THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 213 



were planted, inside and outside, upwards of one hundred 

 and thirty vines, chiefly small plants, and through the whole 

 range, when he saw them, (if he ever did see them,) there 

 were not thirty vines stopped at the points of the shoots, as 

 he describes, and those so stopped are entirely confined to 

 the roof vines planted outside, Avhich is my favorite method 

 of planting. As to the glass being injurious, this is rather a 

 grave question, which ought to be guardedly advanced. But 

 I, in a great measure, believe in the purport of Mr. Spen- 

 cer's letter to the Chronicle some time ago, though it was 

 stated that the glass was not in fault. I warn my brethren 

 and amateurs to be guarded as to the too free use of it. 



" ' Upon inquiry,' continues Mr. E., ' of what the borders 

 consisted, I was told they had received a large admixture of 

 dead carcasses, such as those of deer, horses, &c.,' and, in 

 the remarks appended to Mr. E.'s letter, the editor says, 

 ' We have always discountenanced the use of carrion in this 

 manner. The vines are probably poisoned.' 



" It may, perhaps, be in your recollection, and I dare say 

 in that of many of your readers, that a collection of grapes 

 was submitted by me, in September, 1841, to the Horticul- 

 tural Society, which was the produce of young vines. The 

 borders in Avhich they grew contained carrion, &c., as de- 

 tailed in my treatise ; and until I find the specimens then 

 sent superseded, I will still carry out and recommend the use 

 of carrion when it can be obtained. But how can your posi- 

 tion be tenable, when I tell you that the vines mentioned by 

 Mr. E. are not planted in carrion, and that no carrion has 

 been near them, not one horse carcass, nor a portion of one, 

 is buried in the whole of my new borders, which are exten- 

 sive ? I was sorry, at the time I made them, that it was not 

 in my power to avail myself of that pabulum to produce the 

 nectar of Bacchus. All the carrion, of any description, they 

 contain, would not have made one load for a Shetland pony, 

 and most of that was reduced, in order that it might give 

 out immediately nutritious food to the vines, young as they 



