January 2i, ISM. ] 



JOURNAL OF MOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



6» 



nearly all the time they were vip. I never saw such miserable 

 roots ; not a fibre was to be seen, and they were in a rotten 

 state, and down amongst the gravel, I do not know how far. 

 The border was taken out to the depth of 2 feet 10 inches, 

 and the bottom being" gravel, there was little necessity for 

 draining, but I did so in order to make assui-ance doubly 

 sure ; for the garden slopes towards the front of the border, 

 a walk going along the front, in which I noticed water stand- 

 ing after heavy rains. The roots of the Vines, I ought to 

 state, are all outside ; the border is 12 feet wide, and as long 

 as the two houses, which are each 30 feet in length. 



After the bottom of the border was regularly drained, six 

 drains across, and one along the front as a main drain, it 

 was sloped to the front, and then we put in a foot or 

 nearly so of rnbble stones, and above that a layer of turves, 

 grass side downwai'ds. Now for the mixture of which the 

 new border was composed. I was not allowed any more 

 turves than would cover the stones, but there were a few 

 over. I procured ten or twelve cartloads of half-decayed 

 couch gi'ass, fine open stuff, and a similar quantity of turfy 

 road-scrapings, and a load or two of lime rubbish. The old 

 soil was very good stuff, it had been all put in when the 

 houses were built, about forty years ago. I had to use a 

 good de.al of it, as I could not obtain enough of fresh soil. 

 I put it in in layers — first a layer of the old soil, then 

 one of the other stuffs, time about, till I came to lay the 

 roots out. They were all carefully pruned, and nicely laid 

 out, putting some fine rich soil over them. After we had 

 put on another layer we gave a nice shower of water to 

 settle the earth about the roots, and then finished off. 

 The houses were shaded and syringed for some time. The 

 foliage flagged and faded notwithstanding, and the wood 

 was very imperfectly ripened. I pruned the Vines about 

 the end of December, and cut out more than half the rods, 

 leaving only two to each sash, and aU the young ones coming 

 from the bottom. I cannot tell what system was aimed at 

 by my predecessors, it was neither the spur, the long, nor 

 the short-rod system. 



Now for the result. All the Vines broke but three, which 

 are quite dead. Some of them made pretty good shoots, 

 others indifferent, and others only burst their buds, and 

 made a leaf or two. I gave no fia'e except in the months of 

 October and November, 1S64, to help to ripen the wood. I 

 watered the border frequently during the dry summer we 

 had, with pure water only. The wood is not very well 

 ripened, and I have pruned them nearly close in again. I 

 examined the roots when I was taking out the dead ones, 

 and find some have made nice healthy fibres. I have given 

 them no protection as yet, as I thought I would have to 

 take them all out. May T look for any fruit this year ? and 

 will you advise me to assist them with a little fire, be- 

 ginning about the end of next month ? 



I have a fine lot of young Vines of last year from eyes; 

 they are in 10-inch pots, and most of them grew to the 



length of 15 feet, but were long in ripening, as it was well 

 on in February before I had the eyes. I intend to plant 

 them among the old Vines, and have pruned them to the 

 length of 4 feet, as they will require to be that to reach the 

 first wire. I have a few for fruiting in pots, but will not 

 start them for a month yet, as they were so long in ripening ; 

 they are in 12-inch pots. — J. H., Nairnshire, N.B. 



[So far as we can see you have done the general work 

 well. When the roots of Vines are so rotten and decayed 

 as you describe yoiirs to have been, it would have been 

 better to have made a suitable border and planted young 

 Vines at once. The fact that the Vines that did pretty 

 well made nice fresh fibres, showed that the moving and 

 lifting in favourable circumstances is a very good plan for 

 renewing the health and fertility of Vines. You would no 

 doubt have succeeded better if you had forwarded the ripen- 

 ing of the old Vines before taking up the roots. There 

 would then have been less chance of fiagging. That flagging 

 should be prevented by shading, a moist atmosphere, and 

 syringing. By such means some of our great gardeners 

 have raised and replanted Vines in May and onwards. It 

 is just possible that you would have succeeded as well by 

 " TV. C.'s " plan, and after removing the two spits of soil with- 

 out roots have placed a little fine turfy soil and lime rubbish 

 on the top to encourage the roots upwards. Tou say nothing 

 of protecting your border in the winter of 1863 and 1864, 

 though that would have formed an item of success if the 

 soil had been warm enough to encourage a slow rooting aU 

 the winter. Unless the old soil was very good indeed it would 

 have been better to have used only a little of it, even if you 

 had only made a third or a half of your border at once. The 

 old soil placed loosely in a heap would have been all the 

 better of the exposure, and might when well au-ed have been 

 afterwards used as part of the compost. Tou did right in 

 allowing the Vines to break naturally without any fire heat ; 

 but we should have advised giving a little fire heat in May 

 and June, with a corresponding moist atmosphere to en- 

 courage growth, and then again in dull days in August and 

 September to hasten maturity, as for that purpose one fire 

 then would be worth half a dozen in October and November. 

