280 VILLA GAEDENINCr 



CHAPTER IX 



The Grape Vine in the Open Air. — Though the late bad 

 seasons have created in some minds a doubt aliout open-air Grapes 

 ever again ripening in our climate, yet even in the year 1881 White 

 Muscadine Grapes ripened well on the south front of a cottage near 

 Ramsey, Hunts, and in 1880 I was driving through Woodhurst, 

 a village in the same county, on the 14th of October, and the 

 front of nearly every cottage on the south side of the village-street 

 was covered with Grape Vines loaded with fruit — both bunches and 

 berries being of good size, the black Grapes being well coloured. 

 It was evident that in the majority of instances there had not been 

 much pains taken with the borders ; for in many cases not more 

 than a couple of feet separated them from the hard roadway, 

 which was composed of broken granite. Into this hard mass the 

 roots must have gone if they went anywhere outside the narrow 

 border which generally skirted the front of the cottages. I have 

 seen elsewhere Grape Vines flourishing better and bearing finer 

 fruit, with the roots seemingly in a hard road or garden path, 

 than when laid in a deep porous border. What the Grape Vine 

 requires is an even, regular state of moisture and temperature. 

 This even condition is found in or beneath the hard roadway. In 

 the majority of made borders they are either made too rich by the 

 use of manm-es, and so become sour and pasty, and the Vines fall 

 a prey to mildew, or else they are made so loose and porous that 

 if the waterpot is withheld the Vines are starved and the fruit 

 useless. The truth is, that scarcely any one waters a Grape Vine 

 on the wall sufficiently if the border has any drainage under it. 

 Plants carrying such large foliage in hot weather must dissipate a 

 lot of water, and if not supplied from one source they seek it 

 from another, where it is not so well adapted for the work in hand. 

 Besides, if the supply of water should M\ off, there is less work 

 done, for new wood, foliage, and fruit cannot be made without 

 moistiu-e, of which, indeed, it forms the chief part. 



The Border must have a dry bottom, for though occasionally 

 we read of Vines with the extremities of their roots in close prox- 

 imity to some rivulet, water-course, or drain, yet it is certain that, 

 if the water encroaches upon the border where the main roots are 

 .situated, the Vine will not succeed. It is true, however, no 

 matter how unfavourably situated the Vine may be, that it seldom 

 dies right out. If mismanaged it revenges itself upon us by becom- 

 ing a prey to mildew and getting out of hand in other respects, but 



