In the forcing of Vines to produce fruit in May (and it is little use having them earlier in these times of long-keeping late sorts), avoid above everything, as the greatest evil, high night-temperatures. Let the state of the weather decide the heat on any given night. Fixing a temperature to be worked up to all weathers is only a waste of fuel, and a waste of vital force in the plants. If from any cause rapid forcing is called for, let it be carried on by day, when the natural temperature is highest, and under the consolidating influence of light and more or less air. In a cold night do not be afraid to let the heat for Vines in leaf descend to 55°, rather than have singeing hot pipes to keep it at 60° or 65°; of course, if a very mild night, either of these figures may be wrought up to safely. The proper time to force is when Nature forces - by day; and she arranges her hottest nights to be when there is the shortest interval of darkness; so that, as the day lengthens and the sun strengthens, the temperature of the night can be kept higher with less fire-heat - and, of course, so it can by day, when some heat can be trapped and stored into the night.

In starting pot-Vines in December and January, it is sometimes necessary to do so with more heat than is good for them after they are fairly started. The buds of Vines never before forced are shy to start, and the better ripened the Vines are the harder they are to start. 60° may be applied both night and day till the buds move. The tops of the Vines should be bent down so as to be in the coldest stratum of air, or they are apt to burst and leave the rest too much in the rear. But as soon as all are fairly started, force by day and give comparative rest at night. We look upon this as a cardinal rule in all forcing of fruits or flowers, because it is Nature's rule. Now that the bottling system of Grapes has proved a successful one, there is no necessity for having Grapes on the Vines after the New Year. It is of great advantage to the Vines to get rid of their load, and to be thoroughly rested in a cool temperature, with plenty of fresh air. We could never see our way to drawing the water out of pipes and boilers, and letting Vines and vineries have all the winter frosts. In some cases this is practised to let the frost kill vermin. The vermin that infest Vines that cannot take care of themselves in a time of frost we have yet to discover.

In other cases the saving of fuel is the consideration - a very questionable saving; for we have seen the joints of hot-water pipes split when caught by frost; and we have known the Vines themselves hurt, to say nothing of the bad effects of frost on plaster, brickwork, etc. We prefer keeping the water in the pipes, throwing the vinery open at all ventilators and doors, letting wind blow through it, and lighting fires in time of severe frost to keep the pipes and everything else safe. Besides, thus managed, the vineries can be made use of in many ways for storing plants on which there are neither thrip, spider, norbug. Do not lose a day in pruning Vines whenever they are clear of fruit. The system of pruning best suited for such varieties as Muscat of Alexandria, Black Hamburg, Lady Downes, Alicante, Gros Colman, and most Vines, is the close spurring system - i.e., cutting back every year to the lowest eye on last year's growth. Such sorts as Golden Champion, Duke of Buc-cleuch, Muscat Champion, Gros Guil-laume, do not fruit so freely as a rule on the close spurring system as when two or three eyes are left.

These do best of all on the long-rod system, only in wide vineries with long rafters, when a young rod is run up the whole length of a 20 - feet roof, the lower portion of the Vines frequently does not start its buds so freely, especially if started with fire-heat. The best way in the case of such Vines is to have the fruiting canes 4 feet or 4 1/2 feet apart, and to have a wood producing one between each, with a growing point at the bottom of the rods, and one half-way up the lower growth, to grow, say 10 feet, and be stopped, and the next growing point to run to the top, thus giving two short rods that are more likely to start equally into growth along their whole length. At pruning-time fruited Vines are cut down 10 feet from the top, and the bottom growth is cut to the bottom of the roof, so that while one set of canes are bearing on young growths, the other set are producing these growths for the following year. This is a simple and safe plan with the varieties that do best on the rod system. Rub off all buds from the spurs of Vines that are far enough advanced to see in which bud the most compact bunch is coming. Do not quite close the ventilators at any time after Vines have broken into growth, unless it be when there occurs a very stormy cold night.

We never syringe Vines after they are fairly started, unless under very exceptional circumstances. We have to do with a sunk range of vineries, where the pipes are quite close to the foliage, and these are the only vineries where red-spider ever puts in an appearance, or is expected. Invariably spider begins the whole length of the vineries just over these pipes. Sometimes we have sponged the leaves, at other times we have syringed with clean water to get rid of it. In the other vineries, where the pipes are away from the Vines, we have not seen a spider since they were built in 1870, and the Vines are never syringed after the growths are half an inch long; indeed one house is never syringed at all. We damp the floors in the afternoon, and shut the house up closely for an hour or two, and in that way they get the refreshing influence of the moisture without the many evils of syringing.