and other unfavourable
atmospheric changes, than any other description of
manure. If this, however, cannot conveniently be pro-
cured, the next best covering is that of dead leaves,
which, after they are decomposed, form a vegetable
manure of the most fertilizing description. But if
these cannot be obtained, any of the manures men-
tioned as fit for top-dressing, (page 62,) may be sub-
stituted. It must be observed, that, as the roots re-
quire to be kept as dry as possible in the winter, liquid
manure should be used very sparingly during that
period.

146 WINTER MANAGEMENT.

The roots being thus protected, nothing more is re-
quired to be done, till the month of March.

March 1st. — -If the season be forward, the vine
must now be permanently trained) but if otherwise,
that operation may be performed any time during the
next fortnight. Observe, however, that as soon as the
buds have swelled sufficiently to burst the extremities
of their winter covering, the vine must be trained im-
mediately ; for, if delayed, the buds will be liable o
be rubbed off in bending the shoots, and nailing them
in their proper positions.

This is the proper time, also, previously to the vine
being permanently trained for,the season, ^to whitewash
the wall, agreeably to the directions given in page 66.

In nailing the shoots in the manner directed in the
chapter on Training, use fresh shreds, and be careful
not to put any round those parts of the vine that have
been at any previous time covered with shreds. The
training being finished, remove the covering from the
border, leaving as much of it to remain as may be ad-
vantageously mixed with the soil. Fork up the border,
and mix the manure Well with it : after which, rake
the surface very smooth and clean.

March 21 st.—+ As soon after this tirrie as the weather
is dry, salt the border. For this purpose procure a
gallon of salt for every square rod, and scatter it in the
same manner as if it were seed, distributing it as
equally as possible over the entire border. Then rake
the surface very lightly, in order that the salt may be
mixed with the soil. The application of salt to a vine
border, is productive of the most beneficial effects. It
prevents the growth of weeds, destroys the worms,
keeps the surface open and clean, stimulates the growth
of the vine, and ultimately enters largely into its con-
stitution. Any substance, indeed, of a saline nature,
the roots of vines seize upon with the greatest avidity*

WINTER MANAGEMENT. 147

If, at the rising of the sap, the vine should bleed at
any of the wounds made by pruning, or otherwise,
put a piece of moistened bladder round the wounded
part, and tie it closely and firmly with strong thread
well waxed with bees' wax.

M

148 ON THE PLANTING OF VINES.

CHAPTER XV.

ON THE PLANTING AND MANAGEMENT OF VINES IN THE
PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES OF TOWNS.

[Note. — This chapter has been added to the present edition,
for the purpose of promoting the culture of the Vine in the various
towns which are situated in the midland and southern parts of
England, the inhabitants of which are not, in general, aware,
that that valuable plant may be planted, trained, and fruited
against their houses and buildings with nearly as much facility
and success as in more favoured situations in the country. It is
true, that single vines may already be found, growing here and
there in most of the towns in the above-mentioned districts, not
excepting the metropolis itself; but the method in which they are
cultivated is such, as not only to render them very unsightly ap-
pendages to the buildings against which they are trained, but to
reward the cultivator with only a small portion of fruit, at the dis-
proportionate cost of a vast deal of time and trouble. To the ne-
cessary consequences of such a mode of culture, the fact may, no
doubt, be attributed, that the number of vines growing in those
situations is, comparatively speaking, so very small ; such exam-
ples being much better calculated to deter, than to invite imita-
tion.

Vines, however, cultivated agreeably to the directions con-
tained in the foregoing pages, produce, annually, large quantities
of fruit, within a small extent of surface, and are, moreover, in
any situation, and especially in a public one in a town, exceed-
ingly interesting objects to behold in every season of the year.
And to the lover of nature, what sight can surpass that of a vine,
covered with its beautiful foliage, and laden with its elegant and
delicious fruit'? Even to those who reside in the country, and are
familiar with the beauties of the vegetable world, such a sight
scarcely ever fails to impart the highest gratification. But to the
inhabitants of a town, who seldom participate in any species of
horticultural enjoyment, what a source of pleasure would it not
be, to witness a portion of the surface of their dwellings covered
annually with fine crops of grapes? And who can contemplate,
throughout the progress of every returning season, the beautiful
elaborations of nature in the successive developement of the bud,
the leaf, the blossom, and the fruit of the vine, without emotions
of the purest gratification 1

I\ PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES. 149

Those, and those only, who are pent up within the precincts of
a town, and perpetually harassed with the cares of business, the
calls of which seldom permit them to quit the busy haunts of
their fellow-men to catch a glimpse of the beauties of nature, —
such, only, know how cheering to the feelings is the contempla-
tion of the growth and formation of even the most trifling produc-
tion of the vegetable kingdom. To all such, therefore, the culture
of the vine presents a means of enjoyment of the most gratifying
description. No other sort of fruit-tree can be planted with the
slightest prospect of success in the paved and public streets of a
town; but the vine surmounts all obstacles, and thrives in almost
every situation, where the hand of man is held out to protect it
from injury, and to guide it in its growth by a judicious course of
culture.

In order, therefore, to facilitate the more general introduction of
vines into towns, and to enable such of the inhabitants thereof as
possess the requisite local advantage of site and aspect, to plant
and cultivate them against their premises, the following additional
directions are given. It may, however, be remarked, that after a
vine has become well established in its growth, the pruning, train-
ing, and general management of the branches and fruit are the
same, whatever may be the situation it may be made to occupy ;
but in the planting of vines in the public thoroughfares of towns,
and in the culture of them during the first two or three subsequent
years, many local contingencies that are incidental to such ex-
posed situations, require to be provided for, by the variation of
some points of culture from, and the addition of others to the
usual routine of management ; and to point out the former and
supply the latter, is the object of the present chapter,]

As a preliminary remark it may be mentioned, that
that part of the vine which intervenes betwixt the
roots and the branches, may be considered as the stem,
as a, &, fig. 8 ; and that part where the stem ceases
and the branches commence, maybe termed the fruit-
ing point, as b, Jig. 8. It may also be remarked, that
it is not of important consequence, to what distance
from the ground the stem of a vine extends, and at
which the fruiting point commences ; whether it be
one foot, ten feet, or twenty-five feet. It is better,

0* TV*. * •

150

ON THE PLANTING OF VINES

Pig. 8.

without doubt, to have a short stem rather than a long
one, because the latter will annually require for its
support a greater quantity of the elaborated juice of
the plant than the former, but where local circumstan-
ces prevent a vine from being trained on a short stem,
it must, of necessity, be trained on a long one.

Vines that are planted against any description of
walls that bound public thoroughfares, ought, always,
to have their bearing branches trained at such a height
from the ground, as shall put it out of the power of
mischievous .persons to injure the foliage, or to gather
the fruit. For these reasons, a vine that is to be
planted in such a situation must, previously to its re-
moval thither, have the full height of its stem already
formed. It is necessary, also, that the latter, as soon
as the vine is planted, should be protected from injury,
by being, up to a sufficient height, enclosed within a
permanent covering. A vine, therefore, that is suit-
able for this purpose, must have a" stem that measures
not less than two inches in circumference when re-
moved, which, if growing in good ground, will be the
size of one about three years old. In the ordinary
course of transplanting, a vine of such a size would be
too large, on account of the severe check in its growth

IN PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES. 151

which the removal of it would occasion, but in the
present case, it is indispensable, for the reasons before
mentioned, that the stem should have attained that size
before the vine is transplanted.

To procure a vine with a stem of this description al-
ready formed, a strong and healthy plant, the principal
shoot of which is not less than seven-eighths of an inch
in circumference at the bottom, must be selected in the
nursery one entire season before its removal. It should
be grown against a wall sufficiently high to admit of
its leading shoot being trained as many feet perpen-
dicularly, or nearly so, in the following summer, as it
is intended to fix the fruiting point at from the ground,
after the vine shall have been transplanted. If a young
vine of this size, however., cannot conveniently be pro-
cured against a wall, one planted in the open ground
must be provided in its stead, in which case a strong
stake, of the requisite height, must be driven firmly
into the ground near to it, to tie the leading shoot to
during its growth in the ensuing summer.

A vine of this description having been selected, cut
it down at the proper time in the autumn to the two
lowermost buds, and, in the following year, let the
training and general management of it be the same as
described in paragraphs May 1*£, and July I*/, pages
102, 103. As soon as the leaves are shed in Novem-
ber, cut the vine back to such a height as it is intended
that the fruiting point shall be fixed at from the ground,
after the vine shall have been transplanted. Then,
to form the naked stem, cut out, very cleanly and
smoothly, every lud. except the two uppermost ones,
after which the vine will be in a proper state to be re-
moved, and the sooner that is done the better, although
any time previously to the middle of February will do,
if it cannot copveniently be transplanted before.

Proper directions for transplanting the vine will be

152 ON THE PLANTING OF VINES

found in pages 52 and 100-1 ; to which may be add-
ed, that if the situation in which the vine is planted
be a very public one, and such as to admit of the pos-
sibility of any nuisance being committed on the roots,
the following precautions must be adopted. In plant-
ing the vine, fix the bottom part of the stem of it within
an inch and a half of the wall, and in replacing the sur-
face covering, let it extend to within the same distance
of the stem on each side of it, so as to leave a space
for the latter to grow in, of about three inches in
breadth each way, which will be sufficiently large for
the stem to swell freely in during the first ten years,
after which that space can be enlarged as circum-
stances may require. This being done, the covering,
that is hereafter described as necessary to be placed
over the stem, must be made to come down at the bot-
tom in close contact with the surface of the pavement,
and to include within it the whole of the space above-
mentioned, so that no part of it shall be visible on the
outside. Then, round the bottom of the covering,
where it meets the pavement, work in a little mortar or
cement of some description, so as to prevent the possi-
bility of any fluid of a destructive nature being intro-
duced to the stem or roots of the vine. These precau-
tions with respect to vines planted in the public
thoroughfares of towns, will be found indispensable, as
the roots of them would otherwise be constantly liable
to be injured by careless or mischievous persons.

As soon as the vine is transplanted, (assuming the
site to be an open one and in a public thoroughfare,)
its stem must be protected by a covering being put
over it to such a height from the ground as will ensure
its preservation from injury. Perhaps, the best de-
scription of covering for this purpose will be one made
of three slips of wood of the required height, and each
about four inches in breadth, and put together so as to
form three sides of .a .square, the surface of the wall to

IN PUBLIC THOROUGHFABES. 153

be enclosed by them, forming the fourth side. The
stem of the vine being enclosed in this covering, the
latter must be secured to the wall in such a manner as
to admit of its being opened when required, for the
purpose of divesting the stem of its decayed bark,
which operation ought to be performed at the autumn
of every third year. If a shoot should at any time
grow out of the naked stem, it must be rubbed off im-
mediately it appears. As soon as the stem is thus en-
closed, it should be nailed firmly to the wall just above
the top of the covering, but no fastening of any de-
scription should be put round that part of the stem that
is within the covering. The vine being thus protected,
will not require any further attention during the
winter.

