CULTIVATION OF VINES IN GREENHOUSES. 287 



if on a sloping surface, but if flat two feet will be quite sufficient. 

 It should not be less than fifteen feet wide. 



It is impossible to lay down an invariable rule as to the depth 

 of soil which ought to he removed in every case, but I wish it to 

 be distinctly understood tliat it is not necessary to dig a deep pit, 

 as some do, for the purpose of filling it up with a mass of 

 materials through which the sun's heat will never penetrate ; for 

 although such a border may be made of the best composition, it 

 cannot be called a good border. 



When the old soil is cleaned out, a good drain should be made 

 along the front of the border. 



In forming the new border the bottom part should have a 

 good slope, and should be covered about ten inches deep with 

 rough stones. Over the stones place a covering of furze, with 

 the bushy side uppermost and the w'oody part under. A row 

 of turf should be placed upon the furze, with the grassy side 

 downward. This will form an eftectual and a permanent 

 drainage to every part of the border. 



The new border should be composed of fibrous turf, leaf soil, 

 and horsedung, which should be filled in to the depth of four 

 feet, as it will finally subside to about three feet. It is un- 

 necessary to prescribe tlie proportions to be used of the above 

 ingredients, as that must depend on circumstances. Leaf soil is 

 generally a scarce substance ; and therefore, should the loam be 

 of a strong quality, it should be mixed with light soil, as much of 

 a vegetable nature as possible, keeping in view the principle that 

 the composition should be sufficiently porous. 



If the old vines have been growing in a wet soil, or a great 

 portion of their roots decayed or rotten, I would recommend in 

 planting them to lay a portion of the stem across the border and 

 peg it down with strong pegs about six inches deep. As to 

 what length ought to be laid down in this manner, that will 

 depend on the state of the old vine. The lower part of neglected 

 vines is generally bare of young wood, perhaps half-way up the 

 main stem. Some of the spurs beyond that may even be ex- 

 hausted. I would therefore plant so as to have a good fresh 

 shoot at the entrance of the vine into the house, or at least at the 

 foot of the rafter. This shoot should be cut down to two or 

 three eyes, and if all go on well it will grow from twenty to 

 thirty feet the first season. If young vines are required for 

 planting, good strong vines should be procured from a respect- 

 able nursery and planted about the beginning of March. The 

 roots should be well spread out, and three feet of the stem laid 

 down horizontally six inches deep in the ground. 



The sorts most suitable for a greenhouse are, 



