AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 283 



and Catawba grapes, at p. 12, vol. i., and on Mushrooms, at p. 

 201, vol. vi., have never been surpassed by any other writer on 

 these subjects. 



Mr. Galbraith states that in preparing a border for a grape 

 house, the first object should be thorough drainage, so as to ren- 

 der it impossible for water ever after to occupy any part of the 

 border, except in the downward passage of rains, dews, etc.; as 

 standing water on any part of the root of the grape is deleterious 

 to its growth, while a continued moderate supply of water in 

 motion, as in its downward passage through the soil, is always 

 advantageous. 



GRAPE EOEDER. 



We will suppose a grape house fifty feet long — this should be 

 dug out to a width of fifteen feet, and four feet deep. In addi- 

 tion to placing in draining tile with an outlet where practicable, 

 the space between the rows of tile, which should not be more 

 than four feet apart, should be filled in with stone, first of large 

 size, then smaller, ending with broken stone and capped with 

 coarse gravel. This should be covered with straw or other analo- 

 gous substance, to prevent the earth settling into the gravel, thus 

 secimng a fair circulation of air, and the entire absence of stand- 

 ing water. The base of the border being thus formed, the com- 

 post to fill it should be made as follows : 



A piece of old sod-ground should be pared to a depth of not 

 more than two or three inclies, and the richest old pasture field, 

 with a sod of a mellow kind, would be best for this purpose. 

 For every wagon load of sods add one load of stable manure, and 

 to every six loads of sod and manure, half a load of leaf-mould, 

 and three or fom- barrels of charcoal dust. When these are fairly 

 mixed, then commence to fill the border with them, beginning at 

 one end, placing in tlie end slanting to the bottom, the mixture, 

 breaking the sods and leaving the face of the first portion slant- 

 ing from the top to the bottom of the border. So continue on 

 until the border is filled. The surface should then be covered 

 with eight or ten inches of charcoal dust, and so leave it until its 

 fermentation is over. Then tlie border must be trenched, com- 

 mencing at the end, and digging down a space two or three feet 

 wide, removing the compost so taken out to the other end, thus 

 enabling each two feet to be dug, stirred, and thoroughly mixed. 



All this should be done in tlic fall, and so left: until the first 

 open weather in the spring, when the contents of the grape bor- 