Throughout the next summer it must be managed in
precisely the same manner as in the preceding summer
previously to its removal, and at the fall of the leaf the
current year's shoot must be cut back to the three low-
ermost buds, for the purpose of having two leading shoots
permanently retained in the following year.

After the vine has been thus cut down to the three
bottom buds, it will correspond to that mentioned in
paragraph, Nov. 1st, page 104, and its future manage-
ment, therefore, must be agreeable to the directions
that follow those given under that date ; the culture,
hereafter, being the same as that of a vine trained
against a garden wall.

It must, however, be observed, that, as the spare sur-
face on which a vine can conveniently be trained, in
the front of any house or other building situated in a
public thoroughfare of a town, must necessarily be of a
limited height, the shoots had better be annually trained
in a horizontal position, as represented by figure 4,
page 94. Also, if a vine cannot conveniently be
planted otherwise than at the end of any side of a
building, it cannot, of course, have more than one hor-

154 ON THE PLANTING OF VINES

izontal branch from which the bearing shoots are to
proceed.

Only one other contingency now remains to be pro-
vided for, and that is, where local circumstances ren-
der it necessary, that a vine should be trained on a
different side of a building, to that on which it is
planted. In such a case, there is a sharp corner to be
turned in training, and although this is not a difficult
matter to accomplish, yet, to ensure success, it must be
managed with care, and in a proper manner.

The flexibility of the young shoots of vines is well
known, but there is only one period in the growth of a
shoot, during which it can be made to bend round the
rectangular corner of a building, and that is in the au-
tumn or winter immediately following the summer of
its first growth and formation. For instance, a green
shoot that is emitted from a vine in the spring of the
present year 1843, will be fully ripe at the fall of the
leaf in November ; the time, therefore, that intervenes
betwixt that event and the middle of March in the
next year 1844, is the only period in the existence of
that shoot, in which it will be sufficiently flexible for
the purpose above-mentioned. Whenever it becomes
necessary, therefore, to train the fruiting branches of
a vine on a different side of a building to that on which
it is planted, the leading or connecting limb must be
trained round the corner, (there to remain perma-
nently,) some time during the period of its growth be-
fore-mentioned. And in all such cases this operation
had better be performed in the autumn succeeding the
first summer's growth of a vine after it has been trans-
planted, because the shoot to be bent will then be com-
paratively small and weakly, and consequently much
more flexible than the shoot of any subsequent year,
after the vine has recovered from the check which its
growth has experienced by transplantation. To perform
this operation, then, observe the following directions.

IN PUBLIC tiroKCUGii?AtiEs. 155

First, procure a coarse file or rasp, and having
fixed on the exact part of the corner of the building
round which the shoot is to be trained, file a small por-
tion of the edge away in the form of a segment of a
circle about three quarters of an inch deep, rounding
off the edges of the circular part, so as to make the
surface of it over which the shoot is to be trained, as
smooth and as round as possible. The shoot could not
be bent round the corner without a portion of the latter
being thus filed away, but it can be done a great deal
easier with it.

Secondly, then take the shoot in both hands, and in
a very gradual and cautious manner, bend it a little at
a time until it is made to assume a sufficient degree
of curvature to answer the required purpose. As soon
as this is the case, cut out, very smoothly, all the buds
that are on the shoot betwixt the stem of the vine and
the corner of the budding ; after which nail that part
of the shoot firmly to the wall. Then laying the
shoot in the groove at the corner prepared for it, bend
the terminal part of it very slowly and carefully to-
wards the other side of the wall, and when you have
got the second bud from the corner, within about two
inches of the surface of the wall, put a strong shred
round the shoot just behind that bud, and nail it to the
wall in that position. If it were brought closer to the
wall, it would be in danger of snapping asunder. Then
cut the shoot back to within an inch of the second
bud, leaving, thereby, no more buds than the two al-
ready named. The shoots that will proceed from
these buds in the following summer, can easily be
trained close to the wall in the desired direction ; and
at the ensuing winter training, the small portion of the
shoot near the corner may then be brought close to
the surface of the wall without danger.

Thirdly, if, notwithstanding these precautions, the

156 VUfES IN PUBLIC THOROL'QHPAEES.

shoot should break during the operation, there will yet
be some portion of the bark of the inner side of it,
that will connect the parts together, and this, if man-
aged in the following manner, will ultimately re-unite
the broken parts. Take a piece of thick woollen
cloth about six inches long and four broad, and, bind-
ing it firmly round the shoot where it is broken, tie it
closely with small packthread at each end, but not in
the middle where the breach is. The object of this is to
keep the air from the wound, and also the parts moist,
which is effected by the bandage being of woollen,
the inner folds of which will scarcely ever be dry,
even in the hottest weather. If this bandage be put
on carefully, the parts will firmly re-unite by the close
of the next growing season, and it may then be taken
off.

CATALOGUE OF GRAPES, &C. 157

CHAPTER XVI.

Descriptive Catalogue of twelve sorts of Grapes most
suitably adapted for culture on open walls.

1. Black Hamburgh. — Bunches rather large, and
handsomely shouldered. Berries hang loosely on
the bunches, oval-shaped in general, and when well
thinned, measure, when ripe, from two inches and a
half, to three inches and a half in circumference. Skin
rather thick, very nearly black, and if well shaded with
leaves, covered with a beautiful blue bloom. Pulp
fleshy, sweet, and of a rich vinous flavour. Ripens in
a south-eastern aspect, about the middle of October,
and may be easily kept on the vine in good preserva-
tion till Christmas.

As a splendid table fruit, this is, in every respect, one
of the most valuable grapes that can be grown on open
walls. It is a prolific bearer, hardy in its nature, and
under judicious culture, will ripen with as small a por-
tion of direct solar heat as any grape we have.

2. Black Prince. — Bunches large, long, -and in gene-
ral well shouldered. Berries oval, and when well
thinned, nearly as large as those of the Black Ham-
burgh. Skin rather thick, very dark purple, and
covered with a thick blue bloom. Pulp fleshy, juicy,
and well-flavoured. Ripens in a south-eastern as-
pect about the middle of October.

This is a very fine grape, and nearly, if not quite,
equal to the Black Hamburgh.

158 CATALOGUE OF GRAPES

3. Esperione. — Bunches and berries closely resem-
ble, in size and shape, the Black Hamburgh. Skin
nearly black, and covered with a blue bloom. The
pulp, which adheres to the skin, is pleasant and well-
flavored. The leaves die upon the vine of a rich orange
hue.

The Esperione Vine is very hardy, extremely proli-
fic, and ripens its fruit perfectly in any season, how-
ever unfavourable.

4. Black Muscadine. — Bunches medium-sized, and
rather long. Berries round. Skin black, and covered
with a very thick blue bloom, which gives the bunches
a beautiful appearance. Pulp juicy, and when well
ripened, of a good flavour.

This is a very prolific bearer, but it requires a good
aspect to ripen it perfectly.

5. Miller's Burgundy. — Bunches short, thick, and
small. Berries small, rather oval, black, and grow
very close on the bunches. Skin rather thin, and
covered with a blue bloom. Pulp juicy, very sweet,
and high flavoured.

This is a vtry hardy and prolific grape, and ripens
perfectly in any season. Its leaves, which are very
thick, distinguish it from every other sort, being cov-
ered on both sides with a hoary down, which, when
they are young, is nearly white ; hence it is called
the Millers Grape.

6. Claret Grape. — Bunches small and thick. Ber-
ries black, small, rather oval, and closely set. Skin
rather thick, and generally covered with a bluish bloom.
Pulf) juicy. Juice of a blood red colour, but of a
harsh taste unless perfectly ripened.

It requires a good aspect.

This is a very fine wine grape. Early in the sum-
mer, its leaves change to a russet red, and die in the
autumn, of a deep purple blood colour.

ADAPTED TO OPEN WALLS. 159

7. Black Frontignan. — Bunches small. Berries
round, small, and thickly set. Skin black, and covered
with a light blue, or violet bloom. Pulp juicy, and of
a rich vinous musky flavour.

8. Grizzly Frontignan. — Bunches medium-sized,
with small shoulders. Berries round, and of a light
brown colour, intermixed with red and yellow. The
juice is excedingly rich, and possesses a high musky
perfumed flavour.

9. White Frontignan. — -Bunches long, and occa-
sionally shouldered. Berries round, rather large, pretty
closely set, of a dull greenish yellow, and covered with
a whitish powdery bloom. Pulp juicy, sweet, very
rich, with an exquisite musky flavour.

The flavour of this and the two preceding grapes is
so extremely delicious, that no g.)od vine wall should
be without them. They ripen well when the aspect
' is good, and the soil very dry ; but being thin-skinned,
and constitutionally disposed to decay after they be-
come fully ripe, they cannot be kept long on the vine :
particularly if the wall against which they are growing
be destitute of a projecting coping.

10. White Muscadine. — Bunches middle-sized,
shouldered, and handsomely formed. Berries round,
and rather large. Skin thin, and if exposed to the di-
rect rays of the sun, acquires, when fully ripe, a yellow-
ish brown colour. Pulp juicy, rich, and well-flavoured.

This is an exceedingly fine grape, and a prolific
bearer ; and from its hardy nature, and the certainty
with which it ripens in any season, it may be con-
sidered as the best white grape that can be grown on
open walls.

11. Malmsey Muscadine. — This resembles the pre-
ceding, except that the berries are smaller, and the
bunches *iot so regularly formed ; but the juice is
sweeter, and possesses a higher flavour.

160 CATALOGUE OF GRAPES, &C.

12. White Sweetwater. — Bunches middle-sized.
Berries large, ronnd, and grow close upon the bunches.
Skin thin, and when exposed to the sun, and fully ripe,
pretty thickly set with spots of a light russet colour.
Pulp very juicy and luscious.

This is a delicious grape, but owing to its tenderness
when in blossom the berries set very unevenly on the
bunches.

If it be desired to have a very early sort, to the pre-
ceding may be added, the Early Black July, which,
though the bunches and berries are small, and the lat-
ter, in general, unevenly set, is a very sweet, and also
a well-flavoured grape.

It would be easy to increase this catalogue numeri-
cally, if it were necessary, but such a course, if adopt-
ed, would only bewilder the cultivator, and render it
a difficult matter for him to choose those sorts which
experience has proved are most appropriately adapted
for culture on open walls. The sorts here enumerated
embrace almost every variation in flavour, colour, and
size of berry that can be perfectly ripened in the open
air.

A

DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT

OP

&n Xmprobefc ptet&olr

OP

PLANTING AND MANAGING THE ROOTS

OP

GRAPE VINES.

ADVERTISEMENT.

IN submitting to the public the following pages, the author
is aware that he is promulgating principles and modes of prac.
tice with reference to the culture of the Vine, that are some,
what at variance with commonly received notions.

It may not, therefore, be altogether unnecessary for him to
observe, that he has not recommended any point of culture or
particular routine of practice, the merits and advantages of
•which he has not, himself, for years repeatedly and carefully
tested.

