20 THE FORCING GARDEN. 
well rolled, it will form a most beneficial medium for 
conducting heat to the roots. Of course there may be 
a border of, say, six or eight feet, immediately in front 
of the house and from the main stems of the vines; 
although I once had a vinery which produced fine 
healthy crops of fruit where no such border existed 
aud with nothing in front of it but a broad gravel 
walk and a lawn. The direct influence of the sun 
upon the roots of the vine is no doubt one (if not 
the chief) cause of their doing well and producing good 
sound wood with fine coloured fruit free from dis- 
ease; hence the advantage of my vine-border or pro- 
tector. (See illustration.) 
On examination we find that all creeping or climb- 
ing plants live near to the surface of the ground, 2.e. 
the roots run under the surface not many inches deep, 
and the vine is one of these. Let this fact suffice. 
The vine border should be fairly drained, but the vine 
should have some sure means of getting a sufficient 
supply of liquid food, and this should be of a nutritious 
character. Now cow-dung worked into the soil will 
supply this by being surrounded with the water which 
the rains give, this being more retentive of moisture than 
stable manure. Again, if vines are watered once or 
‘twice, during the early spring and summer, with cow- 
dung diluted with water so as to form a liquid, it will 
prove a source of great benefit to them. I am of 
opinion that guano proves a frequent cause of 
mildew. 
The planting of the vine inside the house has 
‘elicited many advocates, with volumes of arguments 
both for and against it. In some cases it succeeds, 
‘and in some it does not; but I have known only one or 
