90 



PIOTOBIAL PBAGTIOAL FRUIT GROWING. 



allow for making a first-rate planting Vine ; nowadays, if one may belie,ve all 

 one hears, some feverishly up-to-date growers have taken several hundred- 

 weights of fruit off their Vines before they reach that age. Our old-style 

 canes may have been rather slow, but beyond all question they were sure. 

 They were cut down to a good bud near the surface of the soil in November 

 o£ the same ;year that they were struck, and they then pushed a strong, 

 thick cane, firm, well ripened, and studded with bold buds. This was the 

 planting-out cane, and a grand specimen it was. 



.Making Vine Borders.— The future treatment of the Vines comes 

 after planting, so that if we take things in their proper order we must leave 

 them for u, few minutes and consider the border. Vines may be planted 



under one of three con- 

 ditions : (1) In an inside 

 border ; (2) in an inside 

 border with access to an 

 outside border; (3) in an 

 outside border. The ad- 

 \antages and disadvan- 

 tages may he summed 

 up as follow : — 



A properly made in- 

 side border puts the 

 roots under the grower's 

 control, and is so far 

 good ; but in a very sinall 

 house may not ad'ord 

 sufficient room. 



An outside border is 

 usually watered by the 

 elements, thus saving la- 

 bour ; but sometimes 

 there is too much, and at 

 other times too little, 

 moisture. Again, the 

 roots may ramble into a had medium, in which case shanking may ensue. 



The inside-cum-outhide border is an excellent compromise when Ihe 

 house is small ; but the lower part of the front wall must be built in arches, 

 to allow the roots to get outside when they have increased so much that the 

 interior no longer provides them with an adequate supply of food. 



In making an outside border there should be a slope from the house to 

 the path, wliere a row of drain pipes should be laid, dropping slightly from 

 right to left or left to right, so that surplus water may be carried off. Good 

 vegetable soil will grow Grapes very well, and frequently there is no necessity 

 to remove the natural soil ; but where the soil is very poor it may be well to 

 remove it to a depth of 2 feet, lay in some turves grass side downwards, 

 and, in filling in, incorporate with the soil a dressing of thoroughly decayed 

 manure or a mixture of road scrapings, burnt garden refuse, and J-lnch 

 bones. Make the soil firm. 



In making an inside border it will be advisable to be a little more 

 thorough. Remove the soil to a depth of at least 2 feet, cut the base of 

 the trench into a slope from the middle of the house to the front wall, and 

 either ram it very hard or lay down a coating of concrete, the latter for 

 choice. Then spread on a 6-inch thickness of brickbats or other hard rubble, 



FIG. 67. 



An inside Vine &orcier, 9 feet wide, showing drain, rubble, 

 and Vine planted {seepage 92), The doited horizontal 

 line shows v'here the cane is to be shortened. 



