MICHIGAN STATE I'OilOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 1G5 



four feet wide, aud of any length, on the side of your dwelling, 

 barn, fence, or garden walk, not shaded, and having, if con- 

 venient, a south-eastern aspect, as one hour of early morning 

 sun seems to be better than two hours in the afternoon. 



The evidence of this is that on the south-eastern side of my 

 house, grapes ripen one week earlier, and are better flavored 

 than the same variety on the south-western side, although the 

 latter have several hours more sun through the day. To 

 secure the best results, this strip of gi'ound should be trenched 

 to the depth of eighteen inches, or two feet. This is easily 

 done by excavating a hole two or three feet square to the 

 required depth at one end, and filling this up with the next 

 three feet, thoroughly mixing in with the earth as it is thus 

 inverted, enough well-rotied manure to make it rich, and so 

 on to the end, filling up the last space with the earth taken 

 out at the commencement. If the subsoil is clay or hard-pan, 

 it would be better to remove entirely six or eight inches of 

 the bottom. This would leave the surface of the border (as 

 we will now call it), the right depth when settled, for planting 

 the vines ; the subsoil to be replaced with surface soil put on 

 top of the border late in the fall. This trenching secures for 

 the roots a supply of food, aud immunity from the effects of 

 excessive drouth. 



In the spring of 1868, I planted some one and two-years-old 

 vines, in sandy soil on a steep hill-side, previously trenched 

 eighteen inches deep with the plow, assisted by three or four 

 men with shovels. A coating of well-rotted manure was first 

 spread evenly over the surface, and the trenching done by 

 turning all the furrows one way, commencing at the top of 

 the hill on the nght hand side of the piece and striking a 

 deep furrow from top to bottom, returning empty to go down 

 again in the same furrow. The men are stationed at intervals, 

 and as the plow passes each man the second time, he steps 

 into the trench and throws up the loose soil left by the plow. 

 We have now a trench eighteen inches deep, ready to receive 