The object which the author has in view in the present pub-
lication, is, again to contribute what little assistance he has it
in his power to render, towards improving the culture of the
Vine, and placing it on a firm and certain basis, by the diffu-
sion of those sound and definite principles, which are the never-
failing offspring of carefully acquired experimental knowledge.
Shirley Vineyard, Southampton,
July, 1844.

ON PLANTING AND MANAGING THE ROOTS
OF GRAPE VINES.

IN the various operations of Practical Horticulture,
more especially in the culture of exotic fruits, there are
certain fundamental principles established by nature,
which, if not strictly adhered to by the operator, will
render all his efforts of a doubtful and uncertain issue.
One of these leading principles is, that every exotic
fruit tree should be placed in, and surrounded by, such
atmospheric and terrestrial conditions as it enjoys in
its native climate and country. And the closer the
approximation be made to these conditions, the nearer
to the standard of perfection will the fruit of any re-
spective exotic tree arrive.

And these observations apply pre-eminently to the
grape vine, in the glass culture of which, in England,
artificial means have been successfully resorted to,
to surround its branches and fruit with atmospheric
conditions similar to those it enjoys in its native coun-
try, but no definite or effectual method has hitherto
been adopted for conferring on the roots the same ad-
vantages.

It is the object, therefore, of the following pages, to
promulgate a method, of easy practical application, by
which this disparity that has heretofore existed will be

166 ON PLANTING AND MANAGING

considerably lessened, by planting the roots of vine
in drier and warmer materials than common soil.

The grape vine in whatsoever part of the world it
may be growing, whether in its native country, or on
the confines of the torrid zone, or at the extreme limit
of the vinous latitude in either hemisphere, delights
most in rocky, stony, or gravelly soils, and it is in soils
of this description that grapes are brought to a far
higher degree of perfection than in any other description
of soil whatever. On examination, the reason will be
obvious. The vine, from the succulent nature of its
shoots while they are yet green, and in the course of
formation throughout the summer, requires, during
that period, a constant supply of moisture for the roots
to feed upon ; and that particular degree of moisture
which has been found by experience to produce in a
vine a suitable growth, accompanied by a healthy and
perfect developement of its fruit-bearing powers, is al-
ways present in soils of the above-mentioned descrip.
tion. And this constant presence of moisture arises
from the fact, that fragments of rocks, stones, or other
similar hard substances, when embedded in the soil,
always attract moisture to their surfaces, which are
therefore, in consequence, never dry. Hence the roots
of vines delight to ramble in such soils, in preference
to all others, because they derive therein a steady, con-
stant, and equable supply of moisture throughout all the
variations of the season, as free from excess on the one
hand, as from a deficiency on the other. Soils, there-
fore, that contain the greatest quantity of these mate-
rials, so disposed or placed together, whether by na-
ture or art, as to present to the roots of the vine the
greatest possible extent of surface within a given
space, are precisely those which are adapted for the
successful culture of the vine.

In the hottest countries of the vinous latitude,

THE ROOTS OF GRAPE VINES. 167

soils of this description invariably produce the
finest flavoured grapes ; and if the roots of vines grow-
ing there under such circumstances can procure suffi-
cient nourishment to accomplish this, where the tem-
perature is so much higher, and where the expenditure
of sap through the medium of the leaves, in consequence
of the intensity of the solar rays, is so much gretiter
than in this country, how small a quantity of moisture,
in proportion, will be necessary to support a vine here,
where from the moisture of the air, and other obvious
circumstances, the leaves themselves collect a great
portion of the nourishment that maintains its vitality.

For it must not be forgotten, that in departing northr
ward from the native country of the vine, the power of
the sun gradually diminishes, and the coldness of the
soil as gradually increases, evaporation is in conse-
quence greatly reduced, and a far less quantity of
moisture, therefore, is required by the roots in this
country to supply the demands of the leaves. It fol-
lows, then, that the nearer we approach the northern
limit of the vinous latitude, the drier ought the soil to
be in which the roots of vines are planted.

From this general rule, therefore, may be deduced the
important fact, that as this limit is many degrees south
of Britain, a collection of stones, or of similar sub-
stances without any admixture of soil whatever, will
form the best border for the roots of vines in this coun-
try. This may appear to be scarcely credible ; such
however is the case, for theory distinctly points it out,
and practice amply confirms it. Many years' experi-
ence, indeed, has satisfactorily convinced me, that
there is scarcely any description of soil in this country
that is not naturally too cold, or that does not hold
water in suspension too long to be well adapted for the
successful culture of the vine.

A slight further consideration of the disadvantageous

X

168 ON PLANTING AND MANAGING

difference that exists in the conditions which nature
has created for the. perfection of the vine in its native
country, and those that exist in Britain, will be suffi-
cient to show that a decrease of moisture in the soil,
and a consequent increase of dryness and warmth, are
absolutely essential, in order to approximate as nearly
as possible to the native soil of the vine.

The mean annual temperature of Syria, the most
favored country of the vine, is about 25° higher than
that of England ; and to this very striking difference
between the mean annual temperature of the two coun-
tries must be added the important fact, that in the lat-
ter country there is a much greater disparity betwixt
the summer and winter temperature than in the former.
\nd it is this disparity that operates so prejudicially
in the early forcing of the vine, which, if it be com-
menced in the winter, will place the branches in the
enjoyment of a temperature of at least 70°, while that
of the soil in which the roots are planted will most pro-
bably not exceed 35° ! Nor does the soil become but
little warmer till a late period in the spring, until after
the crop of grapes will have been matured, and when
it is, therefore, too late for the fruit to derive any be-
nefit from the increased warmth. These disadvan-
tages, with many others that flow from them, acting in
combination together, require the utmost skill of the
cultivator to parry them off, and counteract their in-
jurious effects.

But, great as the disparity, however, is, that usually
exists betwixt the temperature of the branches and the
roots of early forced vines, it is considerably increased
by the prevalent practice of making rich and highly
manured borders for the roots to grow in.

Previously, however, to any remarks on this head, it
may be opportunely observed, that the vegetative power
of the vine is wholly distinct from its maturalive power.

THE ROOTS OF GRAPE VINES. 169

The latter, which is the power of producing and per-
fecting its fruit, cannot exist without the former, but
the former, which is the power of producing shoots and
leaves, can and does exist without the latter.

In the native country of the vine, these two powers
are by nature equally balanced, but this balance is de-
stroyed in progressing towards the equator on the one
hand, or towards the north pole on the other. Within
the tropics the light and heat are too intense for the
vegetative power, which cannot therefore exist in suf-
ficient strength to support the maturative power ; con-
sequently, grapes cannot be grown there without arti-
ficial means being used to reduce and circumscribe the
too powerful effects of the sun. On the other hand,
in receding northward from the vinous country, a pre-
cisely opposite effect takes place. Every degree of
latitude in that direction brings with it an increase of
the vegetative power and a decrease of the maturative
power. And so great is the disparity betwixt these
two powers as they exist in England, that in the
southern parts the latter power bears about the same
proportion to the former as one does to ten, while, in
the northern parts, the maturative power becomes
wholly extinct, although the branches of the vine pos-
sess there a vigorous growth.

If, therefore, the shoots and leaves of a vine planted
in this country become so exceedingly strong, as to
exist in proportion to its fruit-bearing power in the
ratio of ten to one, for what useful purpose, it may be
asked, can manure, or any thing in the nature of a
stimulant to promote growth, be added to the soil in
which vines are planted 1 Not certainly to increase
their prolificacy, for it will have a tendency to produce
a contrary effect. It is not only in England that vines
cannot be made prolific by adding stimulants to the
soil in which they grow, but it is the same throughout

170 ON PLANTING AND MANAGING

the whole vinous latitude. In no part of the world can
a vine be made to produce a single grape more than it
otherwise would do, by the exclusive agency of any
thing added to the soil in the shape of a stimulant, ex-
cept under the circumstances hereafter mentioned.
Grapes are the sole creation of solar light and heat.
The earth produces the raw material in the form of
branches and leaves, but the sun must step in and con-
solidate the juices, otherwise not a single grape will be
produced.

Here, then, is the grand distinction to be made in
the effect produced by manuring the roots of vines, ac-
cording to the latitude in which they grow.

Assuming that in all the countries where the vine is
indigenous, and which in the northern hemisphere are
generally considered to be comprehended betwixt the
25th and 44th degrees of latitude, the two powers of
the vine are, as has been already stated (for a little re-
petition is necessary here for the sake of clearness),
equally balanced, that is, that every vine is sufficiently
strong in its growth to perfect all the grapes it pro-
duces; then in all these countries stimulants to the
soil may be added to advantage, because any increase
in the shoots of a vine there will be followed by a cor-
responding increase in the quantity of fruit.

Passing, however, the southern limit of this district
towards the tropic, the light and heat of the sun be-
comes too intense for the vine, the shoots and leaves
of which are exhausted by excessive perspiration, and
cannot, therefore, yield that nourishment which the
maturative powers of the plant require.

In countries, therefore, where this is the case, man-
ure may be added to the soil with even greater advan-
tage than in the native district of the vine. But as
soon as we pass northward of that specific line of de-
marcation which terminates the northern limit of the

THE ROOTS OF GRAPE VINES. 171

indigenous district of the vine, the reverse, as has been
already stated, takes place. As the power of the sun
becomes progressively weaker, so also does the fruit-
bearing powers of the vine, while the growing powers
of it progressively increase. And when this is the
case, to stimulate the soil in which vines are planted,
is to cause an increase of growth, when that growth is
already naturally too strong.

If, with an increase of growth, a corresponding in-
crease of solar light and heat could by any means be
produced, the case would be very different. Then,
indeed, the powers of the vine would harmonise to-
gether, and the balance betwixt the roots, and the
foliage and fruit, be thereby more equally preserved.
But as this is impossible, other means than stimulating
the growing powers of the vine must be resorted to, to
make it become prolific, and those means are to make
the best possible use, in every conceivable way, of the
solar light and heat that we do possess.

To return now to the consideration of the effects of
highly manured borders. It must, however, be first
remarked, that the preceding observations on the ef-
fects of manure are intended to apply exclusively to
vines cultivated under glass, and not to those trained
on the open wall. These latter frequently suffer from
adverse contingencies of the season, and are thereby
exposed to many drawbacks on their growth ; manure,
therefore, of a dry and moderate nature, and of per-
manent duration, such as bones, may be beneficially
applied to the soil in which their roots are growing.
But the case is very different with vines, the branches
of which are trained under glass. The foliage of these
never exoeriences the adverse effects of strong or
parching winds, or storms of hail, or long continued
drought. The shoots and leaves are so completely
under command, that the cultivator can make the vines

172 ON PLANTING AND MANAGING

do almost what he pleases. He can at any time create
a temperature that is warm and moist ; and this is so
congenial to the growing shoots and leaves of vines,
that in an atmosphere of this description they will al-
most get their own living without troubling the roots
for any nourishment at all. It is a mistaken notion,
therefore, to suppose, that because a vine is forced,
that is, made to produce its fruit at a contrary period
of the year than under natural circumstances it other-
wise would do, it, therefore, requires a highly manured
border for the roots to grow in. Quite the contrary
is the case, and yet how universally is this notion acted
upon !

