1869.] ANOTHER CHAPTER ON THE VINE. 83 



through a border, if it really does so, is beneficial to the roots ; cer- 

 tainly we have nothing of the sort in any of nature's fruit-borders. 

 We liold that the soil should be firm and compact about the roots of 

 all fruit-bearing trees and plants, let it be Apricots, Pears, or Pines, 

 and Strawberries, and even our Vine-borders, provided the soil com- 

 posing them be of the proper mechanical texture ; we abhor, of all 

 things, to be potching in our Vine -borders, and a compact soil is 

 incompatible with aeration, but not with drainage. What is called 

 aeration we conceive would be of great benefit in a damp and dropsical 

 climate, where the borders would readily get saturated and soapy 

 under the influence of heavy rain-fall. But what would be said to 

 " aerated " borders on a gravelly soil on the east coast, or even 

 thoroughly- drained borders on any bottom, where, as a rule, much 

 artificial watering is necessary 1 We know from abundance of ex- 

 perience that aeration, such as is found beneficial on the dripping 

 west coast, would be a long way worse than useless on the droughty east 

 coast, especially on light and naturally dry soils. Last season, in spite 

 of mulching and all the watering we were able to apply, our borders 

 got aerated very much more than we liked. Indeed, mulching, and 

 especially watering, is a very heavy item of our labour, and we know 

 from experience over more than one place on the west coast that such is 

 superfluous. Large Grapes (we mean berries) are the result of plenty 

 of feeding, either naturally through the medium of rain in a rich border, 

 or by the artificial application of liquid in some other form. No doubt 

 there are cases where, from the position of the borders naturally or 

 artificially placed, aeration and heating would be almost a necessity — 

 as, for instance, at Welbeck, where the borders are curiously sunk so 

 low beneath the general surface out of reach of the sun's rays, and in 

 an inland and elevated locality where the rainfall is abundant ; but 

 that only points more clearly to the superior arrangement of having 

 the borders entirely above the surface and unheated, as at Garston. 

 We are told that heated borders must be successful if well managed, 

 and if they fail it must be the fault of the gardener. The bulk of the 

 finest Grapes in the country are grown in unheated borders. We 

 would incline to reverse the above charge, and say that the gardener 

 who could not grow good Grapes without the questionable assistance 

 of pipes for bottom-heat, had something to learn or unlearn. Inside 

 borders for very early and very late Grapes are proved to be sufficient 

 when well managed, for the Vine does not really require a high de- 

 gree of heat at the root. For summer and autumn Grapes the outside 

 border being elevated is also sufficient, which no one will dispute ; but 

 the elevation is rather to secure dryness in the border in autumn than 

 for the advantage supposed to be derived from higher temperature. 



