624f Effects of Fire and Water, 



in a rich congenial soil, and enjoy an artificial climate, equal to, 

 if not surpassing, the finest natural climate on earth. To accom- 

 plish this, the vine border must not be left to the excesses of our 

 variable climate at any time, much less whilst the vines are ex- 

 cited, in winter, or even in spring. The most efficient, and, I 

 may say, the most economical, way to defend the vine border is, 

 to have it covered with glazed lights on light rafters, a few inches 

 above the soil ; this glass should be covered with a tarpawling, 

 and the air under this covering should be heated by means of 

 hot-water pipes, placed under a flagged footway, in front of the 

 vine border. During sunshine, the fire under the boiler might 

 be banked up, the tarpawling rolled off, and the lights kept close, 

 in order to secure as much sun heat as possible; always taking 

 care that the border be well moistened with rich manured water, 

 at an agreeable temperature. Late in spring, when the foul and 

 frosty weather may be considered gone, the lights might be re- 

 moved, and employed over melons, or to ripen grapes, till the 

 heavy autumnal rains made it again necessary to have them put 

 on. By this simple, and by no means extravagant, process 

 (since the same glass would mature a crop of grapes or melons 

 far above the interest of the capital on its first cost), the excess of 

 rain and the want of heat would be counteracted in a manner 

 far superior to the practice at present adopted in the best gar- 

 dens, of covering the early-forcing vine border with litter and 

 leaves, subject to all the vicissitudes of the season, which frequently 

 chill and drench them when their aid is most wanted. This 

 coverinof in of the vine border would also remove another fruitful 

 cause of failure in grape culture ; namely, the practice of having 

 the stems of the vines above ground before they enter the vinery, 

 thereby placing the plant in three very dissimilar mediums : the 

 roots in a temperature perhaps equal to that of melted snow ; 

 the stem in the ever changeful open air, which may be still lower 

 than the temperature of the earth ; and the body of the vine, 

 spray and leaves, treated like a delicate exotic; not to mention 

 that many vines, through excessive rains, frosts, &c., lose the 

 young roots of the previous summer, and become blackened 

 stumps in the earth, without feeders. One great care ought, 

 therefore, to be, to encourage the vine to make as many feeders 

 as possible, as near to the surface as possible, and endeavour to 

 preserve them in winter, if possible. 



A vine, or, indeed, any other plant, will seldom send out roots 

 near the surface, unless that surface be rendered dnrh^ firm, and 

 moist. To accomplish this, I should cover the border all over 

 with turfs, black side uppermost. Many vine borders are defi- 

 cient in width, and that frequently from a very curious reason; 

 namely, that the line of a gravel walk must bound them. Now, 

 a gravel walk may be carried over an immense length of border, 



