I think it quite safe to say that more has been written about the cultivation of grapes than has - or ever will be - written about any other fruit. This is not surpris­ing, considering that the grape is probably the oldest of known fruits. Evidence that grapes have been grown here for centuries is found in certain parts of the country where careful inspection of sloping land shows remains of terraced vineyards.

Contrary to general belief grapes are quite easy to grow outdoors in this country and should be grown by the ordinary householder far more than they are. It is a mistake to believe that grapes need tropical weather to grow and ripen well; if this were so they could not be grown in Russia and Canada, where the vineyards are buried under snow each year. Even the vineyards of France are not harmed by an annual blanket of snow. Then why should they suffer here ?

The abundance of advice offered by experts about growing grapes, and the recommendations they make, are more likely to deter the would-be grower of grapes than encourage him in this worthwhile hobby. In any case, the advice and recommendations of experts usually apply to tender vines needing specialist treatment - not the good all-round varieties that do well almost any­where. Here the reader will find sufficient detail to enable him to get on with the job and to make a good show of it into the bargain. Surprisingly, grapes do not need loads of manures and fertilizers; they grow well on quite poor soils and need little after-attention.

The soil above the vine I once grew was covered with crazy paving, the only part exposed to sun and air being about a square yard where the vine had been planted years earlier. So you can see that lack of space is no excuse for not growing grapes. The roots will search out and find what they want; all we have to concern ourselves with is where to put the top-growth - the vine itself.

If one wall of your house faces south, south-west or even west, that problem is solved very easily. If you cannot plant the vine under that particular wall, plant it round the corner and train the vine round to the sunny side of the house. Grapes may be grown in the open garden in similar fashion to loganberries, or they may be trained over sheds, garages, out-houses and such-like.

Vines are not expensive - about ten shillings and sixpence is a decent price to pay for a vine (at the present time), and if two are planted, the yield for one guinea may be regarded as fantastic when considering the value of the wine that may be made for many years.

The best outdoor, general-purpose vine is un­doubtedly brandt. This is a free-growing black that crops heavily and does well almost anywhere. Brandt is the vine for the amateur wherever he may be living, for it is very hardy and needs very little attention. It is the only variety I need concern myself with here.

Planting is best carried out in autumn and in any case before Christmas. If planting against a wall, take out a hole about two feet each way and plant so that the stem of the vine is about fifteen inches away from the wall itself. Dig deeply and work in any compost that may be available and some builders' rubble if you can get some. A dusting of lime forked in will be helpful. Spread out the roots well and plant as recommended for fruit trees.

Having planted the vine, spread a little manure above the roots: this will not be necessary in subsequent seasons, but the vine will benefit from a mulch each spring if you can give it one.

Vines must not be allowed to fruit the first season; therefore they must be cut back to about four buds.

Having planted the vine and cut it back, we must decide how to train it to cover the wall. The best plan is to use special wall nails, run wires to and from these and train the vine to the wires.

The four long growths that come from the four buds you left when cutting back are stopped at the bud nearest the growing point. These four leaders are the basis from which the vine will be built up to cover the wall. If flower buds form during the first season, they should be nipped off so that the vine uses its energy producing wood for subsequent fruiting. First-season fruiting often permanently weakens a vine.

If no shed, wall or garage is available, a vine can be grown on the trellis system in the open garden. Con­crete posts are *best as these last indefinitely. Set them at six-foot intervals and protruding six feet above the soil; a system of wires may be arranged in the same fashion as that used for a wall. One of the best outdoor vines I have seen in recent years was grown on six eighteen-foot lengths of galvanized water piping. These were supported by three concrete clothes-posts - one each end and one in the middle. The vine had been planted against the middle one and stopped (cut back), at a bud three feet from the ground.

The side shoots that made rapid headway the first season were trained along the lower piping and tied in with strips of leather cut from old riding boots.

The following season, the new growth growing from the bud that had been left when the vine had been cut back at planting time was tied to the middle post and stopped when it reached the top. Side shoots growing from this were trained along the higher piping. When the side growths - laterals - reached the ends of the piping, these also were stopped. The process of filling in the framework was then carried out.

In three years a framework of six eighteen-foot pipes had been filled in and was bearing heavily. The first pipe had been fixed fifteen inches from the soil and subsequent pipes fifteen inches above each other.

It will be seen that, apart from the need for rather stronger supports, grapes are as easy to grow as logan­berries. All that should be borne in mind is that vines should be trained to rise slightly or remain on the horizontal - never downwards. When pruning, remem­ber that next year's fruit will be borne on the wood made this year. But we do not want masses of long, straggling growths hanging about all over the place, so during the summer it is best to cut some of them out. Those left to bear next year's fruit should be cut back to five or six buds in autumn or early winter. Only new growth should be cut during the summer; never cut old wood during summer - indeed old wood must never be cut after Christmas, as this can cause profuse bleeding which may be quite impossible to stop. By all means cut away some of the old growth to make way for new wood, but if this has not been done before Christmas leave it until the next winter.

Brandt ripens in September - or earlier if the summer has been good. This is especially advantageous because the weather is still warm enough for a satisfactory fer­ment when you come to make the wine. This is not so important to those who carry out their fermentation in the house, but where it has to be carried on in a shed or outhouse the warm weather is a great help.

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