240 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 



them would send their roots mto the street m search of food. 

 The difference has been surprising. The vines planted in 

 the border have ripened three good crops of fruit ; those in 

 the natural soil have not ripened a bunch, and, until this 

 year, have not even set a berrj. One vine, a Hamburgh, 

 has, at present, a very small bunch upon it. The vines have 

 been pruned and well cared for, and I have no reason to 

 suppose that thej will not eventually yield a crop of fair 

 fruit ; that they will be able to bear comparison with the 

 other grapes, in the same house, I do not expect. 



In 1844, having occasion to make more border, and ha^dng 

 a large quantity of stable manure and old leaves, which had 

 been used for covering the roots of the vines in winter, I 

 thought this, if added to the soil in large quantities, which 

 was also a good loam, with some small quantity of cow ma- 

 nure and bones, would insure me a sufficiently good compost. 

 But it was a mistake ; the vines grew slowly, and not more 

 than half of them fruited the last season. This spring, I 

 have enlarged the border very much, and added strong ma- 

 nure, with many whole bones and twenty bushels of ground 

 ones, with one hundred bushels of charcoal screenings, and 

 as much more old mortar and brickbats, with some considera- 

 ble wood-ashes mixed with them. The vines are now growing 

 very well, and many, but not all of them, have good crops of 

 fruit upon them. The fruit in this house was small and well 

 colored. In the autumn, watering with liquid manure was 

 resorted to with good effect, yet the difference was very 

 much in favor of the border with the carcasses. More trials 

 with like results, might be added ; however, if these have 

 been properly stated, — and I am certain that my object has 

 been to obtain facts, not to estabhsh theories, — and that these 

 trials have resulted, as above expressed, then there can be 

 no necessity for further testimony of mine, as it all tends the 

 same way, and the mere repetition of the trials would be 

 useless. The question now is, whether the experiments have 

 been fairly made. I think they have ; that climate and other 



