GARDEN CULTURE. 161 



merit as anywhere, provided the soil is not too wet ; the 

 surface of the soil being covered, it seldom becomes dry, 

 and the pavement absorbs a great amount of heat, which 

 passes through it to the soil, furnishing sufficient to keep 

 up a healthy action of the roots. The most important 

 thing in preparing a place for a vine is to secure proper 

 drainage, because where there is much shade the soil is 

 usually very wet ; and to avoid injury to the roots from 

 excess of moisture, deep trenching or drainage is indis- 

 pensable. It may not always be necessary to dig very deep 

 at the exact point where the vine is to be planted ; in fact, 

 this would more often be injurious than otherwise. But 

 let the deepest digging be at some distance from it, so that 

 the water as it descends may be carried away from the 

 vine, instead of being drawn under it. 



One of the most common errors committed in tree as 

 well as vine planting, is that of digging deep holes at the 

 point where the plant is to be set, and then filling them up 

 with loose soil, and in this place the roots. These holes 

 only serve to drain the surrounding soil, receiving mois- 

 ture instead of repelling it. This would certainly be bene- 

 ficial in very porous dry soils, but in wet ones it is injurious. 

 If the ground can not all be trenched, let the holes be made 

 large, and at the point where the vine is to be set, not 

 more than eighteen inches deep, and at the outside two feet 

 deep ; this will cause the water to settle away from the vine. 

 When the soil is very heavy, it is best to dig a trench 

 and set the vine at one end, letting the bottom of the 

 trench descend from the vine to the farthest point ; any 

 old rubbish, such as brick, stone, bone, etc., may be placed 

 in the bottom of the trench to secure a better drainage. 

 When a number of vines are to be planted, a long, wide, 

 and deep trench should be made and filled with good soil ; 

 this will make what is usually termed a border. Four feet 

 wide and two feet deep will answer every purpose, unless 

 the method of training to be adopted requires the vines to 



