1 879] MANAGEMENT OF VINE-BORDERS. 313 



MANAGEMENT OF VINE-BORDERS. 



"While much is being written in some of our contemporaries of the 

 changes and fluctuating habits of the Vine, we have many import- 

 ant facts before us this season. I have reason to believe that the 

 season of '79 will long be remembered as one which aroused all the 

 energies of the cultivators of early-forced fruits. We have letters 

 from many parts of the country, north and south of the Tweed, re- 

 garding the difficulties in starting early Vines, Strawberries, and 

 Peaches. With the two latter we have ourselves little to complain of, 

 they having done remarkably well, although they moved very slowly. 

 But as it is the Vines we are considering, I may say that I never had 

 a more difficult matter on hand than to get the early house to break 

 into growth. They, in fact, would neither lead nor drive. Muscats 

 started two months later than Hamburgs set their crops nearly as 

 early, and required thinning at same time. They both came away 

 rather weakly at first, but have now made up for it by good wood 

 and plenty of large leathery foliage ; the crops are also abundant. 

 The early house was covered with stable litter, and boarded over to 

 throw off rain ; but as we had somewhat severe frost in October, just 

 before this covering was placed over the border, which was no doubt 

 greatly cooled by such severe weather so early in the season, the 

 Muscat-roots were covered by dry soil only ; and in March the soil 

 seemed much more kindly and healthier than the manure-covered 

 border : besides, the influence of the little sun we had at long inter- 

 vals was shielded off by the littery covering ; and I have no doubt 

 whatever but the early house was rather a sufferer from the covering 

 than benefited by it. We have, over a course of many years' successful 

 forcing of Vines to ripen by end of April and early in May, used dry 

 materials, such as leaves and manure, to help (?) the roots into action 

 — but we have been more successful in starting them when covered 

 with dry ferns, over which have been placed rushes or straw. When 

 such covering has been removed we have found the surface of the soil 

 dry, dusty, and healthy, but never in any case have we seen a surface 

 from which manure coverings were removed but they were sodden 

 and on the sour side. Charcoal-dust mixed with dry soil, and lights 

 of frames placed over this to keep it dry, after being spread over the 

 Vine-roots, is our favourite protection ; and this placed over later 

 vineries (say when started in January and February), without glass 

 protection, answers admirably. While we do not condemn warm 

 manure over Vine-roots, we believe the system has been sadly 

 abused. It would be difficult for us to number the Vine-roots we 

 have untombed as being ruined (this extends over a period of 