The effect of forcing vines under glass is to cause
great rapidity of growth in the shoots, and this is un-
favourable to the formation of good fruit buds. Slow-
ness of growth is the first step towards the production
of good bearing wood ; and this point should be aimed
at by exposing the shoots during their growth to the
greatest possible amount of light and heat. These
all-powerful agents will check the too rapid growth of
the shoots, and thereby produce short-jointed wood ;
and this description of wood, in whatever part of the
world it may be produced, is always prolific.

Some few years since, the author received a bundle
of vine cuttings from one of the most celebrated vine-
yards in Spain. They were the entire growth of the
year, as each had a portion of the preceding year's
wood attached to it. The longest shoot measured 8£
feet, but the average length was about eight feet. The
wood was perfectly cylindrical, and of the closest tex-
ture, and almost as hard as heart of oak. The buds
were large, prominent, and highly symmetrical, and
stood out in bold relief on the sides of the canes. They
were produced so near to each other as to be only If
of an inch apart. Now, a corresponding shoot pro-

THE ROOTS OF GRAPE VINES. 173

duced in this country by an established vine would be
about 25 feet in length, and the buds would be, on an
average, distant from each other betwixt 4 and 5
inches. The shoots produced in these different coun-
tries, therefore, would each contain pretty nearly the
same number of buds ; and the question immediately
arises, what was the cause of the great disproportion
that existed in the length of these shoots 1 Simply, no
other than the greater intensity of the light and heat
which the Spanish shoots enjoyed over the English
shoot. Nature was as long manufacturing 1£ of an
inch of wood in Spain as she was 4£ inches in this
country ; but then, in the former instance, the bright
light of the sun, and the intensity of his rays, would
not let the shoot go ahead. Their united influence
caused it. to linger in its growth, and its watery sap,
therefore, was turned into a jelly-like substance almost
as fast as it was produced, and then fine fruit buds was
the natural consequence. And these shoots may be
considered as types of all others produced within the
vinous latitude.

Thus it will be seen that a certain amount of direct
solar light and heat will cause slowness of growth in
the shoots of a vine, and the consequent production of
fine fruit buds ; any point of culture, therefore, that
may he followed for the purpose of causing a vine to
grow fast, and to compel its shoots to elongate at a
railroad pace, is a step taken in the wrong direction,
and calculated to produce an opposite effect to that
which is intended, and such is the case with rich and
highly manured borders, which incite the roots to an
unnatural growth, and cause the shoots to elongate at
too rapid a rate, thereby producing long-jointed ple-
thoric wood, and such a mass of rampant foliage as
can with great difficulty be kept within its allotted
bounds. All such borders are at the same time much

174 ON PLANTING AND MANAGING

colder in consequence of the stimulating substances of
which they are composed, and the frequent top dres-
sings they receive, settling down into a solid adhesive
mass, and thereby increasing the disparity that exists
betwixt the temperature of the roots and branches.

And it is this disparity that is the prolific source of
the mishaps and failures that are so constantly occur-
ring with vines under glass, especially with those that
are forced early. The colder the soil is in which the
roots are planted, the later will it be in spring before
they move and yield nourishment to the branches ;
and, unless some kind of artificial warmth be given to
the roots, they cannot produce new ones, until excited
thereto by the influence of the solar rays, and these are
not sufficiently powerful for that purpose until a long
time after the vernal equinox. The difference in point
of time which exists betwixt the period when the buds
open, and the shoots of the vine elongate, and that of
the emission of new roots, is at all times much greater
than is usually supposed. Even vines on the open
wall, the roots and branches of which are moved solely
by the natural warmth of the sun, generally produce
leading shoots three or four feet long before any new
roots make their appearance.*

* This year (1844) the author had occasion to examine
upwards of a thousand young vines (part of his nursery stock) of
the respective ages of one, two, and three years, the shoots of
which had been growing, although slowly, from the 1st of April
until the 1st of July, on which latter day the examination took
place.

But notwithstanding a period of three calendar months had in-
tervened, not one of these vines had the slightest appearance of
the formation of any new roots. The shoots and leaves had
therefore been living during that long period of time entirely on
the sap contained in the buds and the small portion of wood left
in, in the preceding year.

The unexampled drynessof the spring was, without doubt, the
cause of the non-appearance of the new roots at so late a period
of the season.

THE ROOTS OF GRAPE VINES. 175

But with vines forced early under glass, the disparity
is surprisingly great. The roots, having no artificial
assistance, do not move one minute sooner in the
spring, because the branches are made to do so.
These latter are produced from, and entirely live on,
the sap contained in the buds and branches. The
first movement of the sap takes place in the upper-
most buds ; it is there excited and liquified by the
heat, the buds then open, and a shoot is the conse-
quence. The same process quickly follows with all
the other buds downwards ; and after the sap of the
preceding year's wood is exhausted, the main trunk or
stem of the vine becomes affected by the heat, and the
moisture stored up in its cells, is, in consequence,
gradually melted or liquified, and when in this state it
continually sends up nourishment to the parts above ;
and if the vine be an established one of some years'
growth, it will yield a large supply for even months to
come. Indeed, it is the only source of nutriment that
the green shoots and leaves have at their command,
until the emission of new roots, except that which is
presented to them by the moisture of the air by which
they are surrounded. The main trunk of the vine
being now, therefore, the grand reservoir of supply,
the organisable matter deposited in its cells is gradually
expended in the elongation of the shoots, and the for-
mation of leaves and fruit. And such is the extraor-
dinary powers of expansion which this matter is en-
dued with, that out of a cubical inch of it nature will
create a shoot a dozen feet long, and clothe it with vi-
gorous leaves, and the leaves in their turn will extract
from the air as much food as will make that shoot half
as long again. From these sources of the branches
and leaves of the vine, then, the whole mass of the
foliage and also the fruit will derive their nourishment
for a long period of time, while the roots are yet asleep,

176 ON PLANTING AND MANAGING

and have no part nor lot in the matter ; and if the vine
should have been forced very early, the grapes will be
actually swelled off before the solar heat can have put
in motion the sap contained in the roots. Unless,
therefore, artificial means be used to make the roots
move before their natural time, an early forced vine
will present the very singular anomaly of having pro-
duced a vast mass of foliage, and a matured crop of
grapes, before the roots can have contributed any thing
towards their support.

And what are the consequences that result from com-
pelling nature thus to produce foliage and perfect
fruit, when her grand agents, light and heat, are com-
paratively dormant 1 Simply these, that if the sap con-
tained in the trunk and branches of the vine be all ex-
hausted in the formation of the fruit and foliage, before
that in the roots can come to its assistance and follow
up the supply, the fruit is then exposed to the fatal ef-
fects of shrivelling, and shanking, and all the other
numerous ills that so frequently befal early forced
grapes, and the vine itself suffers, in consequence,
what may be very aptly termed, a complete paralytic
stroke !

Sufficient, it is presumed, has now been said to show
the necessity of improving the culture of the vine, and
placing it on a more certain basis than it is at present
with reference to the management of the roots, by sur-
rounding them with such conditions as shall approxi-
mate more nearly to those they enjoy when growing
indigenously in their native country : and in doing
this the task will be abundantly simple. It has al-
ready been remarked that the roots of vines delight to
ramble amongst rocks and stones, and similar substan-
ces, and that when vines are planteal in soils abound-
ing in these substances they always produce finer and
better flavoured grapes, than when planted in any other

THE ROOTS OF GRAPE VINES. 177

description of soil. Such being the case, there will
be no difficulty whatever in making an artificial soil
of this nature, which shall be calculated in every re-
spect to produce a very superior growth of the vine.

In furtherance of this object, it happens that the best
description of materials for the intended purpose can
be easily procured, at any time, and almost in any
place. These are, broken bricks, lumps of mortar, char-
coal, and bones. The three first should be reduced to
the size of a hen's egg, or thereabouts. Larger or
smaller fragments will do, but when they are about this
size they are better calculated to retain the requisite
degree of moisture in connexion with the greatest pos-
sible extent of surface. The bricks should not be too
hard burnt, because their porosity is thereby lessened.
Old mortar should be preferred to new, when it can be
procured. The bones may either be broken into frag-
ments or deposited whole, and the fresher they are the
belter. Any description of bones will do, provided
they are those of animals arrived at maturity, and are
therefore of a solid and lasting nature. Such as have
marrow in them should be broken asunder, that the
interior surface may be available to the roots of the
vines, and the lighter and more porous the charcoal is,
the better will it answer the intended purpose. The
whole of these materials should be used in equal pro-
portion, measure for measure, and should be well
mixed together. But before this is done, the bricks,
mortar, and charcoal should be well soaked in urine,
and then used immediately. And as these substances
convey to the roots of vines an extraordinary supply of
nutriment in a highly concentrated form, a small quan-
tity in bulk, in proportion to that of common soil, will
be amply sufficient to support a single vine for a long
series of years.

The manner in which these materials are to be used

178 ON PLANTING AND MANAGING

so as to form a bed for the roots of vines, remains now
to be explained.

One general rule must be first laid down, and that
is, that whether they be deposited in an open border, or
in the interior of a vinery, they must be enclosed on
all sides within solid brick-work. This is necessary to
prevent the roots from penetrating into the adjacent
cold soil, and also to keep the materials always in a
moist state, for which purpose brick-work is admirably
adapted, on account of the porosity or power of suc-
tion or absorption of moisture which bricks are well
known to possess. If, therefore, any quantity of the
above-mentioned materials be enclosed in brick- work,
and placed compactly together, and in close contact
with the internal surface of the brick- work,
the whole body of those materials will in a short time
after they are so placed become moist, and, once moist,
they can never again, at any time afterwards, become
dry. They will, therefore, always be in that state
which is more suitable to the roots of the vine than any
other, namely, always moist, but never wet.

Another general rule also remains now to be men-
tioned, which must never be departed from. All vines
intended for early forcing should be planted inside of
the vinery.

The roots of vines so planted, being enclosed in
brick-work as before directed, are then protected from
all the cold agencies of the atmosphere, and are, more-
over, in the enjoyment of a much higher temperature,
in addition to which they receive the benefit of the
heated atmosphere of the vinery ; and these are ad-
vantages that cannot be estimated too highly. They
form, in fact, an integral part of the routine of early
forcing, the successful issue of which cannot be de-
pended upon without them.

This point being settled, the first step to be taken is

THE ROOTS OP GRAPE VINES. 179

to prepare the site for the reception of the materials
in which the roots are to be inserted.

In doing this, the following directions are to be ob-
served : —

1st. Assuming that a new vinery is about to be
erected, excavate the whole area of it to the depth of
three feet below the level of the surface, and carry the
soil entirely away.

2d. Prepare the bottom for the reception of a floor
of brick- work, by making the surface of it quite smooth
and level.

3d. Pave the whole area of the bottom with good
hard bricks, well jointed together, either with cement
or well-prepared mortar.

