26 



COVERING VINE BORDERS. 



soil. A well-drained border is not only drier, but warmer by a good 

 many degrees than a water-logged or undrained one. No better 

 illustration than this can be given of the immense importance of 

 thorough drainage for the roots of the Vine. 



Raised or Terraced Borders. In low-lying situations, the plan 

 of raising the borders above the level of the surrounding soil is 

 greatly to be recommended. The border thus forms, as it were, a 

 sort of raised terrace, the height of which may, and will, vary, of 

 course, according to circumstances ; but it need seldom exceed the 

 intended depth of prepared soil, the drainage material commencing 

 at the natural or surface-level of the ground. A border raised in 

 this way will be comparatively warm and dry, by reason of its 

 elevation. 



In the formation of a Vine border, it will thus be seen that every 

 contingency ought to be taken into consideration, not only the 

 position or situation, but also the level of the border itself. The 

 amount of excavation necessary in making up the border will be 

 determined by its depth, measuring from the surface-level; thus a 

 border raised two and a half feet requires only to be excavated to a 

 depth sufficient to hold the drainage. It is a piece of folly often 

 perpetrated to dig for the Vine border a large deep hole, which it is 

 impossible to drain, and which, therefore, when filled with rubble, 

 becomes a great well or cess-pool for the drainage of the surrounding 

 ground. Than this, nothing could be much more injurious to the 

 roots of Vines. The lowest part of the foundation of the border 

 should be provided with a thoroughly efficient drain. 



Heated Borders. VineJ;borders may be heated artificially in a 

 variety of ways. For example, by their formation over heated tanks, 

 or by hot-water pipes placed in various positions, etc., on which we 

 need not here enlarge. For exceptional cases, where extra early 

 forcing is required, some means of this sort may be adopted with 

 advantage ; but experience has proved that, in a general way, but 

 little advantage is secured as compared with the increased cost of 

 the heating, besides which they are liable to become over dry, and, 

 in this way, hurtful to the Vine roots. 



Aerated Borders are so called through having a series of drain- 

 tiles or pipes, communicating with the outer air, placed underneath 

 the soil amongst the drainage material. These serve, to some 

 extent, to warm the border, and to sweeten and purify the materials 

 of which it is composed. There can be little doubt that considerable 

 benefit is derived by the adoption of some means of this sort in low- 

 lying situations. It is, in truth, but an elaborate system of 

 drainage, excellent in theory, and efficient when well carried out. but 

 often failing in action, and for general purposes not requisite. 



Covering. It has long been customary, and so has come to be 

 considered necessary, that Vine borders should be at all times covered 



