FORMATION OF VINE BOKDERS. 73 



" It is unnecessary to attempt to give rules for every 

 kind of soil. One must use his own judgment, and 

 make his border to consist, as near as can be, of the 

 above ingredients. He must bear in mind that, if 

 his soil is a stiff clayey loam, he must add freely of 

 such materials as will lighten and give permeability 

 to it. If the soil is light, sandy or gravelly, with the 

 manure should be added a proportion of clay or 

 clayey loam. The rich alluvion soil, abounding in 

 our western and soutliwestern States, will not require 

 any of these strong manures. If anything is requi- 

 site to improve them, it must be shells, charcoal, 

 leaves, small stones, or gravel — such materials as 

 will loosen the soil." 



But that the reader may not be discouraged by 

 these extravagant demands we quote the following 

 ft om Iloare : 



" But if vines could not be planted with any pros- 

 pect of success in any other situations than in bor- 

 ders set apart for that purpose, but a very small quan- 

 tity of grapes could be grown, compared with w^hat 

 the country is capable of producing. Innumerable 

 instances occur throughout the country, and espe- 

 cially in towns and their suburban districts, in which 

 w^alls, cottages, houses, and various descriptions of 

 brick and stone erections present very favorable 



aspects for the training of vines, but which neverthe- 



4 