4th. Then lay the foundations of the walls of the
vinery on this flooring of brick-work, and carry the
walls up hollow as high as the surface of the adjacent
soil, so that the materials about to be enclosed within
them shall be protected from the chilling effects ot the
soil outside, and from any sudden accession of water
that may at any time fall thereon. The walls may
then be continued solid up to their intended height, al-
though every house intended for the early forcing of
grapes ought to have all its exterior walls built hollow
from top to bottom.

5th. As the floor of the vinery is to be laid with
bricks, the surface of which is to be an inch higher
than that of the surrounding soil, provision must be
made for the bearing of the sides and ends of such of
the paving-bricks as will come in contact with the
walls, by having a set-off in the brick-work of the sides
and ends of the walls of not less than an inch in
breadth.

6th. Now, as a series of walls are to be run up par-
allel to the ends of the house for the flooring-bricks to
rest upon, the next step to be taken is to divide the area

180 ON PLANTING AND MANAGING

of the bottom into as many equal portions or breadths
as shall be equal to the number of vines intended to be
planted.

Thus, if the vines are to be planted four feet apart,
draw a line from the front to the back, that distance in
the clear from one of the end walls, and on this line
run up a wall to such a height that the surface of the
top of it shall range exactly even with that of the set-
off in the main walls. This cross-wall must be built
solid, and in the usual manner, with the bricks laid
flat ; the breadth of it will therefore be about 4£
inches, giving a bearing to the flooring-bricks of 2J
inches. Then divide the space thus enclosed, into
parallel spaces of the same width as the bricks are long.
On all the lines that mark the divisions of these spaces,
run up, successively, walls built in a brick-on-edge
manner, the surfaces of the tops of which must range
evenly with each other, and also with that of the solid
wall already built. These walls will be about 2£
inches thick, and will, therefore, afford a bearing for
the ends of the flooring-bricks of 1£ inch. These
walls, it must be observed, are not to be built solid, but
in what is called a pigeon-hole manner, that is, with
open spaces left at regular distances in the brick-work.
When these brick-on-edge walls are finished, one com-
partment for the reception of a single vine will be com-
plete, as far as the walls are concerned ; and all the
remaining area of the bottom of the house is to be oc-
cupied by walls built up in the same manner, and en-
closing a similar space within each compartment. The
solid walls are for the purpose of keeping the roots of
the vines separate from each other, and the intermedi-
ate walls have open spaces left in them, to permit the
roots to ramble freely throughout the entire mass of
materials deposited within each compartment. The
roots of each vine being thus kept separately, any vine

THE ROOTS OF GRAPE VINES. 181

can be taken up and removed, if circumstances should
at any time render it necessary, without disturbing the
roots of the other vines.

7th. The cross-walls being all finished, they had
better be left for the space of three or four days for
the brick-work to become dry and firmly set, after
which, the materials, being prepared in the manner al-
ready mentioned, may be deposited in the spaces betwixt
the walls.

They should be filled in by the hand, in moderate
quantities at a time, and place carefully and compactly
together, clear up to the tops of the walls, so that the
under sides of the flooring-bricks, when laid, may be
in close contact with them.

8th. The materials being thus deposited, the floor
may then be laid down ; and this is to be done with
good hard bricks, of the very best description, and,
with the exception about to be mentioned, joined to-
gether with well-tempered mortar, taking care that the
joints be struck neatly and in a workmanlike manner.
The bricks are, of course, to be laid lengthways, with
their sides parallel to the back of the house, and their
ends will then rest on the cross-walls, for which pur-
pose they are expressly built.

Now it must be particularly observed that that row
or course of bricks that runs from the front of the house
to the back, which is the centre row of each compart-
ment, and under which course a vine is to have its
roots planted, is not, when put down, to be cemented
with mortar or anything else, but laid edge to edge and
fitted in closely, without any joints being made, other
than those which the bricks themselves make, so that
they can easily be taken up, and laid down again, at
any time when it may be thought necessary, for the
purpose of increasing the moisture of the bed of ma-
terials by adding water or liquid manure. The whole
p

182 ON PLANTING AND MANAGING

floor might, indeed, be laid in this manner, without
any of the joints of the bricks being cemented, but this
plan would be very injurious to the roots, for the fol-
lowing reason : — soon after the roots begin to traverse
the bed of mateiials, a great number of them will ram-
ble upwards until they reach the under surface of the
brick flooring, being attracted thereto by the warmth
of the atmosphere of the house, and also by solar in-
fluence. When the roots once get there, they will
quickly multiply by thousands, and feed on the under
surface of the bricks of the floor, because it will be
warmer and moister than any other part of their bed.
The increased moisture of the flooring-bricks will be
caused by those copious sprinklings on the floor of the
house, which are so advantageously given to vines
under glass, from the time of the setting of the fruit
until the berries are about to swell off, and which, by
creating a moist atmosphere at night, enable the fruit
and foliage to absorb that additional nourishment which
they stand so much in need of at this particular period
of their growth. A considerable portion of the water
thus sprinkled on the floor will find its way down to the
under surface of the bricks, and consequently it will
thus be seen that what is so extremely beneficial to the
fruit is also equally beneficial to the roots. If the
flooring-bricks, therefore, were to be taken up at any
time after the roots of the vines had become well
established, this grand source of nourishment to them
would be entirely cut off. One course of moveable
bricks, therefore, running along the middle of each
compartment containing one vine will be sufficient for
the purpose before mentioned. When the flooring is
finished, the glazing &c. of the house should be done
without delay.

9th. Planting the Vines. — When this is intended to

THE ROOTS OF GRAPE VINES. 183

be done, the following directions are necessary to be
attended to :

When planted in the winter. — If the roots be loose
and free from mould, provide for every vine two pieces
of flannel, or of any description of coarse woollen
cloth, sufficiently large to cover over the roots when
they are all spread out at length.

Put these pieces of cloth in soap-suds, to be well
soaked, and while that is being done take up a suffi-
cient number of moveable bricks, and then rake away
with the hand the materials of the bed where a vine is
to be inserted, under the course of moveable bricks, to
the depth of three inches, and to such an extent of sur-
face as will be sufficient for the roots to rest upon,
when they are all extended. Then make the surface
of this space quite smooth and even.

After which, take the two pieces of cloth out of the
soap-suds, and, having drained them for a couple of
minutes, spread one of them out on the surface of the
bed, for the reception of the roots. This being done,
take the vine, and fixing the stem of it in its proper
place and position, spread the roots out carefully to
their full extent on the wet cloth ; then lay the other
piece of wet cloth on the roots, and replace the mate-
rials that were raked off at the beginning, on this up-
permost wet cloth, taking care to put only a small
quantity at a time, and to place them compactly to-
gether, so as to cause all the roots to be in close contact
with the surfaces of both pieces of cloth, then re-lay
the bricks on the floor in their proper places.

The roots will then lie warm and moist betwixt a
couple of blankets, and being thus taken care of, will,
in consequence, send forth new roots with the greatest
facility when the proper season arrives. Thus one
vine will be disposed of, and the others are of course
to be planted in the same manner.

184 ON PLANTING AND MANAGING

If the roots, however, are in a pot, the mode of
planting must be a little different. In this case, the
ball of earth in which the roots are growing had better
not be disturbed. Provide, therefore, one piece of
cloth for each vine, and soak it in soap-suds as before.
Then take the vine out of the pot with the ball of earth
entire, and wrap the wet cloth round it, taking care
that it be in close contact with the surface of the soil
of the ball. This being done, bind the cloth tightly
round with packthread, in a sufficiently firm manner
to keep it in that state, and then insert it in the bed of
materials in the usual manner, taking care that they
are placed closely round the ball, so as to leave no open
space for the air to dry up the moisture. The wet
cloth that will thus remain bound round the roots, will
offer no impediment whatever to their growth, for they
will quickly penetrate through it in all directions, and
in the course of a few months devour the whole so com-
pletely, that not a vestige of it will remain.

When planted in the summer. — In this case the roots
will, of course, be in a growing state, and in a pot,
otherwise the vine cannot be transplanted with safety
at this season of the year. Provide a piece of cloth
as before, and soak it in warm soap-suds. Then take
the vine out of the pot and wrap the cloth round it in
the manner already mentioned, taking care as the
roots are newly formed, and therefore very tender, not
to bind the cloth round too tightly. This being done,
insert it in the bed of materials as before. It will be
of great advantage to a vine planted in this way in
summer, to give it about a quart of good rich warm
soap-suds every day for a fortnight after it is planted,
as this will most materially promote its growth.

In planting vines under glass, care should always
be taken to avoid the common, but capital error, of
placing the stems of them directly under the rafters.

THE ROOTS OF GRAPE VINES. 185

Rafters and sashbars reduce the quantity of light that
the glass admits, and thus operate injuriously ; they
are, however, necessary evils, but the fewer there are
in number within a given space, and the less surface
each occupies, the better. But to plant a vine, the
main stem or branch of which will become one of its
grand receptacles of nourishing matter, in a situation
where the direct rays of the sun can never reach it, is
certainly one of the most absurd and contradictory
things imaginable. The proper situation, without
doubt, is under the centre of a light : the main stem
and all the branches, and, of course, the fruit also, will
then enjoy the full power of the sun.

The bed of materials being made and enclosed, and
the vines planted, a brief review may now be taken of
the conditions by which the roots are surrounded.

Here, then, is a mass of materials, the mechanical
texture and arrangements of which constitute the very
delight of the vine.

The innumerable cavities and interstices, and the
extraordinary extent of surface for the roots to tra-
verse which such a mass possesses when put compactly
together, offer to the roots of the vines planted in it
such facilities of growth, and the substances them-
selves such means of nourishment and support, as can-
not be obtained from an hundred times its bulk of
mere soil. All the substances, except the bones, pos-
sess in common the highest powers of absorption. The
porosity of charcoal is such, that its cells occupy more
than one half of its cubical contents. The beneficial
effects of it, therefore, as an absorbent, and a retainer
of moisture, render it invaluable as a component.
Whereve" charcoal is placed in situations that exclude
the atmospheric air, dryness can never enter, tt is
said to be under such circumstances indestructible ;
but that is not the case when the roots of vines fasten

186 ON PLANTING AND MANAGING

upon it, for their spoDgioles soon abrade its surface,
and appropriate its particles to their nourishment and
support. The same process do they effectually per-
form on the bricks and mortar.

And with reference to bones, the direct nutriment
which they afford is more lasting in its nature than
any other known substance. And all these substances
lying thus close together, within a small compass, are
at the immediate command of the vines, the roots of
which have not to traverse through a vast mass of soil
in search of food, by which their growth is frequently
impeded and an injurious check thereby given to the
vital energies of the vines. The roots, indeed, are
surrounded by all the conditions necessary to create
in them a healthy action. They lie warm, for the
temperature which they enjoy is many degrees higher
than that of common soil, and at the same time they
are beyond the reach of all sudden atmospheric
changes. The shoots which they produce will always
be short-jointed, and therefore fruitful, because of their
comparative slowness of growth.

