Allen's Treatise on the Grape. 77 



Need more be said ? Again ; Mr. Allen gives some meteoro- 

 logical statements of our climate, as compared with that of 

 England, thus : — 



" In 1833, it appears that at the place of record in England, the weather 

 of that year was 152 fine days, 63 cloudy, and 130 when it rained or snow- 

 ed some part of the day. 



At Salem, the average of three years is 219 fine days, 61 cloudy, 80 rainy 

 or snowy; showing a difference in the United States, of 66 days more of 

 sunshine, 50 days less rainy or snowy, and 17 days less of cloudy weather." 



Here we have 66 more clear sunny days in a year, than in 

 England, and with the rays in a more vertical direction too ; 

 showing, that with any aspect but a northern one, a grapery 

 would get a far greater quantity of sun and light, than the 

 exact south position in England, where Mr. Allen admits he 

 has eaten the most delicious fruit. These facts make it ap- 

 parent, that, for ordinary vineries, with or without heat, it is 

 not necessary they should front the south. But that, in any 

 position from east to west, grapes may be grown with perfect 

 success. 



In the summer of 1847, we gave a detailed account of our 

 cultivation of the grape, in the greenhouse, (Vol. XIII. p. 293,) 

 with a diary of the temperature, &c., and, in our directions 

 for makhig the border, we stated that good turfy loam, stable 

 manure and bones, were all that were necessary in their for- 

 mation, and that the finest grapes could be produced without 

 all the ^'■quackery so often recommended, such as a bed of 

 oyster shells, or boiled bones, dead horses, cattle, dogs, 

 slaughter-house manure, blood, soot, &c." The article was 

 written some time before Mr. Allen's treatise appeared, and 

 before we knew he intended to publish one ; and our remarks 

 had reference to practises which had been adopted by some 

 English grape-growers, but which had at that time caused 

 considerable discussion in the gardening journals, and been 

 condemned by the most eminent cultivators. We were, 

 therefore, somewhat surprised, to find Mr. Allen had advised 

 the very plan of making borders of "carrion," which has 

 been so fully condemned. And in our review of his treatise, 

 we merely remarked, that the use of such was " by no means 

 important, but rather to be objected to, especially in retentive 

 soils;" that we were sure such borders never gave better 



