156 THE MINIATURE FEUIT G-AEDEN 



gradually turning into raisins. I felt some of them 

 when the sun was shining on them ; they were not 

 burning hot, but next to it. I allowed them to dry 

 into raisins, and very fine they were, but not better 

 than the finest imported from Spain, 



Witt respect to the superior ripening power of 

 slates or tiles placed on the surface of the earth, I was 

 much interested in once hearing a travelled friend say 

 that when he was at Paros, he observed many vines 

 trained up the marble rocks peculiar to the island ; 

 and in all cases the grapes lying on the surface, which 

 was almost a continuous mass of rock, were ripe, while 

 those a few feet from it, on the same vine, some of the 

 branches of which were trained up the wall-like rocks, 

 were quite green. In , telling me this, he said he was 

 never more impressed with the ripening power of the 

 ■earth's surface. 



I have, in giving the figure and description of the 

 ground vinery, adapted for one vine, the width of it 

 being 2 feet 6 inches only. If this width be increased 

 to 3 feet 6 inches, two vines can be traiaed under the 

 same roof 14 inches apart, and thus at a trifling ad- 

 ditional cost double produce can be obtained. 



Cultivators will think of red spider making his 

 home in such (for him) a happy, hot place ; but he 

 may be made so uncomfortable by keeping flowers of 

 sulphur strewed over the slates till near the ripening 

 season, that no inconvenience need be apprehended. 

 It will be perceived that the ventilation is all lateral. 



