The canes will grow with more regularity, if their points are retained in a pendent position; as the shoots grow out, tie them up. Admit air every favorable day; of course, cold, rustling winds must be excluded, but endeavor to inure them to free ventilation, and let the house be opened a little during the night, as soon as all danger from frost is past. It is a mistake to suppose that a constant high temperature will hasten the maturity of the crop. Even the lowering of 10 degrees during night is not sufficient. A difference at least of 20 degrees is absolutely necessary. To illustrate my meaning, I will briefly state the management and progress of two graperies as observed by me last summer, which I will designate as No. 1 and 2. No. 1 is furnished with a furnace for artificial heat; Blight fires were made early in March, to start the vines. The temperature was carefully kept up, and the house shut up closely at nights, until the grapes commenced to color. No. 2 had no heater of any description; the vines budded out in April, with the warmth of spring; the second week in May the top ventilators were lowered, so that an opening of four feet was gained continually the whole length of the house, and was kept in that position, without alteration day or night, until November. Now for the result.

The fruit in No. 2 was ripe and colored to the greatest perfection, and was cut before No. 1 - the grapes in the latter were red, while they should have been black. The vines in No. 2 ripened well; the leaves changed color, dropped off, and the canes winter-pruned, when those in No. 1 (I saw both houses the same day) were green and succulent, not a leaf indicating a tendency towards maturity.

Lawks, especially those recently sown, will be much benefited by a top dressing of soil, raked in and rolled, to counteract the lifting out of the grasses by frost. Drain and trench the ground for intended lawns; put your faith in that, and not in any mere mixture of seeds for a permanent turf.

Transplanting Evergreens can be proceeded with towards the end of the month. The cold winds of March, and the early portion of this month, are more injurious to evergreens than any other season. Therefore, it is not well to be in too great a hurry. Deciduous trees suffer less, as they do not present so great a surface for evaporation.

Grapery 120072BICTON PINE.

BICTON PINE.

Grapery #1

In cold houses, the fruit will be coloring. Badly colored grapes seem to be the rule; instead of being black, they are only red. Excessively rich borders, a high night temperature, badly constructed houses that will not admit of sufficient ventilation, and rigid adherence to injudicious systems of pruning, are, separately, sufficient causes of failure, What can be expected, then, when they are combined? Curvilinear houses are seldom constructed with sufficient top ventilation; in the endeavor to reduce the temperature, the atmosphere is saturated with moisture. The high temperature to which the branches are exposed, and the rich soil in which the roots are placed, tend to luxuriant growth. This growth, to accord with the system of pruning, must be constantly reduced. A degree of excitement is thus maintained, altogether at variance with natural growth, as is shown by deficient and immature crops. Cultivators should endeavor to acquaint themselves with the principles upon which their operations are founded; they would then be enabled to see through the rationale of their practice.

Those who follow a routine are simply empirics, and, in gardening matters, their name is legion.

Grapery #2

Air may now be more freely admitted than at any other period of the year, the better to mature the wood for next crop. Heavy rains should be excluded from the border if the fruit is well ripened. Another cause of badly colored fruit, not previously mentioned, arises from a too rigid summer pruning, checking the growth of the plant and hardening the wood before the fruit has derived sufficient nourishment for proper development. Where this is the case, no treatment now will remedy it.

Grapery #3

Where the borders are deep and imperfectly drained, it will be advisable to cover them, so as to throw off heavy rains. Ample ventilation may now be given; much, however, will depend upon the state of the plants. The wood ripening process should not receive any sudden checks, and, where there is a succulent growth, the house should be kept warm, in order to hasten maturity; keeping the borders dry, will materially assist in this respect.

The culture of grapes in pots is justly receiving more attention than it ever has done; they are easily cultivated, and as there Is always much spare space in the interior of graperies, the crop may be very much increased by a row or two of plants in pots set on the floor of the house. A surprising quantity of fruit can be produced in this manner, without interfering with the regular crop on the rafters. Pot culture is also most convenient for a greenhouse, as pots admit of removal at any time required in the arrangement of the house.

Grapery #1

The outside borders should receive a covering of manure or leaves; the dryer they can be kept during winter the better it will be for the plants. If the soil is in good condition, and the plants otherwise properly managed, the leaves will have changed color, the wood matured, and the vines become decidous. On the other hand, if the shoots have retained their leaves late, and the latter have not changed color, but have been overtaken by frost while still green, it is a sure evidence that the management is not perfect, and they will be liable to injury from a severe winter, even although partially protected. The soil is either too rich and damp, or the atmosphere has been kept too close and warm. In either case, the remedy is the same. Admit more air to the soil by drains, and ventilate more liberally, to hasten the ripening of the wood.

Grapery #1

There is this evil attending the management of a cold grapery: that should a few days of unusually cold or damp weather occur after growth has commenced, there is no way of guarding against a sudden check to the young and tender growths. Such checks are the most of all things likely to produce disease, which will be observed by the parts becoming mildewed; and the more tender and suoculent the growths, the greater the danger in this respect. Therefore I have advised what I invariably practice: that the vines should, from their first starting into growth, be inured to fluctuations similar to what takes place in the open air, although it will not, of course, be so sudden, nor to so great an extent as the outside temperature, on account of the intervention of the glass. In alluding to fluctuations of temperature in connection with plant-houses, it is with reference to the variations of night and day, as opposed to a uniform degree during these periods. The usual advice of books allows a decrease of 8° or 10° during night. What I contend for, is a lowering of from 20 °to 25° during the absence of light; so that growth will not be excited at that time.

In very warm, sunny weather, the day temperature may be allowed to exceed the night by 30° or 35°. It is a practice quite common to close the house early in the afternoon, and open in the morning. If this method of ventilating be closely observed, it will be found that the inside temperature will rise after the house is closed (when it ought to be gradually cooling), and, in the morning, the thermometer will suddenly drop 5° or 8° after opening the ventilators, when a gradual rise would be more natural. I do not recommend such minor fluctuations as these.

It is also part of the above system of management to allow air at night when the fruit is commencing to color. The sudden change of treatment checks the plant, and retards, instead of hastening, the coloring process. During the month of August, 1856,1 visited over thirty graperies in the States of Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, and the two finest crops were in houses that had never been completely closed during night from the time the fruit was set, although, when the days were cloudy and cool, the ventilators would be kept shut, and opened a little during night. This being in accordance with my own experience, it was gratifying to find it corroborated by others.

In the August number of the Horticulturist for that year, Mr. Huidekoper suggests that if I were to observe more closely, I would come to a different conclusion. His remarks only prove what, indeed, we all know: that it is oftentimes easier to throw doubts and surmises around a question than demonstrate its error. My advice is based upon experience, and not, as he supposes, upon analogy.

Grapery #2

In cold houses the grapes will be approaching towards maturity. Maintain a healthy, vigorous growth, by watering occasionally with liquid manure. It is much preferable to apply stimulants at this time than to grow in a highly enriched border. The fruit will certainly not color or ripen to perfection, unless a vigorous growth and an abundance of healthy foliage is preserved. The close spurring and close pinching system of management is the principal cause of badly colored grapes. All low the lateral growths to ramble now at will, "the maturation of the fruit is dependent upon the action of leaves and roots, and the secretions that it forms are principally derived from the former. Consequently, whatever contributes to the healthy condition of the leaves and roots will have a directly beneficial influence upon the fruit".