The practical advantages of these conditions are,
that vines growing in the enjoyment of them, may be
forced with perfect safety, six weeks sooner than they
could be under ordinary circumstances. And, as a
crowning advantage, a bed of materials for the recep-
tion of the roots of vines put together in the manner
here recommended, when once made, is made, if not for
ever, at least for a long series of years.

A brief recapitulation of the numerous advantages
resulting from the practice of planting vines wthin a
house, and surrounding their roots with conditions more
in accordance with those that exist in their native
country, having now been made, a few words may be
offered, in reference to that large class of glass erec-
tions which abound throughout the country, namely,

THE ROOTS OF GRAPE VINES. 187

Greenhouses,Conservatories, &c., and in which, though
vines are frequently cultivated, they are generally
treated as subordinate to other purposes.

In these houses, grapes not being the principal object,
the management of the vine is, in general, of an in-
ferior character. The roots of them are taken but lit-
tle account of, being generally planted outside in an
open border, and suffered to ramble about without any
attempt being made to bestow on them more favour-
able conditions of growth.

Vines that are subjected to this description of glass
culture are brought under notice here, for the purpose
of suggesting, that if an improvement in their culture
be desired with reference to the better management of
their roots, it can easily be accomplished, by making a
bed of materials, such as has been already described,
and enclosing it in brickwork outside of the house.
This would be a decided improvement, and one that
would be far better calculated to insure the production
of good fruit, than any other that could be adopted,
while the roots are suffered to ramble about unrestrain-
ed in the open soil. Where, therefore, this improve-
ment is intended to be made, the roots should be care-
fully taken up at the proper season, and pruned back,
and then temporarily tied up in plenty of matting so
that the air cannot affect or injure them. The soil of
the border should be then excavated to the breadth of
about 8 feet, and to the depth of 2£ feet, which is suf-
ficiently deep for an outside border. There are two
ways of enclosing the bed of materials that is to be
formed in place of the soil taken away, namely,
either with the surface of it paved with bricks, or with-
out it.

If the surface is to be paved, then the brickwork
is to be done in precisely the same manner as that al-
ready described for the inside of a vinery, with the

188 ON PLANTING AND MANAGING

two following exceptions ; — 1st, the whole upper floor-
ing of brickwork is to be laid in mortar, no courses of
moveable bricks being required for a bed outside of the
house, as a sufficient quantity of moisture for the
roots will find its way through the bricks forming the
surface. 2d, The surface of the bed must be sloped so
that the front of it may be at least 6 inches lower than
that part that joins the house.

If the surface of the bed is not to be paved, then the
brickwork forming the bottom flooring is also to be
sloped, as well as the top surface of the materials, to
the same extent as that in the preceding case. The
object in view in sloping the bottom, is to admit any
excess of water that may at any time fall on the bor-
der to drain away. To effect this more readily, a few
very small crevices must be left open in the bottom of
the front wall, just at the junction of the flooring and
the wall. And as there is to be no brick flooring on
the upper surface of the bed, the cross walls that are
pigeon-holed are, of course, not wanted, but it will be
advisable to run up the solid cross walls, that are in-
tended to keep the roots of each vine separate from
each other. The preparation and filling in of the bed
of materials is to be effected in the same manner as al-
ready described. The roots of the vine should also be
deposited in the bed of materials in a similar way, be-
twixt two pieces of wet woollen cloth, and in this latter
case, where the surface of the materials is open, the
roots should be laid in six inches below the surface.

If the borders outside of greenhouses, &c., be thus
made for the roots of vines that are cultivated within
them, the superiority of the fruit would, in consequence,
be such as to amply repay the trifling expense incurred
in making them.

A similarly beneficial effect on the fruit of vines
cultivated on the open wall would, without doubt, be

THE BOOTS OF GRAPE VINES. 189

produced, by making artificial borders of materials en-
closed in brickwork in the manner already described,
in all cases where either the soil or subsoil is naturally
stiff, adhesive, and cold.

THERE remains now to be described a mode of cul-
tivating the vine, which, from its simplicity and eco-
nomy, and its easy practical adoption, recommends
itself most especially to the notice of a vast class of
persons who are not in possession of the means to
practise any of the usual methods of culture.

This mode of culture is based upon two important
principles connected with the growth of the vine.
The first of which is, that a body of substances or ma-
terials, of the nature already described, being enclosed
in hollow brickwork or masonry erected on the surface
of the ground, will nourish and support the roots of a
vine inserted therein, as effectually as it would do, were
the brickwork or masonry enclosing the materials
placed below the surface of the ground. The second
principle is, that the roots of a vine, when enclosed in
this manner, and supplied with the requisite degree of
moisture, will strike upwards, and grow as freely in
that direction, as they will downwards or horizontally,
when the brickwork and materials are beneath the sur-
face of the earth.

On these two important principles, an easy and
novel mode of cultivating vines may be practised,
which may be described as that of building hollow
brick erections on the surface of the ground, of any
shape, circular, square, or otherwise, and filling them
with dry materials of the description already mentioned,
then planting in each erection, amongst these materi-
als, the roots of a vine, and training the branches of it
on the outside surface of the brickwork.

190 ON PLANTING AND MANAGING

These are the principal features of this method,
which, perhaps, will be more clearly understood from a
detailed account of the mode of putting up an erec-
tion of this description, and planting a vine inside of it.

For this purpose, a hollow circular column, five feet
high, and three feet in diameter, may be chosen. A
circular erection is the best, because the sun will shine
all round it throughout the growing season, and also
because the shoots of a vine can be trained so much
more easily round a circular column than round one of
any other description having corners or angles to it.

It must first be observed, that, as the soil or ground
on which erections of this description can be put, will
have no connexion whatever with the roots of the vines
that are to be enclosed within them, proper and conve-
nient sites may be chosen wholly irrespective of the na-
ture of the soil on which the erections are to be built.
Any situation, therefore, will do, provided it be sheltered,
and have an open exposure or aspect facing the course
of the sun.

Assuming, then, that a proper site has been chosen
for the erection of a column of the above-mentioned
description, the following directions in building it are
to be observed : —

1st. Lay a course of bricks on the ground in the
form of a square, the sides of which shall measure four
feet. This is to form the base of the column, and is
intended to give it an architectural feature. Now, if
tho site be near any building or wall, or straight path,
then the sides of this base must be at right angles with
that building, or wall, &c. ; but, if none of these exist,
then the base must be laid with its corners pointing to
the four cardinal points of the horizon. The joints of
the brickwork are to be filled in with cement or
strong mortar, so as to prevent the roots of the vine
from penetrating through into the soil beneath.

THE ROOTS OF GRAPE VINES. 191

2d. The base of the column being laid, the circle
for the brickwork of it must then be accurately marked
out ; after which, the first course of bricks is to be laid
flatwise, so that their inner ends may point to the cen-
tre of the circle, and their outer ones form the periphe-
ry of it. Half bricks will be sufficiently strong, pro-
vided that at four equally distant parts of the circle,
in every course, a whole brick be laid, which will
strengthen the work and make it firm. Half
bricks, while the cost of them is much less, will
not require so much cutting as whole ones, and they
will, also, leave a greater space inside of the column
for the reception of the materials. The first circular
course being laid, the interior is to remain as it is, hol-
low.

3d. Now mark the exact spot in this course where
the shoot of the vine is to go through the brickwork,
and this should be opposite the centre of one of the
sides of the base, that faces either the south, or east,
or any intermediate point. This spot being marked,
the second course of bricks is to be laid as before, ob-
serving that, as the shoot of the vine is to go through
here, a semicircular hole is to be made in the upper
surface of the brickwork, of an inch and a half in di-
ameter, to form a passage for the shoot. The second
course being laid, a sufficient quantity of materials to
fill the column, of the description already mentioned,
(see page 177,) having been previously provided and
properly prepared, the hollow space is now to be filled
with them as high as the surface of the brickwork.
They must be put in by the hand, and placed closely
and compactly together.

4th. Now plant the vine, observing the directions
respecting ihe roots given at p. 183, which are to be
strictly followed. The vine should be a strong plant
three years old. It is to be laid on its side, with its

192 ON PLANTING AND MANAGING

roots inside of the column, and its shoot passing through
the semicircular hole to the outside of it. That part
of the shoot that lies in the hole is to have all its buds
cut out, leaving as much of the shoot outside the
column as contains three good buds.

5th. The vine being thus planted, the third course
of bricks may be laid, taking care that a brick with a
semicircular hole, exactly the same size as the other,
is laid over the brick on which the shoot of the vine
is resting, and which will then be lying in a circular
hole, an inch and a half in diameter. The third course
being laid, the internal vacancy must be again filled
up with more materials, taking particular care to place
them close round the inner end of the hole containing
the shoot of the vine, so as to prevent the entrance of
mice, or any other unwelcome intruders. The hole
on the outside, also, should be filled with moss, which
will give it a more sightly appearance than if left
open, and likewise protect the roots during their
first growth.

6th. The remaining courses of brickwork may now
be laid in succession, and the materials filled in as the
work proceeds. When the column is built up within
three courses of its intended height, and the materials
filled in exactly even with the brickwork, a course of
whole bricks must be laid over the entire surf ace, taking
care that those which rest on the ^materials are not to
be laid on mortar, but merely jointed with it. This
course being finished, the last two are to be formed with
whole bricks laid flush with the outside, and with their
inner ends slightly sloping towards the centre of the
column, which will cause all the rain that falls on them
to run towards it, and fall into the sunken hollow space
that will be there formed by this circular ring of brick-
work. The circular space, which will be about 18
inches in diameter, and 6 inches deep, is intended as a

THE BOOTS OF GRAPE VINES. 193

receptacle for all the rain that falls on the surface of
the top of the column, which will filter through the
single thickness of the bricks, forming the bottom of
the hollow space, and thence be distributed by absorp-
tion throughout the whole mass of the enclosed ma-
terials, thereby supplying that moderate degree of
moisture to the roots of the vine, which contributes so
advantageously to its nourishment and support.

The column will now be complete. The sunken
space at the top of it may, if desired, be filled with
mould ; and mignonnette, or any other annual flower
of suitable growth, may be grown in it, and which,
hanging pendantly over the edge of the column, will
present a very graceful appearance.

The pruning and training of the shoots of the vine
will be the same as if planted against a straight wall.
The circular surface of a column of these dimensions
will contain 45 superficial feet ; a few years, therefore,
after its erection, the vine will annually yield 50 Ibs.
weight of grapes. The whole cost of erecting one,
including the enclosed materials, will be about 25s.

Columns may be erected of a larger or smaller size
than that here described ; but if the diameter be much
less than 3 feet, the shape must be that of a polygon
of many sides, if built with bricks of the usual shape,
on account of their ends being rectangular.

A column may be erected on any spare or conve-
nient spot, either contiguous to a dwelling, or in a
garden ; and by putting up a couple at opposite or
corresponding points, or a greater number sufficient
to form a harmonious combination, a highly ornamen-
tal appearance may thereby be created. The simple
contrivance of chambering the roots inside, and the
provision o? the sunken water-table at the top of the
column outside, prevent the necessity of the slightest
trouble being required ijn the management of the vine,

a

194 ON THE BOOTS OF GRAPE VINES.

beyond that of the ordinary routine of pruning and
training, while, at the same time, the vine is placed in
such superior conditions with reference to its roots,
that fine well ripened grapes may always be depended
upon.

