October 1G 1806. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



289 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



VINE-BORDERS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM. 



ALUABLE pap< rs mi the con- 

 struction of vineries have 

 lately appeared in these 

 pages, hut as I have now 

 commenced altering a range 

 of old vineries 11. description 

 of the intended arrangements may he interesting to some 

 readers who have similar alterations in view. Tliis range 

 of houses is in a very good state of preservation, although 

 built many years ; it has a lean-to roof, and is upwards of 

 90 feet long. It is 15 feet wide, and the front lights are about 

 4£ feet high. These I am having shortened to about 2 feet, 

 for the purpose of giving greater depth to the inside border, 

 which will not be less than 5 feet deep. This I consider 

 an important point in the construction of a Vine-border. 



Many will say that a border :i feet deep is quite sufficient 

 for the Vine to grow in : this may lie so if the Vines are 

 not intended to remain for a long time, but where they ore, 

 and are expected to produce fine Grapes year after year, 

 there must be a greater depth of soil for them to grow in. 

 and there is no doubt that if the border has been properly 

 made, and the Vines treated with proper care, they will 

 produce fruit quite as good in quality at thirty or fifty 

 years old as they will at three, live, or eight. Mr. Mere- 

 dith, the prince of Grape-growers, has proved by bis recent 

 success that Vines planted nine years ago can be made to 

 produce Grapes superior in point of colour, size of bunch 

 and berry, and general excellence to anything Unit has 

 been brought against them at the metropolitan and other 

 shows during the last three years, and it is will known 

 that some wonderful examples have been exhibited from 

 younger Vines which have been subjected to very high 

 cultivation. The Vines above alluded to are not grown 

 simply for the production of one or two fine bunches for 

 exliibition, but each is made to produce an average crop of 

 from seven to twelve bunches, and so far from the Vines 

 showing any signs of exhaustion from age, their produce 

 appears to be improved in quality every year as they 

 increase in size. I hope soon to give a description of the 

 vineries at Garston, including the large house which has 

 been recently erected for the growth of young Vines, in 

 which there may be seen growing at the present time 

 upwards of two thousand young Vines in pots averaging 

 11 inches in diameter. 



To return to the subject of my paper. For the purpose 

 of shortening the front lights they have to he all taken out. 

 The next proceeding is to prop up the front of the house 

 securely, so that the wall plate may be removed ami the 

 uprights shortened to the same length as the lights. This 

 being done, the wall plate will be raised, and properly se- 

 cured to them. The whole of the front wall is to be pulled 

 No. 2M.-V0L. XI., New Series. 



down, and instead of building a 1 tinuous wall again 1" 



shall allow the front of the house to rest on I I -inch pillars 

 placed 3 feet apart. The whole of the front lights will Be 

 made to open simultaneously with a lever and spindle. I 

 consider the plan of opening every other light a very bad 

 one. Every light should be made to open at once, so that 

 the air may be regularly admitted all along the front of 

 the house ; by this means the whole of the impure air the 

 house may contain is driven out at the top if the back 

 lights are opened at the same time. This should always 

 be attended to as early as possible in the morning, if only 

 for two or three minutes. The whole of the back lights 

 will be made to open on a similar plan to those in front. At 

 present there is a walk along tho back and front of this 

 range of houses ; the walk in the front will be done away 

 with, and that at the back will be removed i feet nearer 

 the centre of the house to allow of a four-feet border being 

 made between the back wall and the walk, for the purpose 

 of growing pot Vines for fruiting against the back wall. 

 This will help to furnish a supply of Grapes whilst tho 

 permanent Vines arc gaming strength and vigour, for I do 

 not intend to allow them to bear a single bunch till the 

 third year after planting. A good supply of Grapes can 

 be had from the back wall during this time ; fifty Vines 

 can bo grown against the back wall, and each will pro- 

 duce from five to seven good bunches. Thus, with a good 

 stock of pot Vines in another house specially set apart 

 for their culture, the required supply will be furnished till 

 the permanent Vines are established, when Vine-growing 

 against the back wall will be discontinued. 



There are three divisions in the range — one will be 



planted with early Grapes, a si id with Muscats, and 



the third will be occupied with late Grapes. At the end of 

 this range will be built a new vinery 104 feet long and 

 .'li feel wide, and which will consist of three divisions — one 

 for second early Grapes, another for Muscat , and a third for 

 late Grapes. The walk through the houses will be 4 feet 

 wide, and this, with the 1 feet for the border between the 

 walk and the wall, will leave a border 8 fi 1 I wide for the 

 permanent Vines. These will he all planted inside, but far 

 enough away from the wall plate to give room for one row 

 of four-inch pipes ; if the Vines be planted 15 inches from 

 the front, and the row of pipes be placed as close to the 

 wall plate as possible, there will 1"' ph aty of room for the 

 Vine-steins to thicken without, suffering any injury from 

 the hot-water pipes. I consider it absolutely necessary 

 that the pipe should be placed close to the front where the 

 cold air is admitted into the house, so that the air may be 

 warmed before it comes in c mtacl with the Vine or its 

 tender foliage. In arranging the pipes, care should be 

 taken to have the pipe nearest the front the hotti 



There will be five rows of four-inch pipes in each of 

 the houses, placed at equal distances over the surface of 



j the borders, and all on a level with the front via 11 plate ; 



I the heat will by these means be regularly distributed all 

 over the house, and by having the pipes mentioned above 

 there will seldom be any necessity for having them very 



I hot in each house. There will be six trough pipes, over 



j which a lead pipe will be taken for the purpose of filling the 



No. 242.— Vol. XXXVI., Old Sebies. 



