44 ON SOIL. 



degree in stony or rocky soils, than in any other. 

 This is easily accounted for from the fact that soils of 

 this description, being quickly rendered dry by evap- 

 oration, are always free from that excess of moisture 

 which is so injurious to the growth of the vine. 



It may hence be inferred, that vines will not flour- 

 ish in a cold wet soil, nor in one composed of a stiff 

 heavy clay. Grapes produced on vines planted in 

 such soils scarcely ever ripen well, and if so, never 

 possess the flavor of those grown on vines planted in 

 a dry soil. Vines may be seen in all parts of the 

 country, the fruit on which looks well during the 

 early part of the season, but when the ripening period 

 arrives the berries remain green and hard, or other- 

 wise they shrivel and decay. These results are sure 

 to be produced when the roots grow in a soil that is 

 too wet and adhesive, and into which the sun and air 

 cannot freely penetrate. 



All borders, therefore, made expressly for the re- 

 ception of vines, ought to be composed of a suflicient 

 quantity of dry materials, such ^s stones ; brickbats^ 

 broken moderately small; lumps of old mortar; 

 broken pottery ; oyster shells^ <^*c. (^*c., to enable the 

 roots to extend themselves freely in their search after 

 food and nourishment ; tiO keep them dry and v/arm 

 by the free admission of air and solar heat : and to 

 admit of heavy rains passing quickly through, without 

 being retained sufficiently long to saturate the roots, 

 and thereby injure their tender extremities. 



In preparing the border, then, the first thing is to 

 secure a dry bottom. If the soil and sub-soil be nat- 

 urally such, as is described above as the most conge- 

 nial to the growth of the vine, nothing more is re- 

 quired, than to trench the ground two spit deep, to 

 clean it well from all weeds and roots, and to make it 

 as fine as possible, and it v/ill then be in a proper 

 state to receive the vines. 



But if the sub-soil be not naturally dry, it must be 

 made so by the usual process of draining, which is 

 the basis of every improvement that can be made in 