On the whole, therefore, it may be said that this
entirely new method of growing grapes on the surface
of hollow brick erections, which has now been brought
under notice, and fully explained, presents so many
advantageous features, and is withal of such easy prac-
tical application, that a vast number of persons, who
have not hitherto possessed the means of cultivating
even a single vine, may now, at a trifling expense,
enjoy the very great luxury of having, at every re-
turning season, an ample supply of delicious and fine-
flavoured grapes.

APPENDIX.

APPENDIX.

The following remarks and observations on the culture of
the Grape in the United States, are selected from various
sources, and it is presumed will be found of advantage to
persons who are engaged in the growing of that delicious
table-fruit — the Grape.

Dr. R. T. UNDERBILL, of Croton Point, New-York, who
has attained to great perfection in the cultivation of the
Grape, has one of the finest vineyards in the United States,
containing twenty acres of Isabella and Catawba grapes,
and bearing as much fruit as he pleases to have remain on
the vines. The following is extracted from a communica-
tion made by Dr. Underbill to the OrchardisVs Companion:

In 1828-9, I planted about four acres of the choicest
French vines, selected from vineyards in France, among
which were the White Chasselas of Fontainbleau, Burgun-
dy, Frontignac, Imperial Tokay, &c. After three years'
cultivation, they produced but a small crop of fruit. Al-
though cultivated in the best manner as vineyard grapes,
they soon showed symptoms of decay, and the fruit was not
so sweet or as fine-flavored as either the Isabella or Ca-
tawba, Several gentlemen laid out vineyards of the above
kinds in the vicinity of New-York, about the same time I
planted mine, which, after a large outlay of money and
loss of time, proved to be worthless.

In 18?2, I cleared my vineyards of all the foreign vines
they contained, considering them an incumbrance. * * *

Having abandoned the foreign vines, I turned my atten-
tion to those which are indigenous to the United States. I

198 APPENDIX.

commenced replanting my vineyards with the Isabella in
1832, and with the Catawba in 1835, and have been in-
creasing them to the present time. I have now (1842) about
twenty acres of these grapes, principally the former, under
the most successful cultivation, and shall continue to in-
crease the number of vines till all my vacant ground is oc-
cupied. I find the native grapes susceptible of vast im-
provement by cultivation. The Isabella and Catawba,
which were growing in I he wild state about forty years
since, have improved exceedingly, and are capable of still
farther improvement by high culture.

The quality of my fruit has changed very much within a
few years ; the clusters and berries are much larger and
sweeter, the skin thinner, and the pulp has nearly disap-
peared.

The improvement in these, and others of our native
grapes, will be found to be progressive, and in a few years
we shall have no cause to regret the impossibility of trans-
ferring to our soil the delicate vines of Europe, rendered
feeble by centuries of close pruning. The native vigor of
the Isabella and Catawba is so much greater than that of
most of the vines cultivated in the vineyards of Europe,
that we shall be able to raise a greater quantity per acre
than they can possibly obtain.

There cannot be a doubt that excellent wine can be made
from many of our native grapes. Considerable quantities
are now made in the Carolinas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and
Indiana. * * * The Isabella is said to make a light
sweet wine, and also Cham paigne; the Catawba, on the
contrary, a very strong, excellent wine, not inferior to Ma-
deira. This is the opinion of a number of gentlemen who
have made the latter, and taken much pains to test its quali-
ties. The most prominent, object I have had in view, has
been the introduction of a healthy and delicious_article for
the use of the table.

Among the difficulties and enemies with which Dr. Un-
derbill has had to contend, and which experience has ena-
bled him to overcome, he states the rosebug has not been
the least. However, we cannot do better than let the Doc-
tor tell his own story.

APPENDIX. 199

Several years since, when my vineyards were smaller
than at present, I found the rosebug a formidable enemy.
They appeared on the vines when they were in blossom,
or just as the blossoms were falling off and the young grapes
forming, and devoured them with the greatest avidity.
This feast continued from eight to twelve days, or until the
cherries on the trees in the vicinity began to ripen, when
they with one accord flew to them, for a change of diet, I
presume, or from some other cause. 1 was quite familiar
with the habits of the caterpillar, and had been in the prac-
tice of clearing them from my orchards in the spring, before
they had destroyed scarcely a leaf. This I did not con-
sider a great or difficult matter, for they were enveloped in
a web early in the morning, and one man in a few days
was able to clear many hundred trees, by twisting them off,
web and all, with a basket, and carefully placing them un-
der his foot. The rosebug, however, did not, like the cater-
pillar, make their appearance in clusters or in webs, but in
small numbers at first, and scattered through the vineyards,
increasing rapidly every day. Though taken from the
vines on the trellis every morning, they continued to multi-
ply till the eighth or twelfth day, when they suddenly left
for the cherry trees, as before stated. I was at a loss at first
to know where they came from, till at length I discovered
the ground perforated with numerous holes, through which
they made their way to the surface.

I observed, when they first appeared on the vines, they
were so feeble as to be unable to fly even for a few yards.
Having surmounted all other difficulties, I was determined
not to be defeated in the vineyard cultivation of the grape
by this insect, and consequently resorted to the following
means for their destruction. I directed my men to take
each a cup, with a little water in it, and go through the
vineyards every morning, removing every bug from the
vines ; and this was done quite rapidly by passing the cup
under the leaf, and merely touching it, when the bugs in-
stantly dropped, and were received in the cup containing
the water. When the cup was full, they were soon des-
troyed Ly pressing the foot upon them on a hard surface.
After all of them had been taken off, on the following morn-
ing there were ten on the vines where we had found but

200

APPENDIX.

one ; and on the succeeding morning, after having been re-
moved as before, there were one hundred where there were
but ten, and so on. I was not discouraged, however, and
directed my men to persevere in the work of destruction,
and we should thus perhaps prevent the formation of an-
other progeny for the next season, for it is very easily shown
that they do not migrate to any great distance ; and by thus
destroying the present race, I am convinced that we insure
ourselves from their further depredations to any injurious
extent. When a person of some energy has cleared them
from his vineyard or garden, he is pretty certain to enjoy the
benefit of his labor another season as well as the present,
though he may have a few from his less resolute neighbor.
Pursuing the course I have mentioned, I very soon lessened
the rosebug so much that they gave me very little trouble.

I also tried ploughing my vineyards just before winter set
in, so as to expose to the weather the insect in the larva
state, which will certainly destroy all the young tribe that
have not descended below the reach of the plough. For
two years past, the number has been so small, that I have
omitted this process for their destruction.

However expedient it may be to kill the rosebugs, even
by treading on them, the substitution of spirits of turpen-
tine, instead of water, is undoubtedly a much better mode,
and is obtaining more general practice. When used, the
rosebugs will not be half as numerous the next, as the pre-
ceding season, and the third year there will be comparative-
ly none, and scarce a berry will be injured.

In speaking of the failure in the successful cultivation of
the grape, Dr. Underbill uses the following language :

Another cause of failure has been a want of practical ex-
perience in the best mode of preparing the ground, planting
the vines, pruning, &c., so as to insure a vigorous growth
of bearing wood, and keep this from extending too far from
the roots of the vines, when planted with the desire of form-
ing a vineyard. The European method of pruning and
cultivating the grape is not altogether correct. The natural
vigor of our native vines is much greater than the foreign,

APPENDIX. 201

and they require different treatment. The more variable
nature of our climate, the greater heat experienced for three
or four months in the year, and the comparative coolness of
the nights during the same period, have a great infltfence
upon the vines, as do also the severe droughts with which
we are occasionally visited in the heat of summer. * * *
In selecting the ground for a vineyard, give that kind the
preference which is free from clay within fifteen or eighteen
inches of the surface, and is perfectly dry. Ground abound-
ing in springs, after thorough draining, is sometimes used,
but should not be selected if a preferable kind can be ob-
tained. Sand, slate, limestone formation, will answer well.
Side hills with a S., S. E., or E. aspect are generally pre-
ferred, leaving the N. (N. E. near the sea-coast) and W.
winds broken off, by trees, hedge, stone or board fence.

In the latitude south of the Highlands of the Hudson, I
find that the Isabella grapes ripen quite as well when
planted in a level field, protected from the North and West
winds by woods or hedges, as on declivities. Several of
my vineyards are thus located, and as far as I can perceive,
the fruit ripens at about the same time, and is of the same
quality as when the vines are planted on steep side-hills.
I think, however, that north of the Highlands side-hills
would be preferable.

To prepare the ground for a vineyard, the best way is to
turn under the whole of the surface soil from fifteen to
eighteen inches in depth, early in the spring, after the frost
is out of the ground, by ploughing twice in the same fur-
row. This will place the richest part of the soil in a posi-
tion where it will give the greatest supply of nourishment
to the vines. Few vineyards in this country have been
planted in this way ; but the cost is so small, and the ad-
vantages so great, that it should be done, wherever there are
no rocks or large stones to prevent it. Instead of adopting
this method of preparing the ground, many persons have
been content with digging large holes where they intended
to plant the vines, and placing in the bottom of these, six or
eight inche; of good soil, previous to putting in the plants.
A still greater number have not taken the trouble to resort
to either plan, but have planted the vines with the same
carelessness that they would a common animal, instead of
Q5

202 APPENDIX.

giving the attention and care each plant should require —
especially when it is expected to produce a fine crop of fruit
every season after it has commenced bearing, for a hundred
years.

The Isabella with me (adds Dr. U.) is more certain to give
a ripe crop every year than any oth.er fruit with which I am
acquainted. It ripens its fruit two or three weeks earlier
than the Catawba, and is therefore more sure to produce a
perfectly ripe crop in a short season.

J. J. THOMAS, of Macedon, N. Y., writes as follows on
the culture of the grape :

The chief requisites are a deep/loose, fertile soil, frequent
cultivation, and proper pruning. Among the best varieties
are the Isabella, which, for hardiness, great productiveness,
and sweetness of flavor, taken together, perhaps stands un-
rivalled ; the York Madeira, earlier, hardier, and possess-
ing less of the musky taste than the Isabella, to which it is
preferred by some ; and the Catawba, a large, beautiful,
productive grape, but not equal to the other two in flavor.
The Bland is a fine grape, but our seasons are too short for
its thorough ripening. These are all hardy American.
Among exotic grapes, the White Sweetwater is most ad-
mired, and is of most delicious flavor. The vines, how-
ever, require renewing every four or five years, to prevent
mildew; and require laying down every autumn to avoid
destruction from frost; but this renewing is no more than
the yearly planting of corn and potatoes, nor the laying
down than the autumnal harvesting of these crops. The
Malvoise is a smaller grape, but even more exquisite in iis
flavor. The Burgundy (Black Cluster, or Black Orleans,)
Is a very good exotic grape, and has the singular advantage
over most other exotics, of being quite hardy ; at least, it is
so in Western New-York.

