Beeton's gardening book : containing full and practical instructions concerning general garden operations, the flower garden, the fruit garden, the kitchen garden, pests of the month, with a monthly calendar of work to be done in the garden throughout the year.

  • Beeton, Samuel Orchart, 1831-1877
Date:
[between 1870 and 1879?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Beeton's gardening book : containing full and practical instructions concerning general garden operations, the flower garden, the fruit garden, the kitchen garden, pests of the month, with a monthly calendar of work to be done in the garden throughout the year. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    178/280 (page 170)
    Plants may lie had of Messrs. Barr and Sugden, Covent-gardcn, at 50s. per hundred, or 9s. per dozen. 266.—GB APES. It is certain that our moist and cloudy climate is not favourable to the ripen- ing of the grape ; its cultivation in the open air, therefore, requires great care ; and in many seasons the most skilful management will fail to bring it to per- fection. Nevertheless, the graceful trailing habit and beautiful foliage of the vine render it highly ornamental on the walls of a house: and for this it is worth cultivating, with the prospect of some fruit in favourable summers. It is also certain that in former days vineyards of considerable extent were cul- tivated, some remains of which are still found in Gloucestershire. The vine is propagated by cuttings and by layering. Cuttings made early in March or the latter end of February may be planted about the middle of March. The cuttings must be shoots of last year, shortened to about 12 inches, or three joints each; and if they have an inch or so of last year’s wood at the bottom, it will be an advantage. They may be planted either in nursery rows until rooted, or planted at once where they are to remain, observing in the latter case to plant them in a slanting direction, and so deep that only one eye or joint is above ground, and that close to the surface. Vines are propagated by layering of the shoot of last year, or of a part of the branch, laying them about four or five inches deep and covering them with soil, leaving about three eyes above the ground ; they are also layered in large pots, either by drawing the branch through the drainage-hole and filling the pot with soil, or by bending the branch and sinking it four or five inches in the soil and pegging it down there; it may then either be grown as a potted vine, or, when fully rooted, transferred to its permanent place on the wall or vine border ; in the latter case the soil of the border should be dug out for three or four feet, as directed for other wall trees, a solid concrete bottom formed, with thorough drainage to carry off the water, and the border filled in again, first with bones and other animal remains, then with lime rubbish where that is available, and the surface with good loamy soil. In this soil the vine should be planted, the roots being previously trimmed and spread out horizontally, so as to radiate in a half circle from the crown of the stem. Under such an arrangement as this the vine comes rapidly into bearing. When the vine is approaching a bearing state, and the leaves have fallen, a general regulation of the shoots becomes necessary. In every part of the tree, a proper supply of last year’s shoots, both lateral and terminal, should be en- couraged, these being the principal bearers to produce next year’s fruit. All irregular and superabundant shoots should be cut out, and with them all of the former year's bearers, which are eithor too close to each other or which are too long for their respective places. Where it is not desirable to cut out the branch entirely, prune it back to some eligible lateral shoot, to form a terminal or leading branch. Cut out also all naked old wood. The last summer’s shoots thus left will in spring project from every eye or bud young shoots, which produce the grapes the same summer. The general rule is to shorten