212 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 



whole extent of it in the month of October. Mr. Roberts 

 objects to this at that season of the year, and says it should 

 not be done until the time of forcing approaches. Mr. Er- 

 rington " is a great opponent to the burying of carcasses, or 

 any part of them, in borders," and refers to the remarks of 

 Mr. Elliott, and attributes the injury of the vines to this 

 cause ; but it does not appear that he was personally know- 

 ing to the facts as stated by Mr. Elliott. 



" Vine Culture. — On looking over the Chronicle, of De- 

 cember 4th, I noticed a communication from a Mr. Robert 

 Elliott, headed, ' Questions for Vine Growers,' and, as I am 

 evidently the person he alludes to, I beg to offer a few re- 

 marks on his visit to Raby, if he, indeed, visited Raby at all, 

 for the Avhole of my men disclaim all knowledge of ever hav- 

 ing shown this Mr. Elliott through the place in my absence. 

 From the remarks he makes respecting the vines here, I 

 assure your readers that I should not have troubled myself 

 to refute him, had I not had a work before the public, from 

 the following of which, to the letter, I have had unerring 

 success ; and, if I cannot convince your readers that the 

 greater part of Mr. EUiott's letter is a tissue of falsehoods, 

 I will suffer my treatise to fall as my contemporary's brick 

 pillars have done." 



In reference to the vines in the old houses looking well, 

 and having good crops, as stated by Mr. Elliott, Mr. Roberts 

 says, that it is owing to the disbudding and top-dressing the 

 border with carrion, &c., and, wherever practicable, applying 

 heat to the roots. He then goes on as follows : — 



" ' Proceeding onward, however,' Mr. E. remarks, ' to some 

 newly erected houses, in which the vines had been planted 

 last February, I found the shoots all dead for eight and ten 

 inches back, and some even more ; and, for the cause of this 

 calamity, I could not obtain a satisfactory explanation, the 

 blame being laid upon the sheet glass with which the houses 

 were glazed.' 



" Now, in this range, during February and March, there 



