THE VINE AND ITS FRUIT. 



229 



well as dispensing with the otherwise more constant 

 attention in the use of the water-pot. It has also a 

 clean and neat appearance to the eye, being, in fact, 

 a finish, we think, to small arrangements in every 

 way. It will also act as a, manurial agent when 

 applied to heavy, retentive, or adhesive soil. 



Tlie Soil. — Flower-beds and borders wUl in the 

 course of time require re-invigorating, either by the 

 application of some fresh soil or the addition of 

 manure. The former plan will permanently raise 

 the beds, &c. ; this, to a certain extent, would in 

 many cases be a benefit, but should not be carried 

 too far. By adding manure no perceptible variation 

 in this way will be seen for several years. In either 

 case, when some soil can, be dispensed with, manure 

 woiUd he an assistance to the permanent trees and 

 shrubs, aiding them in rooting nearer the surface 

 rather than compelling them to seek their nutrition 

 by penetrating the subsoil when overlooked. Arti- 

 ficial manures of good lasting properties are also to 

 be recommended, but must be used with caution. If 

 applied too hheraUy, they wiU be productive of leaf- 

 growth with the certainty of fewer flowers. The printed 

 directions of reliable firms should not be exceeded, 

 and these are generally to be had when purchasing 

 these manures. Large quantities should not be pur- 

 chased at one time, for by keeping some kinds de- 

 generate in their fertilising powers. Such manures 

 must not he exposed to the action of the air after 

 they are opened for use, as this will greatly dete- 

 riorate them. 



On heavy clay, or any stiff-working soil, the ad- 

 dition of some road scrapings wiU be a great help 

 to the better working of the ground, when the same 

 can be had in a dry or medium dry condition. Well- 

 decomposed manure is better for light, sandy, or 

 porous soils ; to such also a few additions may be 

 made of good loam when about to be got in readi- 

 ness to receive a fresh instalment of plants. Do not 

 let the manure lie about, but see that it is dug in at 

 once, to preserve its good qualities for absorption by 

 and the enrichment of the soil. 



Opportunity should be taken of giving the ground 

 an extra deep digging when cleared of plants that 

 have been on it for any length of time. This is 

 not an easy matter at all times in small gardens, but 

 will be foimd a benefit whenever the opportunity 

 occurs. The best time to do this would be in the 

 annual autumn clear up — not the following spring, as 

 many have done it to the loss of its fuU benefit. 



The Iiawn. — The lawn will also at times need 

 attention to impart fresh vigour to the growth of 

 the grass. The sowing of a small quantity of grass- 

 seed, mixed with a good amount of soil that has been 

 freed from lumps and hard substances, is a great aid 



on any bare or thin patches. This would soon 

 germinate and produce a fresh green sward in the 

 growing weather of AprU and May. This by seeds- 

 men would be termed a " renovating " mixture. 

 The laying down of lawns ia a permanent manner 

 with grass-seed instead of turf was advised in the 

 previous article, and if this advice be followed the 

 lawn will eventually look far nicer ; being a grass 

 lawn, and not a mixture of grass and many weeds, 

 perhaps more of the latter after the lapse of a few years 

 than of the former. This will give additional labour 

 to the lover of his garden plot, which to a very great 

 extent might have been prevented. It is well known 

 that many useless plants, at least from a garden point 

 of view, that we designate as weeds, are to be found 

 among the herbage of grass -land from which the 

 turf is taken for garden lawns. All such are easily 

 avoided when grass -seed is sown instead, besides 

 being very considerably cheaper in the first instaince. 

 The lawn-mowers for small gardens should be pro- 

 portionately small. Those with cutting capabilities of 

 ten inches in width would be ample in every case 

 where one sees to his own garden, and even six 

 inches will do good work. It is far easier worked 

 around the edges of beds and borders than those of 

 larger size, and will be found to work quite heavily 

 enough by those who are not accustomed to their 

 use. Keep them well oiled and cleaned, with pro- 

 tection from wet if possible when not in use. Do 

 not work them when the lawn is very wet, or a 

 smeary surface wUl be left in places. The best time 

 to use lawn-mowers is when the lawn is quite dry ; 

 the work will then he done in a far cleaner manner, 

 and much more easily. "We prefer those patterns that 

 are arranged with a collecting box, which is gener- 

 ally allowed for by the majority of the manufac- 

 turers. Some writers have, however, advised the use 

 of the machine without the box, leaving the grass to 

 dry up on the lawn, which must at the best look 

 very untidy ; and in a small garden such defects are 

 always readily discernible, even more than in those 

 of larger dimensions. The box can be taken off, and 

 the machine used without it, when the grass cannot 

 otherwise be conveniently cut around the stems of 

 trees, or in confined spaces. 



THE VINE AJSfD ITS EEUIT. 



By "William Coleman. 



PROPAGATION OF TEE VINE. 



OF all the fruit-bearing trees under artificial treat- 

 ment, the propagation of the vine is perhaps 

 the most simple and varied. It can be propagated to 

 an endless extent by means of seeds, cuttings, layers. 



