124 On the Physiology of the Vine. 



old, running on a roof, which produced, last year, three bushels of 

 grapes, and all well matured ; the roots running south-west and the 

 top north-east ; my cellar drains the roots well. 



I purpose the ensuing spring, to take the border of my vinery off, 

 to the depth of two feet, leaving an inclined plane descending from 

 the vinery, — to lay a drain from the lower side of it, and pave the 

 bottom of the border with bricks ; then to lay a continuous flue in a 

 serpentine form ; then to cover this flue with one thickness of brick, 

 the joints of the covering to be filled with lime mortar ; next, to 

 cover the bricks with four inches of sand, to drain the border ; then 

 to fill up the border with a compost of manure, well decomposed, or 

 rotten, with soil and sand thoroughly mixed : this is what I call a 

 comfortable bed for the roots to lodge in ; the lower end of the flue 

 to be opened when the temperature is high in the forenoon, and like- 

 wise the upper end, to which a funnel is to be attached ; the funnel 

 being made of copper or lead, will be a good conductor of heat, and ris- 

 ing three or four feet above the surface of the border, will, when the 

 sun strikes it, force a brisk circulation of air ; the same principle ap- 

 plies to this funnel as to the vine stem before mentioned. 



The greatest objection to this mode of warming and draining the 

 border, is its tendency to dry the bed too much ; but I am more 

 afraid of too much humidity than dryness. But why all this prepar- 

 ation about neatness, washing, and draining the roots? De CandoUe 

 has proved that plants will absorb any soluble matter, even their own 

 excrements — which is very baneful to them, but which is of advan- 

 tage to other plants — by many experiments. Here the analogy be- 

 tween animals and vegetables holds good. We cannot violate the 

 laws of nature with impunity ; all we have to do is, to study her 

 economy, and imitate by art her provisions, where they are deficient. 



For years past, I have made observations on vines in this vicinity 

 in open culture, and have found those vines only that were fruitful 

 year after year, to have grown on silicious or gravelly sub-strata, or 

 an assemblage of small stones beneath the surface of the earth, that 

 Avere pervious to air and water. 



Having thus far considered the radical circumstances of the vine, 

 it remains to say but little upon the external parts in relation to 

 the agency of light and air ; all those branches that have their leaves 

 much shaded, will be deficient in the vital principle, and of course 

 weakly and unprofitable. There is one difficulty in carrying a vine 

 Vipon a high roof ; it is liable to be broken by the wind where there 

 is nothing to break it off. I shall be under the necessity of putting 

 up a break-wind or turret, to defend the vine that runs on my roof. 



I consider it unsafe to prune the Isabella vine in the fall of the 

 year ; if the vessels are thus left open, and it be a hard winter, the 

 vine suffers very materially. My course is, to wait until the vine 

 has put out its shoots four inches, in the spring, and then to take off 

 branches or shoots, as space or the strength of the vine requires. 



