February H, 1806. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEE. 



125 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



Doy 



of 



M 'nth 



Day 



of 



Week. 



Tn 

 W 

 Th 

 P 



s 



Sun 

 M 



FEBRUAKY U-20, 1865. 



Elder foliate?. 



Piirtridire pairs. 



Henbit Deiid N(4tlp flowers. 



Coltsfoor. flowers. 



Crocus flowers. 



Skxaoesima Sunday. 



CoLton Grass tiowerg. 



AveraRQ Temperature 



Rain in 



Sun 



Sun 



near London. 



38 years. 



Rises. 



Sets. 



Day. 



NiKhf. 



Mean. 



Days. 



m. li. 



m. h. 



46.4 



31.1 



3S.3 



14 



18 af 7 



Uar5 



4(i.7 



31.1 



38.0 



13 



10 7 



13 5 



46.6 



30.6 



3S.6 



8 



1* 7 



1.5 5 



46.7 



31,1 



3S.9 



U 



12 7 



17 5 



45.2 



31.1 



S8.1 



10 



10 7 



18 ,5 



45.1 



.Sl.S 



3S.2 



14 



S 7 



20 .5 



45.6 



30.7 



88.1 



20 



7 



22 5 



Moon 

 Rises. 



m. 



37 



40 10 



43 U 

 morn. 



46 



48 1 



46 2 



Moon 

 Sets. 



h. m. 



16 



43 10 

 32 11 



Moon's 

 Age. 



Clock 

 before 

 Sun. 



Day of 

 Year. 



18 

 19 

 20 

 21 

 ( 

 23 

 24 



14 26 



14 23 



14 20 



14 15 



45 

 46 

 47 

 48 

 49 

 60 

 51 



From observations talcea near London during: the last thirtv-eieht years, the average day temperature of the -week is 45.9°, and its night 

 temperature 31.0', The greatest heat was 59° on the 16ih, 1803 : and the lowest cold. 2', on the 17th, 1855. The greatest fall of rain was 

 0.51 inch. 



THE AEEATION OP VINE-BOEDERS. 



DO not know whether 

 the aeration of Vine- 

 borders has received 

 that attention from 

 Vine growers which 

 its importance de- 

 serves. I fear it has 

 not. I sometimes 

 think that this question 

 has not that prominence as- 

 signed to it which its merits 

 demand, in the pages of The 



JOUEXAI, OF HOKTICULTUEE, 



and similar periodicals. As an 

 element of success in Vino culture, I believe it to be of 

 great importance, and in practice, wherever I have seen 

 it judiciously carried out. other conditions being favour- 

 able, the results have always been highly satisfactory. 



In the formation of Vine-borders, we should not forget 

 that the Vine is an exotic, requiring to grow it success- 

 fully a much warmer climate than we have. To com- 

 pensate for inferiority of climate, it is not enough that 

 we plant it under glass, surround it n"ith any aniount 

 of warmth, and treat it otherwise on the most approved 

 principles. So long as we neglect to use means to raise 

 the temperature of the soil around the roots, and place 

 them in an equally- favourable medium with the leaves 

 and branches, so long will our success be limited, crippled, 

 and unsatisfactory, the power of the Vine to mature a 

 large crop of fruit greatly impeded, and the quality of 

 that which it does produce in.^'erior. This is, perhaps, 

 more apparent in the northern than the southern portions 

 of these islands. 



By raising the temperature of the soil around the roots 

 to suit the various periods of growth, the root-action is 

 largely increased, the roots being able and ready to ap- 

 propriate that food which is within their reach, and ne- 

 cessary for the healthful and vigorous development of 

 the wood, leaves, and fruit. 



In an aerated border comparatively few of the spongi- 

 oles die during the winter ; at all seasons they are to be 

 seen a few inches below the surface in large numbers, 

 ever ready to perform their proper functions when called 

 upon to do so. In a cold, wet iDorder, the reverse is the 

 case, the roots being out of reach when wanted in the 

 spring. The consequence is well known to most who 

 have had to do with Vine culture. 



Many of our best gardeners have in one way or other 

 aerated their Vine-borders. The reason this has not 

 become general, may be the vei-y considerable expense 

 incui-red when chambered borders are formed. For suc- 

 cessful aeration this is not necessary ; the same end can 

 be better attained by adopting other, more simple, and 

 less expensive plans, and one that ha.s been adopted here, 

 and been in operation for a number of years, I purpose 

 shortly to detail. One of the advantages of this plan will 

 be apparent to most people at a glance— viz., the greatly 

 No. 203.— Vol. 'VHI., New Series. 



increased surface presented to the air, in passing below 

 the border from the exterior to the interior of the house, 

 and, consequently, the greater amount of heat absorbed — 

 the principal, although not the only object to be gained 

 by aeration, or subterranean ventilation. The atmo- 

 spheric air is every fine day during the growing season 

 from 10° to 25° warmer than the soil of an ordinary Vine- 

 border not artificially heated. By taking advantage of 

 this, and conducting it beneath the Vine-border, by a 

 few openings outside and inside the house, causing it to 

 pass amongst the drainage, which is used in almost every 

 V^ine-border in considerable quantity, a rude system 

 of aeration might be secured, and found to work pretty 

 well, particularly when 10 or 12 inches of stones or similar 

 material have been used. 



When new borders are to be made, it is generally ne- 

 cessary to concrete them, to prevent the roots from find- 

 ing their way into tlie subsoil, which they will do, how- 

 ever well the borders may have been prepared, unless in 

 some way prevented, and nothing is cheaper or more 

 certain than concrete composed of lime and gravel. 

 The borders of all the forcing-houses here have been 

 concreted to the average thickness of 2^ inches, the 

 surface of the concrete being 3 feet below the surface 

 of the border when finished. The object which I have 

 at present in view, wiU be best served by confining my 

 description to one house. 



The inside border is 30 feet by 16 feet. The external 

 border is abou.t 20 feet in breadth. At the outside of the 

 border, and parallel with the house, a retaining wall is 

 built with bricks on bed, strengthened by pillars every 

 5 feet, the whole rising to near the surface, the pillars 

 having been built with openings in the centre 4^ inches 

 square, and through these openings communicating with 

 an air-drain below, running the whole length of the 

 house, at the base of the wall, and acting both as an air 

 and water drain. This drain is about 6 inches in width, 

 and 10 inches in depth, being pigeon-holed on the side 

 next the house. Four-inch drain tiles are laid across the 

 border, 2 or 3 inches being left open at the joints, in 

 parallel rows 10 or 12 inches asunder, and connected 

 with the air-drain by the pigeon-holes, and with the in- 

 terior of the house by pipes rising above the surface, 

 beneath the hot-v.ater pipes, passage, &c. The rows of 

 tile-pipes lying on the concrete are overlaid with old 

 slates, flat stones, &c., so as to leave as much open space 

 as possible betwixt the rows, to be occupied with air 

 currents. Above this covering a few inches of stones 

 have been laid, finishing with very small ones, and about 

 2 feet of soil above. 



After the month of March commences, advantage is 

 taken of every warm hour, to admit atmospheric air 

 below the border (the proper time to do so is ascertained 

 by thermometers). This is done by opening the lids 

 which cover the eyes in the pillar.s, keeping the front 

 lights of the house shut, and opening the back venti- 

 lators, which at once sets a current in motion. As the 

 season advances, and the weather becomes warmer, the 

 aeration continues the greater part of the day, and in the 

 No. 855.— Vol. XXXIII., Old Sekies. 



