ON SOIL. 45 



the soil. The bottom of the drains ought, if possible, 

 to be four feet from the surface, and the drains a foot 

 deep, the clear depth of the border will then be three 

 feet. If the soil of this be heavy, and of a retentive 

 nature, two thirds of it ought to be taken entirely 

 away, and the remaining portion, which should be 

 the top spit, made very fine. The deficiency should 

 be made good, by adding an equal quantity of dry 

 materials of the above-mentioned description, and of 

 the sweepings of a high road, all of which must be 

 well mixed and incorporated together. If the natural 

 soil of the border be too sandy and light, the same 

 process may be followed with the exception of the 

 addition of road sweepings. In lieu of these, should 

 be added a sufliciency of fine mould collected from 

 molehills, which is generally of a rich loamy nature ; 

 or of fresh soil from some neighboring meadow or 

 common, which, if well pastured, will prove very 

 fertile; but if neither of these can be procured, the 

 deficiency may be made good from the top spit of a 

 field of good arable land. 



And of whatever nature the soil may be, in which 

 it is intended to plant vines, it ought to contain, at 

 least, one-third of dry materials of the above-men- 

 tioned description. 



With respect to the sweepings of roads, I am de- 

 cidedly' of opinion, that those obtained from a turn- 

 pike road, or from any other high road kept in a good 

 state of repair by the frequent addition of stones, and 

 on which there is a considerable trafilc of horses or 

 other cattle, is the very best compost that can be 

 added to any border intended for the reception of 

 vines. Its component parts, consisting chiefly of 

 sand, gravel, pulverised stones, and the residuum of 

 dung and urine, aftbrd a great quantity of food, and 

 of a richer and more lasting nature, than can be 

 found in any other description of compost, that I have 

 ever seen, or heard of being used for that purpose. 

 I have, on many occasions, opened the borders of 

 vines to examine the direction of their roots, and 



