GRAPE GROWING UNDER GLASS. 235 



broken tip, and for every five yards of sod, about one 

 yard of lime rubbish, a small quantity of charcoal, 

 broken bricks and calcined oyster shells, should be 

 added. It will also be well to add one hundred pounds 

 of broken up bones. If this compost is prepared in the 

 fall and piled up so as to shed rain, it will be in shape to 

 use the next spring, although if necessary it may be 

 used at once. 



As a rule, if the soil is fairly rich, no manure should 

 be applied with the compost, but it can be added as a 

 top-dressing whenever needed. In case the best turf 

 that can be obtained is thin and growing upon 

 exhausted soil, cut it to the depth of two inches and 

 mix it with equal parts of rich garden soil and half 

 decomposed strawy manure. A well drained, deep, 

 moderately rich garden soil will give good results with- 

 out preparing any special border, if properly top-dressed. 

 As soon as the vines get to bearing, it is well to scrape 

 off the surface soil, if it can be done without destroying 

 the roots, and add a compost of equal parts of turf and 

 stable manure. 



The vine border should be as wide as the roof that 

 is to be covered, and may be entirely within the houses, 

 or half inside and half outside, with the roots passing 

 out through arches in the wall. The border should be 

 about two feet deep, but it need not be made to its full 

 width at the time of planting. If five or six feet wide, 

 if will suffice for the first year, and additions can be 

 made until, by the beginning of the fourth year, the full 

 width has been reached. 



To provide the necessary fertility for the vines, 

 mineral fertilizers are desirable, as they produce a firm 

 and healthy growth that is less likely to be injured by 

 unfavorable conditions than the soft, watery growth 

 obtained from stable manure. If one peck of wood 

 ashes, two pounds of ground bone and one-half pound 



