NOTES ON VINE BORDERS. 



543 



and with all clue respect for Mr. Stewart's 

 judgment, I beg to differ with him in this 

 respect, — as I prefer a border 24 feet wide 

 for a cold-house, — and as to not being able 

 to determine the exact locality where the 

 food is required, only let it be placed 

 evenly over the border, the vines are sure 

 to find it ; and where such a border has 

 been properly made, and well watered with 

 liquid manure, and mulched, during the heat 

 of summer, I have never failed to find spon- 

 gioles immediately in all parts of the bor- 

 der. Now every one knows that a grape- 

 vine, in its growing state, requires a certain 

 amount of food. If that amount can be 

 supplied in 12 feet border, why, well enough. 

 Such a border, however, in my opinion, is 

 much too contracted for the roots, and the 

 exhaustion certainly must be greater than 

 in a wider one. 



Having freely stated my opinions in re- 

 gard to the above subject, I will say a few 

 words respecting a " cold-house," which 

 was under my management last year. The 

 house in question was erected in the latter 

 part of the summer of 184S, by Messrs. 

 Bissell & Hooker, the proprietors of the 

 Commercial Nursery of this city ; who, by 

 the way, are always desirous of introducing 

 good fruits to notice. This house is 60 feet 

 long, and 24 feet wide, with span roof. 

 Owing to the lateness of the season before 

 the house was completed, as the vines were 

 small, they made but little growth that sea- 

 son — many of them scarcely getting suffi- 

 ciently established to go safely through the 

 winter. Consequently my prospects, when 

 I commenced in spring, were rather gloomy; 

 but on being informed by these gentlemen, 

 that the borders were made in the most 

 thorough manner, I undertook the manage- 

 ment with right good will. The borders 

 are 24 feet wide, and 3 feet deep, resting 



on a fine gravelly bottom, and raised 18 

 inches from the surface, and composed of 

 the following materials : Slaughter-house 

 manure, (no carrion,) old bones, oyster 

 shells, rotten manure, lime, and loamy turf. 

 The inside border of the house corresponds 

 to the outside, — having a row of vines on 

 each side of centre walk. The vines grew 

 but little until June, when I commenced 

 watering with liquid manure, and mulching 

 the border. I continued the application of 

 liquid manure once a week during the 

 growing season, the effect of which was 

 equal to my most sanguine expectations, — 

 some of the strongest vines reaching to the 

 ridge-pole, with short jointed w r ood nearly 

 an inch in diameter. Now I consider 

 liquid manure the best of all manures, as it 

 is only in the soluble state that plants can 

 derive any benefit from manures. It may 

 not be inappropriate, therefore, to add that 

 Messrs. B. Sc H. have a good sized barn- 

 yard, in which is a reservoir 20 feet long, 

 S feet wide at top, tapering to about 4 feet 

 in bottom, and between 3 and 4 feet deep, 

 forming a shallow basin, with cross-drains 

 emptying into it. Such a reservoir is a 

 valuable acquisition to any gardener ; for 

 at no time during last summer was there 

 the least want of liquid manure. There is, 

 indeed, another use to which it can be ap- 

 plied in winter. In the fall of 1S4S, this 

 reservoir was filled with loamy turf, and 

 allowed to remain and soak in the liquid 

 all the winter. It was thrown out again in 

 the spring, and allowed to remain in a 

 heap until the fall. It was then tinned 

 over, mixing at the same time some rotten 

 manure through it. This remained ex\ 

 to the frost of last winter, and is now a 

 most admirable compost for grapevines, 

 eithei fbi pots 01 borders. Yours respect- 

 fully, Wm, Webster. 



