VINE BORDERS 



CHAPTER IV 



VINE BORDERS 



Draining a Border— Fertilizer for the Border — 

 Watering — Root Actiox 



THERE lias been much discussion in the last few years as to the correct 

 construction of bordeis, and this certainly is a subject requiring care- 

 ful consideration and good judgment, for on it depends the success 

 or failure of the undertaking. We know from long experience that excellent 

 Grapes have been grown from outside borders only. These have, howe\cr, 

 been discarded for years in favor of a combination border, that is, a border 

 both inside and outside. So far, especially here in the United States, the inside 

 border has been generally used on account of the great advantages it presents. 

 In a private establishment it gives the surroundings a much neater appearance 

 by doing away with the unsightly outside grapery border. Still, I have no desire 

 to discredit the outside border, but it is not necessary to make it as wide as 

 is oftentimes done; a width of eight feet is quite sufficient, and such a structure 

 could easily be protected against the inclemencies of the Winter through the 

 use of a layer of leaves one foot thick, with a sprinkling of coarse manure on top 

 to keep the leaves from blowing away. Leaves are one of the best protections 

 against frost and a sure means of preventing the freezing of the soil. 



We must furthermore consider the location. If the graperies are on low 

 ground, confine the borders wholly to the inside. But in selecting a location 

 for fruithouses it is much better to have them on somewhat elevated ground, 

 as this largely avoids the danger of what I will term waterlogged bottoms, which 

 locations are most undesirable. While Grape vines imperatively call for an 

 ample supply of moisture at their roots in the growing season, with this there 

 must be perfect drainage, or everything will go wrong in spite of the best of care 

 they may receive otherwise. Where the drainage is faulty the appearance and 

 color of the Grapes are bound to suffer. 



When there is a border both inside and outside, openings or arches are 

 left in the masonry, and it is a curious fact to note that the roots inside work 

 their way out, especially where the outside has been prepared with the same care 

 as the inside. There is something about the free, outdoor atmosphere which 

 is most congenial to plant life. You will very seldom find a dcca\ed root on the 

 outside, but only vigorous, working roots, while on the inside man\ of the small 



