and Forcing-Department at Syon. 507 



pots or boxes. It is a very common thing, in breaking up the 

 foundations and borders of old vineries, to find the soil sod- 

 den, or soured, and the roots rotten, owing to an excess of 

 moisture being joined with rich nutritious matter without air 

 or drainage; but where air is admitted to circulate through a 

 porous stratum, as in these forcing-houses, the soddening of 

 the soil and the rotting of the roots cannot take place. We, 

 therefore, consider this excellent contrivance deserving of 

 adoption in all vineries and peach-houses, and, if it were not 

 for the expense of it, in all fruit-tree borders and even in open 

 orchards. 



The soil for the borders was prepared by collecting the 

 turf or surface of an old pasture meadow of hazel loam, and 

 laying it up in small ridges 2 ft. broad at bottom, and 3 ft. 

 high, there to be summer fallowed, or operated upon by the 

 sun's rays and alternate rains from May till September. 

 During this period it was three or four times turned, but not 

 broken into pieces. It has been found that the treatment of soil 

 in this way during one summer is, for all horticultural purposes, 

 worth several winters. While this preparation was going 

 forward, about 30 tons of ground bones were laid in ridges 

 covered with 6 inches of soil, to undergo that degree of fer- 

 mentation which is found necessary before they can be applied 

 with safety as a garden manure. They were not turned, but 

 remained all summer covered with a layer of soil. A large 

 quantity of horse and cow dung from London was fermented 

 during the summer, in a dunghill about 3 ft. deep; it was 

 watered when it appeared to be getting dry, and it was turned 

 over four or five times. An immense quantity of leaves in a 

 rotten state were collected from under the trees in the plea- 

 sure-ground ; these were not fermented, because they were the 

 accumulations of many years, and in consequence were, for 

 the greater part, decomposed. The month of September 

 being fortunately dry, the whole of these materials were then 

 first mixed together and laid in ridges ; the soil for the 

 peaches being considerably (at least two thirds) less manured 

 than that for the vines. This compost being all ready to be 

 wheeled into its place, the stratum of rubbish was first co- 

 vered with 6 inches of litter, haulm of beans or asparagus, 

 clippings of hedges, summer prunings, &c. The weather 

 being still dry, the whole was wheeled in, and thus the border 

 was formed. It is to be observed, that during none of the turn- 

 ings was the soil much broken or reduced to a fine state, or 

 the turfy pieces and roots taken out ; a matter which deserves 

 to be particularly remarked, because many amateurs and in- 



