258 TREATMENT OF THE 



paving the bottom as is advised and practised 

 by some persons, for the small stones, &c. 

 admit water to filter down to the surface of 

 the natural substratum, and to run down to 

 the drains: but when it is paved, the water 

 runs along the face of the paviers, and a few 

 inches of the compost next to them is very 

 wet, which causes any roots that enter it to 

 decay. After this is completed so that the 

 overplus water can be conveyed entirely away 

 from the border, the compost for the Vines 

 must be laid in the space allotted for it. 

 The sort of compost which I find the Vine 

 to flourish the best in, is prepared as follows. 

 One half of good gritty loam soil, the top 

 spit of a pasture field which has not been 

 lately cultivated for corn, or of a common, 

 let the turf remain upon it; one-quarter of 

 well rotted manure from old hot beds, and 

 one-quarter composed of lime rubbish, bone 

 dust, old spent bark, and pigeon or fowl's 

 dung. Let there be equal quantities of lime 

 rubbish, bone dust, and bark, and about half 

 the proportion of pigeon or fowl's dung. 



The soil must be procured twelve months 

 before the time it is wanted for use, and 

 must be frequently turned over and chopped 

 in pieces, so that the turf may become well 

 rotted. In turning over the soil, always do 

 it on a dry day. The manure and the soil 

 must be mixed well together previous to lay* 

 ing it in the excavacation. The compost 



