WATERING THE VINE BORDERS 67 



should be given at the roots at regular intervals 

 from the time the bunches have been thinned until the 

 berries begin to colour, when clear water only should 

 be applied. The waterings of liquid manure may be 

 alternated with surface-dressings of some approved fer- 

 tiliser such as Thomson's vine manure, this being 

 laid on the borders immediately before applying clear 

 water at the roots, as plants, like animals, are the 

 better for an occasional change of diet. In watering 

 vine or other fruit tree borders, there should be no 

 surface watering, but, on the contrary, sufficient water 

 should be given at one time to moisten the whole mass of 

 soil and roots. The intervals of time that may safely be 

 allowed to elapse between these waterings must be 

 determined by the condition of the weather, vigour of 

 the vines, and character of the natural or artificial soil 

 and drainage ; bearing in mind that it is difficult to over- 

 water vine-borders well filled with hungry roots, during 

 the summer and early autumn months, when the vines are 

 in full growth and great absorption is going on in root 

 and branch. And on this account the atmosphere of the 

 vineries, as well as the soil about the roots of the vines, 

 must be kept uniformly moist, so as to enable the vines 

 to swell large berries, and at the same time develop 

 large clean leaves and healthy wood growth which 

 an abundance of top and front air given during the 

 heat of the summer and early autumn days will cause to 

 be of a leathery texture, short-jointed and consolidated. 

 Plenty of water should, as stated elsewhere in this book, 

 be distributed in each vinery from the time that the vines 

 have pushed into leaf until the grapes have commenced 

 to colour, at closing time in the afternoon, when the 

 temperature may with advantage be allowed to run up 

 to ninety or ninety-five degrees. 



During the stoning period i.e. the interval that 

 elapses between the setting and the second swelling of 



