542 



NOTES ON VINE BORDERS. 



that he has shown himself thoroughly ac- 

 quainted with the cultivation of foreign 

 grape?. However widely we may differ on 

 one point, still there is no good practical 

 gardener but must agree with him in the 

 majority of his remarks. Mr. Stewart 

 says nothing can he more pernicious than 

 to introduce a mass of putrid and decaying 

 animal bodies, in which the roots are to 

 extend their different ramifications, and 

 from which they are to collect their food. 

 The same opinions I entertain, a circum- 

 stance having occurred a few years since to 

 settle the question to my entire satisfaction. 

 At the period I mention, I had the charge 

 of some large vineries in Canada ; and my 

 attention at the outset was directed to the 

 unhealthy appearance of some of the vines 

 in one of the houses ; and feeling confident 

 the vines were diseased at the roots, I set 

 to work with some of the hands to dig 

 about them, and ascertain the cause. On 

 getting to the depth of a couple of feet, we 

 encountered the skeletons of a horse and 

 ox, which had been tumbled in side by 

 side two or three years before, and which, 

 on being a second time exposed to the air, 

 emitted a stench almost too intolerable to 

 bear. However, we cleared everything of- 

 fensive away from the borders, and on exa- 

 mination I found all the roots dead which 

 came within the influence of what had once 

 been carrion, and which still retained all 

 the effluvia of carrion ; proving most unde- 

 niably that such was not the" proper food 

 for the grapevines. I say, let the crows 

 and the buzzards take such stuff, for they 

 have a natural right to it. Not having at 

 the time any young vines to take the place 

 of the old ones, I cut away all the diseased 

 roots, leaving only those which were out of 

 the influence of the carrion, headed the 

 vines well back, and filled up the border 

 ao-ain with suitable materials. The vines 



in the following spring made a good growth 

 of new wood, — proving that they were well 

 enough contented with their new food. 



I had afterwards occasion, at the same 

 place, to form a new border on the outside 

 of a cold-house, upwards of a hundred feet 

 in length. Some of the materials which I 

 used on that occasion being a little different 

 from those generally used, I may as well 

 state in due course what they were. The 

 border was excavated to the depth of 3£ 

 feet, 12 feet wide, and the whole length of 

 the house, having an inclination of about 

 4 inches from the outside of border to the 

 front of house, with a drain running the 

 whole length. The surface soil was a clay 

 loam, which was reserved to incorporate 

 with materials in the border. The subsoil 

 being a retentive clay, was carted away to 

 fill in a hollow, having laid about S inches 

 of rubble stones on the bottom. On this 

 again was laid about a foot of the pith of 

 cattle horns, of which materials I was fortu- 

 nate enough to obtain a large quantity, and 

 also horn shavings from a comb factory. 

 On the horn piths, (which is a bony sub- 

 stance, and which I consider equal to any 

 other bones for a grape border,) was laid a 

 good quantity of coarse manure. I was 

 unable at the time to obtain turf suitable 

 for the border ; therefore, I used black loam, 

 old hot-bed manure, and horn shavings. 

 Horn piths and horn shavings I consider as 

 excellent for a grape border, particularly 

 the latter, which I always use for such pur- 

 poses when able to obtain them, either as a 

 top-dressing or to incorporate in the border. 

 You will see this border was only 12 feet 

 wide ; my intention was to add 12 feet 

 more, but circumstances prevented my com- 

 pleting it. 



The superiority of Mr. Stewart's 12 feet 

 border, over one of greater dimensions, is a 

 mere matter of opinion, and not of facts '> 



