PROCEEDINGS. xlvii 



burgh Vines, and introduced them into the houses by knock- 

 ing a brick out of the back wall next tlie ground. These 

 Vines, planted in a footpath, made of materials to walk 

 upon, on the north side of a Pine stove, grew the first year 

 20 feet long. On the 16th of January of tlie present year 

 a leaf from one of them, measuring 21 inches the one way, 

 and 18 inches the other, was exhibited to the Horticultural 

 Society, and on the 6th of March (present meeting) a dish 

 of ripe Grapes from a part of these Vines obtained a Silver 

 Knightian Medal. The bunches were small, as all Mr. 

 Wilmot's are, heavy bunches of Grapes, not answering 

 the purpose of growers for market ; but they were well 

 swelled, covered with bloom, and perfectly well coloured. 



" When the Vines were planted, holes were made in the 

 footpath with a pickaxe, and about a couple of quarts of 

 soil in which Pine-apples had been grown was added to each 

 hole, the crocks having been first sifted out. This was done 

 for the purpose of forming a bed in which the young roots 

 might lie, the soil of the footpath being too rough and coarse 

 for them. 



" As to the footpath itself, in order that there might be 

 no mistake upon that point, we liave examined it, and we 

 can state that the soil of which it is composed becomes, when 

 dry, as hard as the high road. This is owing to the pre- 

 sence of a large quantity of red brick earth, of which Mr. 

 Wilmot's market garden naturally consisted ; with this is 

 mixed a large quantity of pounded clinkers from the stoke- 

 holes where coke or coal is burnt, some lonm, and a quan- 

 tity of the ordinary well tilled soil of the garden. Next 

 the walk where the Vines grow, whose leaves have been 

 just described, there is, within four feet, the trencii of a 

 Macphail pit filled with long litter, for heating a Pine bed. 

 The other footpath, where similar Vines are growing, is a 

 mere space lying between two Pine houses. In both 

 cases these borders or footpaths are, as has been alreadj^ 

 stated, on the north side of the wall of the Pine house, 

 and can receive no direct heat from the sun, even in sum- 

 mer. 



" To what cause, then, may we assign this extraordinary 

 growth, so wliolly unexpected by everybody ? It cannot 

 be to the marvellous richness of soil; that is evident. It 

 cannot be to high temperature ; for although the footpath 

 in one case was on the edge of a trench for dung, yet Mr. 

 Wilmot states that that trench was not worked till long 

 after the Vines bad made their first growth. 



" But although a very high temperature of the soil can 



e2 



