taken away and fertile soil substituted. To make the border ready immediately, the 

 latter is the course to pursue. The addition may be made of rich, partially decom- 

 posed sods from pasture, roadside, or meadow. A good way to prepare these in 

 quantity is to turn ov^er with a plow and leave for a few weeks to decompose. A bet- 

 ter way is, after they have been turned over until the grass is killed, to break up 

 coarsely and form into heaps of about two feet in thickness, with the addition of some 

 stable manure at least considerably rotted if the soil is for immediate use. While 

 lying in this condition a thorough wetting, either by rain or otherwise, will be very 

 advantageous. This may be used to fill up the remaining six inches of the trench, 

 but better to place it at the bottom and the garden soil upon the top. The sods, if 

 only wanted in small quantities, may be cut with a spade, and may also be used im- 

 mediately by placing grass side down in the trench, using manure or compost as may be 

 required. Which is the better course for the vines is obvious. If the sods are taken 

 with the spade, it will be well to loosen the ground first with a pick that t-hey may be 

 partially broken, which will favor rapid decomposition. 



A good border may be most simply made by the addition of half a foot of rich, 

 well-pulverized soil — the first foot being previously well worked over with plow or 

 spade — manure being spread upon it before the working according to need. In pass- 

 ing, it may be remarked, that the best soil for all additions and amendments, is that 

 made from broken and decomposed sods, or into which they largely enter. 

 ""In a well-prepared border of the above depth, if the soil is pretty fine and rather 

 compact by nature, vines will do well for a great number of years. After they 

 begin to give fruit, an autumnal dressing of manure very lightly worked in before 

 winter, and again worked to the depth of four or five inches in early spring, will keep 

 the ground in constant fertility. 



By the same process a border of two feet in depth may be made, or even two feet 

 and a half. The addition of the foot will more than double the expense, but in this 

 latitude, and under favorable circumstances, will be judicious and profitable. And 

 if made to the depth of three feet, where permanence and best results are a leading 

 consideration, the additional cost will never be regretted. 



A grave error often occurs in the preparation of borders where deep working with 

 its object is not well understood. The fertile soil, with or without manure, is some- 

 times put to a great depth below the surface, with a great thickness of unfertile 

 soil above. This is much worse than useless expenditure of care and means. Soil 

 should never be made deeper than can be well " aerated," and its fertility should com- 

 mence at least from near the surface, unless the surface consists of very open sand or 

 gravel, of which a covering for a border is sometimes advantageously made. 



When very deep working is proposed, that is to say, deeper than three feet, a pre 

 paratory step is required. Soil, or rather a mixture of earth and manures to serve as 

 soil, or a receptacle for the root of plants, can not undergo the necessary changes to 

 fit it for entertaining them at a great depth below a compact surface. This prepara- 

 tion must be previously made by repeated workings and aerations before it is put 

 below. We often hear of ground being worked to the depth of five feet. To do this 

 well is no doubt possible, but not easily practicable. We will consider a depth of four 

 feet only : As a preparatory step, at least two feet thickness of good *)il must be so 

 well prepared as to be fitted to go below two other feet of soil, and to give food and 

 entertainment to the roots of plants with no other atmospheric and upper-region 

 influence than can be, we suppose, very sparingly communicated through the super- 

 incumbent mass. We think the question may, with propriety, arise, whether this 

 depth of soil may even remain in a wholesome condition, except in extremely coarse 

 and open formations, or for the entertainment of very insensitive growers, like some 

 of the gigantic forest trees. The upper two feet, or that which by reversement has 

 become so, must be treated as so much barren soil, and will require at least a period 

 of two years to bring it into perfect condition. In case of a very coarse and open soil, 

 even for the vine, we can suppose such preparation may be called /or and judicious* 



