GRAPE VINES ON OPEN WALLS. 21 



tour of inspection through the southern counties of 

 England, in whicli nearly every cottage may be seen 

 with a grape vine trained on its Avails. Let him stop 

 at intervals in his journey, and select any number of 

 vines for examination, and carefully estimate the 

 weight of fruit growing on each, and the extent of 

 walling occupied in producing that fruit ; and having 

 calculated the average weight grown on every square 

 foot of walling, let him then be told, which he may 

 be with truth, that, at least, ^i;e times the quantity of 

 grapes of superior flavor might be annually produced 

 on the same extent of surface. Let him also select 

 any given district, and estmiate the number of super- 

 ficial feet of walling, which the buildings in that dis- 

 trict contain, and on which nothing whatever is 

 grown, or at least nothing of any value, and which 

 might at a trifling cost of time and trouble, be annu- 

 ally covered with fine crops of grapes, and he will 

 find to his astonishment, that for every square foot on 

 which vines are trained, there are at least twenty 

 square feet that are either entirely vacant, or occupied 

 in a useless manner. If he then sum up his calcu- 

 lations, the result will show, that, for every pound of 

 grapes that is now grown, not less than a hundred 

 pounds might be annually produced on the existing 

 surface of walling without the addition of a single 

 square foot ! Nor let it be supposed that this estimate 

 is made hypothetically ; on the contrary, it is the re- 

 sult of actual inspection and careful observation, and 

 is considerably within the mark as to the quantity of 

 grapes that might be annually grown. Every mode- 

 rate-sized dwelling house having a garden and a 

 little walling attached to it, may, with ease, be made 

 to produce, yearly, a quarter of a ton weight of grapes, 

 leaving a sutficient portion of its surface for the pro- 

 duction of other fruit. 



It is difiicult to account for the indiflerence which 

 has hitherto been manifested towards the propagation 

 of the vine, or to a.ssign sufficient reasons, why a fruit 



