182 Commercial Gardening 



in blocks, would cost from 24s. to 32s. per foot run; fully equipped 

 houses 25 ft. wide, fitted with iron-tube standards and cross stays, six 

 rows of pipes, boiler, and ventilating gear, about 31s. per foot, and never 

 less than 30s. per foot. All firms are willing to give estimates for any 

 buildings contemplated, and the simplest and most satisfactory thing to 

 do is to write for estimates after the site is decided upon, as this may 

 make considerable difference to the cost. 



Nothing but the soundest wood should be used, as the depreciation 

 of a glasshouse is very rapid. Strength must not be sacrificed to cheap- 

 ness, or a single gale may cause destruction. To be in a long glass- 

 house when a gale is blowing will impress this point more than any 

 writing. Even when the house has every appliance for strength, the 

 wind will cause waves to run along the glass, and if the purlin standards 

 are not tied down properly they will be lifted from the piers with 

 every gust. 



Making the Vine Borders. Presuming the style of house to be 

 decided upon, and the building finished, the preparation of the borders 

 should next receive attention. It has already been impressed upon 

 the reader that commercial grape growing of to-day will not bear the 

 extra cost of growing where the soil is not naturally suitable. However, 

 there are cases where a grower may wish to put up a few vineries to 

 supply a local demand, and in such a case it may pay him to go to 

 the extra expense of preparing an unsuitable soil; therefore in dealing 

 with the subject of border preparation this will be taken into account. 

 To take the good situation first. Except in rare cases it will be neces- 

 sary to provide some system of border drainage, and it may be neces- 

 sary to lay a drain outside the houses as well, e.g. when the land is on 

 the slope and natural drainage not very free it will be found in wet 

 winters that there will be considerable soakage from the higher ground, 

 sufficient to keep the borders of the houses wet on the uphill side. In 

 such a case a drain should be laid to intercept this flow; and to make 

 sure that the drain shall work well and rapidly the trench should be 

 filled up with clinker till the porous top soil is reached. Thus the 

 borders will be more under the control of the grower. Unless the soil 

 is too wet to be suitable for grapes, the inside of the house will only 

 require one line of drain to each border, i.e. a 15-ft.-wide house would 

 have two drains running the length of the house, a 25 -ft. house four, 

 and a 30-ft. house six. These drains should be put 3 ft. deep, and 

 should discharge into a larger main drain running along outside the 

 lower end of the houses. 



This being done, the preparation of the borders for the Vines may 

 proceed. Digging two spits deep should be all the mechanical preparation 

 a good soil should require; but unless the soil has a good supply of lime 

 in it a heavy dressing of ground chalk must be worked in. In chalk- 

 ing land it is common practice to apply as much as 10 tons to the acre. 

 This amount applied to a greenhouse border works out at 140 Ib. per 



