14 THE GARDENER. [Jan. 



of Fruit-Culture under Glass/ from the same publishers, — both of 

 which are the very best books of their kind to be had, and the culti- 

 vation of the subjects treated on is given even to the minutest detail. 

 However, we will suppose that no such books are ready to hand, and 

 will therefore give all necessary directions for the cultivation of the 

 Vine on a small scale. 



We think we cannot accomplish our object in a better way than by 

 transcribing a letter which we wrote a year or two ago to an artisan 

 who came to us asking for instruction. He had, in his spare time, 

 put up a house 12 feet long, 5 feet broad, and 10 feet high. The 

 back of the house was a stone wall, so the house formed what is called 

 a " lean-to." It faced nearly due south, and he thought, if he knew 

 how to proceed, he might grow Grapes. We did not sit down and tell 

 him how to proceed, but promised to write out instructions, so that they 

 might be referred to at any time. The truth is, we were afraid (like 

 the unjust judge) that his continued coming might weary us, and, 

 worse, absorb too much of the few minutes which we can daily call ou 

 own. Our written instructions were as follows : — 



"You may congratulate yourself on the fact of having had a bare 

 wall facing the south against which to lean your house, for that is the 

 best aspect possible— although one facing a little further east, or much 

 further west, would have done well enough. Your " lean-to " is also 

 the best form of a vinery, although even that is by no means necessary 

 to successful Vine cultivation. I would advise you, in the first place, 

 how to make your border. You need about 2 feet in depth, at least, 

 of good healthy soil for the Vine-roots to run in ; and you want it a 

 good breadth, for confinement either at root or branch is not good for 

 Vines. You say that you have founded your house 6 inches deep. 

 That was a mistake which you will have to rectify. Your front wall 

 is 2 feet high, and you may have the soil to within 6 inches of the 

 front plate. Well, you must excavate another 18 inches, beginning 

 at the back wall and extending to, in the meantime, 2 or 3 feet in 

 front of the house. This will of course undermine it, and you must 

 provide against this by underbuilding it, and allowing the front wall 

 to rest on pillars 3 feet apart, — two in the middle and one at each 

 corner. The spaces are for the roots extending outwards ; for we 

 certainly advise your having an inside border, and the Vines planted 

 inside. Should you object to so much trouble, and perhaps expense, 

 you may have your border wholly outside, but our experience is that 

 your Vines will not grow so rapidly the first year as they would do 

 planted inside ; but this is about all the difference that will happen 

 in your case. 



" After you have taken out the soil to the depth advised, if the soil 

 underneath is the least wet you must put drains in it to make it dry ; 

 for a wet bottom will not answer for Vines, although they do require 

 such waterings as you saw us giving the Vine-borders here. If it is 



