188 ON PLANTING AND MANAGING 



two following exceptions ; 1st, the whole upper floor- 

 ing of brickwork is to be laid in mortar, no courses of 

 moveable bricks being required for a bed outside of the 

 house, as a sufficient quantity of moisture for the 

 roots will find its way through the bricks forming the 

 surface. 2d, The surface of the bed must be sloped so 

 that the front of it may be at least 6 inches lower than 

 that part that joins the house. 



If the surface of the bed is not to be paved, then the 

 brickwork forming the bottom flooring is also to be 

 sloped, as well as the top surface of the materials, to 

 the same extent as that in the preceding case. The 

 object in view in sloping the bottom, is to admit any 

 excess of water that may at any time fall on the bor- 

 der to drain away. To effect this more readily, a few 

 very small crevices must be left open in the bottom of 

 the front wall, just at the junction of the flooring and 

 the wall. And as there is to be no brick flooring on 

 the upper surface of the bed, the cross walls that are 

 pigeon-holed are, of course, not wanted, but it will be 

 advisable to run up the solid cross walls, that are in- 

 tended to keep the roots of each vine separate from 

 each other. The preparation and filling in of the bed 

 of materials is to be effected in the same manner as al- 

 ready described. The roots of the vine should also be 

 deposited in the bed of materials in a similar way, be- 

 twixt two pieces of wet woollen cloth, and in this latter 

 case, where the surface of the materials is open, the 

 roots should be laid in six inches below the surface. 



If the borders outside of greenhouses, &c., be thus 

 made for the roots of vines that are cultivated within 

 them, the superiority of the fruit would, in consequence, 

 be such as to amply repay the trifling expense incurred 

 in making them. 



A similarly beneficial effect on the fruit of vines 

 cultivated on the open wall would, without doubt, be 



