THE ROOTS OF GRAPE VINES. 177 



description of soil. Such being the case, there will 

 be no difficulty whatever in making an artificial soil 

 of this nature, which shall be calculated in every re- 

 spect to produce a very superior growth of the vine. 



In furtherance of this object, it happens that the best 

 description of materials for the intended purpose can 

 be easily procured, at any time, and almost in any 

 place. These are, broken bricks, lumps of mortar, char- 

 coal, and bones. The three first should be reduced to 

 the size of a hen's egg, or thereabouts. Larger or 

 smaller fragments will do, but when they are about this 

 size they are better calculated to retain the requisite 

 degree of moisture in connexion with the greatest pos- 

 sible extent of surface. The bricks should not be too 

 hard burnt, because their porosity is thereby lessened. 

 Old mortar should be preferred to new, when it can be 

 procured. The bones may either be broken into frag- 

 ments or deposited whole, and the fresher they are the 

 belter. Any description of bones will do, provided 

 they are those of animals arrived at maturity, and are 

 therefore of a solid and lasting nature. Such as have 

 marrow in them should be broken asunder, that the 

 interior surface may be available to the roots of the 

 vines, and the lighter and more porous the charcoal is, 

 the better will it answer the intended purpose. The 

 whole of these materials should be used in equal pro- 

 portion, measure for measure, and should be well 

 mixed together. But before this is done, the bricks, 

 mortar, and charcoal should be well soaked in urine, 

 and then used immediately. And as these substances 

 convey to the roots of vines an extraordinary supply of 

 nutriment in a highly concentrated form, a small quan- 

 tity in bulk, in proportion to that of common soil, will 

 be amply sufficient to support a single vine for a long 

 series of years. 



The manner in which these materials are to be used 



