THE BOOTS OF GRAPE VINES. 189 



produced, by making artificial borders of materials en- 

 closed in brickwork in the manner already described, 

 in all cases where either the soil or subsoil is naturally 

 stiff, adhesive, and cold. 



THERE remains now to be described a mode of cul- 

 tivating the vine, which, from its simplicity and eco- 

 nomy, and its easy practical adoption, recommends 

 itself most especially to the notice of a vast class of 

 persons who are not in possession of the means to 

 practise any of the usual methods of culture. 



This mode of culture is based upon two important 

 principles connected with the growth of the vine. 

 The first of which is, that a body of substances or ma- 

 terials, of the nature already described, being enclosed 

 in hollow brickwork or masonry erected on the surface 

 of the ground, will nourish and support the roots of a 

 vine inserted therein, as effectually as it would do, were 

 the brickwork or masonry enclosing the materials 

 placed below the surface of the ground. The second 

 principle is, that the roots of a vine, when enclosed in 

 this manner, and supplied with the requisite degree of 

 moisture, will strike upwards, and grow as freely in 

 that direction, as they will downwards or horizontally, 

 when the brickwork and materials are beneath the sur- 

 face of the earth. 



On these two important principles, an easy and 

 novel mode of cultivating vines may be practised, 

 which may be described as that of building hollow 

 brick erections on the surface of the ground, of any 

 shape, circular, square, or otherwise, and filling them 

 with dry materials of the description already mentioned, 

 then planting in each erection, amongst these materi- 

 als, the roots of a vine, and training the branches of it 

 on the outside surface of the brickwork. 