 The fire heat in spring with a moist atmosphere and a little 

 heat in the border might have made vigorous out of indif- 

 ferent growth. The summer with us has been sunny and 

 hot, and your crop next season will depend on the ripening 

 of the wood where it is pretty good. We cannot say more 

 of success in that direction. We would, however, advise 

 planting fresh Vines where the old ones have done badly. 

 Tou cannot err in making sure by planting plenty, as you 

 can easily cut out when too thick. The system of pruning 

 is of little consequence. Let the Vines be healthy and the 

 wood well matured, and cut how you may you will be sure 

 to get fe-uit if you leave buds. We would advise covering 

 the border to keep out wet and cold at least, and let the 

 Vines break naturally again.] 



METEOEOLOGY OE ELLE^^BOEOUGH P.iEE, TVESTON-SUPEE-MAHE. 



1864.— Mo.NTBS. 



Srean 

 .\fitx. 



January 43.3 



February 42.O 



Marcil 49 



April I srle 



May [ 67.4 



June 69.1 



July 73.9 



August I 72.0 



Sspcemher ( 66.3 



October [ 58.3 



November 50.0 



December 43.G 



Tempeeaturb. 



Mpan 

 Min. 



34.3 

 33.6 

 37.7 

 43.1 

 49.9 

 52.9 

 55.6 

 52.5 

 51.4 

 44.4 

 36.2 

 34.7 



SS.S 

 37.S 

 43.4 

 50.3 

 5S.6 

 61.0 

 61.7 

 63.3 

 0S.8 

 51.3 

 43.1 

 39.0 



B.^ROMETEIi. 



Mean. 



30.26 

 30.03 

 29.70 

 30.10 

 30.09 

 30.07 

 30.13 

 30.26 

 30.01 

 29.92 

 29.97 

 30.07 





30.70 

 80 42 

 30.28 

 30.3S 

 30.34 

 30.82 

 30.27 

 30.57 

 30.42 

 30.41 

 80.72 

 30.60 



29.73 

 29 70 

 29.45 

 29.73 

 29.85 

 29.30 

 29.00 

 28.82 

 2S.4S 



o "d 

 5° 



6.6 

 6.2 

 5.7 

 4.9 

 5.0 

 6.2 

 42 

 4.3 

 5.3 

 6.5 

 6.S 

 7.3 



l.n- 



1.58 

 2.-7 

 1.49 

 0.76 

 2.10 

 1.32 

 0.75 

 1.86 

 2.10 

 3.U5 

 2.36 



- o = 

 3 g"S 



Direction akb Relative Feeqdekct 

 Of THE "Winds. 



3.0 

 3.0 

 3.7 

 2.4 

 2.6 

 46 

 3.2 

 2.8 

 3.3 

 3.0 

 3.4 

 1.6 



s.w N.vir vr. n.e s.e. e. 



6 



2 



7 



5 



12 



7 



6 



5 



20 



11 



24 



3 



15 



10 



17 



IS 



20 



7 



7 



5 



16 





6 





4 



5 

 10 



8 

 15 



3 



11 



14 



I 12 



4 



EXPLANATION 

 <77oi(d.— This column gives the mean of three or more nbservationa per 

 ■day, from sunnse to sunset. Scjile to 10 (estimated). Force of Wind.— 

 The average ot extreme force durin? the day (t<reuty-four hours). Scale 

 to 12 (estimated). Direction 0/ the Wind.—Jbii sires surfac 



N. IS. 



-This gives surface currents 



obtained by vane or smoke, from three observations p?r day, from sunrise 

 to sunset. Thermometer in north aspect, 4 feec above the ^rouud. Baro- 

 meter near sea-leTel. Rain.guaqe 3 inches above the ground, and near 

 sea-lerel. — The Doctok'3 Bot. 