Mr. WM. R. PRINCE, of Flushing, L. I., whose [practical
experience is well known, makes the following remarks :

The Grape requires a deep friable soil, and an exposure
according to the class to which it belongs. No fruit will ad-
mit of such plentiful manurings as this, provided it be pro-
perly applied. Decomposed vegetable or animal manures,

APPENDIX. 203

and, above, the blood of cattle from the butcher's stall, plen-
tifully and frequently mingled with the earth at a short dis-
tance from the main stalk of the vine, will cause a degree
of vigor and productiveness altogether astonishing. In re-
gard to pruning, the American varieties simply require such
thinning out during winter, as is necessary to prevent the
branches injuring each other by contact, and the removal of
such weak spurs as are immature and imperfect; but no
fear should be indulged that the vine, if in a good soil, is
not capable of maturing its fruit on any extent of branches
it may naturally produce, as among the most productive
vines found in Carolina, there are many instances where a
single vine covers an acre. Summer pruning is only called
for in locations where the vines are confined in too narrow
limits, and then is but partially required.

Among the vineyards that are scattered up and down the
Ohio, in the vicinity of Cincinnati, the following particulars
of that of Mr. MOTTIER'S will be found interesting:

The vineyard contains about six acres ; the vines planted
in rows six feet apart, and three feet apart in the rows.
They are trained to locust posts seven and a half feet high,
firmly fixed in the ground, and intertwined from hill to hill.
None but American varieties are cultivated, which are of
course hardy, and need no protection in winter. A plough
or cultivator is occasionally run between the rows, to keep
the soil in good order, and the weeds down. He prefers a
northern to a southern exposure, as the grape in that vi-
cinity oftener suffers from early or spring, than from late
frosts. Since 1820, he has lost but one crop from frost;
while on the Rhine, if three crops out of five are saved, the
vinedresser is fortunate. Fifteen hundred gallons of wine
were made in one year ; and the succeeding year, more
vines coming into bearing, the product was estimated at four
thousand gallons. The Catawba grape makes a white
wine, resembling the Rhenish Hock, and in good repute.
The Cape grape makes a red wine, more like Burgundy.
The wine sells readily at $1 per gallon.

One of the most successful efforts at the culture of the
grape and the production of wine that has been made in

204 APPENDIX.

this country, is that of Mr. JOHN DAVIS, in Indiana, near
Clinton, about ten miles from Louisville, Ky.

Mr. Davis has about seven acres in vineyard. The vines
are planted in rows six feet apart, and three feet apart in the
rows. The quantity of wine made from one and a half
acres is eleven hundred and seventy gallons. No European
vineyard has surpassed this ; and the ordinary product is
not more than half this quantity. Mr. Davis's mode of
training his vines is very simple. Posts eight feet apart are
set along the rows, with pegs in them fourteen inches apart.
On these, rods of wood or lath are laid and secured, and to
these the vines are lashed with bark. The ground should
be prepared by the spade, or trench ploughing, so as to place
the rich surface earth beneath the point of washing. Of all
the varieties he has tried, Mr. Davis prefers the Catawba,
and from this the wine was made. He uses cuttings of
well ripened wood, from sixteen to eighteen inches long, of
the last year's growth, cut before the sap begins to flow, and
cut square, immediately above and below a joint, as is gen-
erally practised in all countries with grape cuttings. The
holes are dug eighteen inches deep, and about the same
across, into which, about the middle of April, two cuttings,
one on each side, are placed, and the holes rilled with rich
earth. One or two buds should be left above ground, and
the earth well trod about the cuttings. The cuttings, when
taken from the vines, should be placed or buried in a cool
cellar ; and when taken out for planting, it is found to as-
sist their sprouting, to soak them twenty-four hours in rain
water.

Mr. S. WELLER, of Brinkleyville, Halifax Co., N. C.,
states that he is indebted for his success in the culture of the
grape, to his having abandoned the foreign or European
method, and adhering to his " American System." He has
obtained as high as $2 a gallon for his wine, of which he
makes annually some twelve to twenty barrels, besides the
sale of large quantities of grapes and wine-juice from the
press.

APPENDIX. 205

GRAFTING.

A simple mode of grafting is thus described in Ho-
vey's Magazine : Cut off the vine below the surface of (he
earth, split the stock as in cleft-grafting ; let the scion be of
one year's wood with two or three buds, make it wedge-
shaped, and insert it in the cleft ; if the cleft does not hold
it sufficiently firm, secure it by binding it tight ; draw the
earth over the whole, leaving the second bud from the top
uncovered ; take off all sprouts from stock and scion, ex-
cept one, and train that as usual. Those who have unpro-
ductive or wild vines, would do well to try this method.
The time is, after the vines cease to bleed.

Mr. DOWNING recommends that scions be cut in winter,
and kept buried in a cool damp cellar till wanted. About
10th June, or as soon as the leaves of the old vines are fully
expanded, cut off the stock smoothly below the surface of
the ground, split it and insert one or two scions in the usual
manner, binding the cleft well together, and drawing the
soil carefully over the whole, leaving two or three buds of
the scion above the surface.

To PRESERVE GRAPES.

Take a well bound cask, from which the head is to be re-
moved, and place at the bottom a good layer of fine saw-
dust or bran. On this place a layer of grapes, then each
clternately until the cask is full, taking care that there is
sufficient bran between each layer of grapes to prevent them
touching each other. Put on the head, which is to be ce-
mented, and the grapes will keep well for a year. When
used, in order to restore their freshness, cut the stalk of each
bunch, and place it in wine, as flowers are placed in water.

INDEX.

Alburnum, formation of the, 80.

Aspects, the best, described, 43.

Bearing-shoots, description of, 142.

Berries, advantages of thinning the, 120.

Blood, a good liquid manure, 61.

Bone-dust, an excellent manure, 59.

Bones, their beneficial effects when deposited in vine borders, 56
— a valuable component of an artificial vine border, 177 — the
qualities of, described, 186.

Borders, best materials for making, 47 — proper method of making,
47 — injurious effects of digging or cropping the, 50 — proper
method of watering, with liquid manure, 123— coldness of rich
and highly manured, 173.

Bricks, absorbing powers of, 178 — moveable floor, 181.

Buds, formation of, 95 — when to be rubbed off, 112.

Bunches, how to produce large, 97— method of thinning the, 118.

Carcases of animals, make excellent manure, 59.

Catalogue of the best sorts of grapes for open walls, 157.

Charcoal, valuable in vine-borders, 177 — its qualities, 185.

Column, mode of building a hollow brick described, 190.

Compost, the best sort for vine-borders, 48.

Copings, projecting, 67 — proper width, 68 — moveable wooden, 69.

Cuttings, raising vines by, 73— method of preparing and plant-
ing, 74.

Dung- heaps, drainings of. a good liquid manure, 61.

Excrements of birds and animals a good top-dressing for vine-
borders, 62.

Feathers, a good manure, 56.

Fish, a good top-dressing for vine-borders, 62.

Foliage of vines, capable of producing good wine, 17.

Fruiting-shoots, in what position to nail the, 113.

Grapesrtne quantity grown on a given surface of walling, 16 —
causes of not ripening, 45 — when in blossom, 116 — catalogue
of, 157 — soils in which brought to the highest perfection, 166 —
created by solar light and heat, 170.

208

INDEX,

Greenhouses, vines cultivated in, 186.

Hair, horns, and hoofs of cattle, as manure, 59.

Lateral shoots, how to manage, 114.

Layers, method of raising vines by, 71.

Leather, a good manure, 59.

Leaves, their great value in protecting the fruit, 119— injurious

consequences of plucking off the, 125.
Lime-washing the surface of vine-walls, 66.
Management of a young vine during the first five years, 100 — of

a vine during the winter, 145.

Manure, best sorts for vine borders, 55 — proper mode of deposit-
ing in vine borders, 60 — liquid, the best sorts of, 61 — caution

against the excessive use of, 62.
Night-soil, a good top-dressing for vine borders, 52.
Pruning, the chief object of, 77 — different methods of, 82 to 87 —

general rules for, 87 — general autumnal, 137.
Ripening process, described, 128.
Rocky soils, the vine delights in, 166.
Salt, its good effects when cast on a vine border, 146.
Sap, motion of the, 79— first movement of the, 175.
Scale of the proportionate quantity of grapes which any vine of a

given girt of stem can mature, 35 — practical application, 38.
Shanking, the cause in grapes, 176.
Shelter, necessary to the prosperous growth of vines, 39.
Shoot, how to nail, 1 13 — method of bending when young, 154.
Shreds, the best sort for nailing vine shoots and branches, 98.
Shrivelling, the cause of, 176.
Soap-suds, an excellent liquid manure, 61, 183.
Soil, best sort, 45 — low temperature in winter, 168 — artificial, 177.
Solar heat necessary to produce grapes, 170.
Soot, a valuable manure, 61.

Sprinkling the floor of a vinery, advantages of, 182.
Stable manure, beneficial to vine borders, 62.
Stem of a vine, described, 149.

Stony soil, suitable for the roots of vines to grow in, 166, 167.
Stoning process of grapes described. 126.
Subsoil, the best sort for the roots of vines, 46.
Syria, temperature of, 168.
Tendrils, when to be pinched off, 45.
Thinning the bunches, mode of, 118 — the berries, 120.
Training the branches, object of, 89 — the serpentine method, 90 —

in winter, 90 — in summer, 95.
Transplanting of vines, method of, 100.
Urine, a valuable liquid manure, 61, 177.
Vine, native country of the, 15— its introduction into Britain, 15

— the leaves, tendrils, and young shoots capable of producing

INDEX.

209

good wine, 17 — adaptation for culture in towns, 20 — the usual
method of cultivating on open walls, 24 — rule observed in pru-
ning, in foreign countries, 28 — the effects of warm summers in
ripening the bearing shoots, 28 — experiments made to ascertain
the extent of the fruit-bearing powers, 30 — injurious effects of
bearing fruit prematurely when young, 36 — vegetative powers,
169 — indigenous country of, 170 — manure not necessary when
forced, 171 — rapidity of growth unfavorable to the formation of
fruit-buds, 172 — winter planting, 183 — summer planting, 184 —
new mode of cultivating, 189 — where to plant, under glass, 184
— capital error often committed in planting, 184 — in pots, how
to be planted, 184 — favorable conditions when planted in dry
materials, 185 — when forced should be planted inside the vine-
ry, 178 — forced, temperature of the branches in winter, 168.

Vinery, excavation for a new, 179.

Vintage, general rule respecting the. 132.

Walls, most eligible height for training vines upon, 63 — best sort
of materials for building, 54, 65— on blackening the surface of,
66 — hollow, necessity of in all erections for forcing vines, 179 —
cross, necessity of in the bed of a vinery, 180 — pigeonhole, 18(X

Watering, with liquid manure, 123 — the foliage and fruit, 124.

Wind, injurious effects on the growth of vines, 39.

Wine, produced from the leaves, tendrils, and young shoots, 17.

Wood, injurious effects of old and naked, 81.

Woollen rags, a good manure, 59.

APPENDIX, 197-205.

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