46 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 



not too wide. There should be a drain in front, and the bor- 

 der should slope Avell to it. I would bottom Avith rough sand- 

 stone, or some material which would secure perfect drainage ; 

 and I would cover the latter Avith thin turf, or peat, to pre- 

 vent it from being choked up. As compost, I would recom- 

 mend, one fourth, old mortar, bones, and charcoal, — the bones 

 and charcoal to be broken, but not too small ; one fourth, de- 

 composed tree leaves ; and the remaining half, the top spit of 

 a good old pasture, or common, which should have lain eight- 

 een months in a heap, and frequently turned and exposed to 

 the frost. The whole being well incorporated, fill in the bor- 

 der, taking care to tread as little as possible." 1847, p. 685. 



" In our opinion, it is doubtful whether any material like 

 slaughter-house manure is fit for vine borders. Its eifect is to 

 cause excessive growth, and, for a little while, largo quanti- 

 ties of grapes ; but the effect is transient, and plants suffer 

 finally. It is much better to employ bones, hair, woolen rags, 

 skin, tanners' fleshings, and similar substances. See Mr. 

 Nash's border, Bishop's Stortford." 1847, p. 736. 



Here the question naturally arises. What is slaughter- 

 house manure ? or, of what does it consist ? It is to be pre- 

 sumed that this manure varies very much, in its component 

 parts, in different countries, being effected by local customs. 

 Wliat I meant by the substance, (and which I have used in 

 my grape borders, and recommend as a substitute for the 

 carcasses of animals, or bones,) consists mainly of the intes- 

 tines, with the manures which were in the animals at the time 

 they were killed, all the heads, horns, and feet of sheep, and 

 a good share of bones, and other refuse of other animals. 

 The half of the bulk and weight of the manures has been the 

 heads, the lovt'er half of the legs, and other bones, with some 

 flesh, and skin, and hair, etc., upon a large part of them. 

 Now all these articles are very powerful manures, and very 

 lasting in their nature, and should not be placed in the border 

 until decomposed in some measure, or, which is better, put at 

 the bottom of the border, where the roots of the vine will find 



