Noyember 17, 1863. ] 



JOUltNAX OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



386 



WEEKLY CALENDAR- 



NOVEMBER 17—23, 1863. 



Wax Chatterer seen. 



J. Camerarius boni, 1665. Bot. 



Grey Wafrfail comes. 



Snn's declin. lO" 40' s. 



Crcwn Princess Prussia b. 1840. 



25 SD^^)AY AFTER TrINITT. 



Oak leafless. 



Average Tenyperaf 

 near Loodoc. 



Rain in 

 I last 

 1 36 years. 



Day. 

 47,4 

 47.6 

 48.5 

 48.7 

 49.3 

 4S.9 

 47.1 



Night. 

 33.9 

 33.3 

 33.8 

 35.0 

 36.6 

 34.6 

 34.4 



Mean. 

 40.7 

 40.4 

 41.1 

 41.9 

 43.0 

 41.7 

 40.8 



DaTS. 

 17 

 19 

 16 

 13 

 22 

 20 

 15 



Sun 

 Riees. 



m. h. 

 23af7 



Sun 

 Sets. 



01. h. 

 7 af4 

 6 4 



Moon' 

 Rises. 



Moon 

 Sets. 



m. b. 



1 U 

 mom. 



Mood's 



Age. 



Clock 



after 

 San. 



I m. 5. 



t 14 54 



9 

 10 

 11 

 12 



14 

 14 

 14 

 14 

 13 



13 28 



■ Daf Gf 

 Tear. 



321 

 322 

 323 

 3U' 

 325- 

 326' 

 327 



From obsei-vatinns taken near London during the last thirtT-six years, the average day temperature of the jveek is 48^2°, and it.» night 

 temperature 34.5". The greatest heat was 59', on the 20th, 1844, and 2ist, 1833 ; and the lowest cold, 9°, on the 2ord, 185S. The greatest 

 fall of rain was 0.87 inch. 



MEMOEIAL OF MR. DONALD BEATOIS^ 



E liave receired several 

 letters inquiring if it is 

 intended to erect any 

 monument as a memorial of Mr. 

 Beaton, and asking us to receive 

 subscriptions for that purpose. Most 

 readUy do we assent to receive sucli contributions, 

 and will undertake to have them expended in the 

 erection over his grave of such a solid yet simple 

 record as the fund may justify. 

 Most gratifying is it to us, as it must be to all Mr. 

 Beaton's friends and admii-ers, to find how generally and 

 how highly appreciated he was by those best qualified to 

 estimate his worth, both as a private and public character. 

 The metropolitan and provincial press coincide in details 

 of his high merits, and in expressions of regret for his 

 loss. 



LIFTING THE ROOTS OF VINES, AND 

 RENEWING THE BORDER. 



Whes this operation is commenced, its completion 

 should be accomplished with as little delay as possible. 

 It is, therefore, necessary to have in readiness, before the 

 old border is interfered with, the amount of material that 

 shall be needed for drainage and for the formation of the 

 new border. When the subsoil is clay, it is always ad- 

 visable to concrete the bottom before the draining ma- 

 terial is laid on, and gravel and lime should be included 

 in the mixture. A main drain should run parallel with 

 and at the extreme front of the border, and cross drains 

 from the front of the vinery should run iato the main 

 drain at intervals of 6 feet, and, of course, a good outlet 

 should be secured for the whole. Four-inch-tile drains 

 will be sufficient. These, with as many brickbats or 

 small stones as will form a layer 1 foot deep all over 

 the bottom, and a few barrowloads of coarse gravel with 

 the sand sifted out of it to blend with the brickbats or 

 stones, will be all that is required for the formation of 

 the site on which the border is to rest. 



The border itself, to be what is considered of first-rate 

 quality, should consist of friable turfy loam taken from 

 an old pasture to the depth of 4 inches, herbage included. 

 To eight cartloads of loam add two of mortar nibbish, 

 one of horse-droppings, and 4 cwt. of inch bones. As 

 our correspondent, " C. V.," has charcoal at command, 

 he may substitute it for the mortar rubbish, or a cartload 

 of each may be added instead of the two of mortar alone. 

 The loam should be chopped up with a spade, and the 

 whole thoroughly mixed together and protected from 

 rain in a place close at hand itiU it be required. 



Though such a compost as this is recommended, I am 

 far from desiring to lead the inexperienced to suppose 

 that Grape-growing is not to be attempted, or that the 

 roots of Vines are to bo left undisturbed in cold, wet 

 borders rill they can command such a border to the very 

 letter as has been described. The nearer they approach 



No. 136 —Vol. V., New Seeik. 



to it, however, the better. If, for instance, the loam a* 

 command is heavier than that which deserves the name 

 of friable or turfy, then more mortar rubbish or charcoal, 

 or both, should be applied ; and when the two latter 

 cannot be had, a third of the soil itself may be charred, 

 or even burned, an expedient which I have frequently 

 had to adopt myself. Even where nothing in the shape' 

 of turf from an old pasture can be had, very good Grapes 

 can be grown with moderately hght common garden soil: 

 having the same amount of the other ingredients mixed 

 with it, or more or less of them, just in proportion as- 

 the soil is stiff and likely to become consolidated, or the- 

 reverse; Any composition that is free and open, and 

 moderately enriched with manure, produces very good- 

 Grapes, and no discouragement should be thrown in the 

 way of any one who can form his border of such, when 

 that which is considered best cannot be more closely imi'- 

 tated. An amateur friend near here has done wonders' 

 with a border of little more than black sand close to tJie 

 sea. Too much water about the roots was next to im- 

 possible, from the nature of the soU, and the secret of his, 

 success lay mainly in rich top-dressings. 



Supposing, then, that the time for lifting the "V'ines has 

 arrived, which, as has afready been stated, in the case of 

 Vines that can be cleared of their crop before they be- 

 come dormant, is early in autumn. But when the reverse- 

 of this is the case, and the crop is a late one, the operation, 

 is to be performed in spring in preference to -winter. In- 

 as far as the operation of lifting the roots is concerned^, 

 the time of doing it makes no difference, although in' 

 several points the after-treatment required at the dif- 

 ferent seasons varies considerably, and wiU, therefore, he 

 separately referred to. 



The first thing that must be done is to remove the 

 whole of the inert surface soil down to the roots of the. 

 Vines. Then a trench should be taken out along the. 

 front of the border deep enough to be below the roots. 

 The removal of the whole soil should then be effected 

 with as little injuiy to the roots as possible. Every, 

 rootlet that can be saved will contribute its own share 

 towards the success that is to foUow. After the trench' 

 is opened, the soil must be gradually and carefully worked' 

 away from the face, and the trench should be constantly- 

 cleared of the loose soil. There are no better tools for 

 tliis purpose than a four-pronged steel fork, and a sharp- 

 pointed piece of hardwood stake. Any attempt that 

 may be made to huiTy forward such an operation as this 

 is sure to be attended with a corresponding injury to the 

 roots. No large slices of the border must be taken off at 

 a time, but it must be gradually picked, forked, and 

 crambled away. Yet the operation should be completed, 

 as quickly as it can be done, so that the roots should be 

 as short a time as possible out of the ground. Therefore, 

 as many hands as can work without being in each other's 

 wr.y should be employed. 



As soon as the roots arc all liberated, they should be 

 covered up carefully with damp moss and mats, to pre- 

 vent their suffering from tlie weather, till the new border 

 is ready for them. 



No. 790.— Vol. XXX., Old Serieb 



