THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 225 



in a fresh state, say six cart-loads of good sods, one cart-load 

 of leaf mould, and one cart-load of liorse droppings. George 

 Cherry, Eshton Hall." — G-ardeners' Chro7iicle, 1848, p. 22. 



" It appears that Ave were not far wrong, when we ven- 

 tured to express a doubt as to the permanence of the vigor 

 produced in vines, by the use of carrion, (see page 851, 

 1847.) Mr. Cherry, the gardener at Eshton Hall, himself, 

 objects to it, and, although he describes the vines there as 

 still remaining in good condition, yet admits that the weight 

 of the bunches does not now exceed one pound on an aver- 

 age, yet they have been out of Mr. Roberts's charge for only 

 three years. This is a sad falling off from two and a quarter 

 pounds a bunch. That they are still in good health and very 

 respectable vines, we fully believe, for they continue to be 

 managed upon Mr. Roberts's plan, which we regard as excel- 

 lent, with the single exception of the carrion." 



" What the effect of using carrion in vine borders really is, 

 appears pretty clearly from the following statement, which 

 has just reached us :" — 



" Some years since, I took charge of a place where there 

 were three large vineries, the grapes in wliich had entirely 

 failed. The vines had been planted about six years. Upon 

 examination, the borders proved to contain the carcasses of 

 thirty fat hogs, which had died of murrain, together with the 

 bodies of other stock. They likewise contained three or four 

 wagon-loads of large bones, and an immense quantity of 

 woolen rags, saturated with oil. Upon digging into the bor- 

 der, I found the soil more hke paste than any thing else, and 

 the stench was so dreadful, that one of the men was taken ill 

 from the effects of it. Throughout the whole of that border, 

 I found not one single fibre ; the large roots were covered 

 Avith canker, and several large ones were eaten completely 

 through. The foliage was very large, but sickly, the wood 

 very long-jointed and watery. I commenced forcing one 

 house of Black Hamburghs early ; the temperature was kept 

 29 



