THE CULTUEE OF THE GRAPE. 61 



fruit equally distributed on the vines throughout the 

 house." ISiTj p. 683. 



"A. B. says: In forming a new border, I should re- 

 commend the soil to be excavated to the depth of three 

 feet, not more, but the wider the border is, the better, — 

 twenty feet is not too wide. There should be a drain in 

 front, and the border should slope well to it. I would 

 bottom with rough sandstone, or some material which 

 would secure perfect drainage ; and I would cover the 

 latter with thin turf, or peat, to prevent it from being 

 choked up. As compost, I would recommend one fourth 

 old mortar, bones, and charcoal, — the bones and char- 

 coal to be broken, but not too small ; one fourth, decom- 

 posed tree leaves ; and the remaining half, the top spit 

 of a good oM pasture, or common, which should have 

 lain eighteen months in a heap, and frequently turned 

 and exposed to the frost. The whole being well incorpo- 

 rated, fill in the border, taking care to tread as little as 

 possible." 1847, p. 685. 



" In our opinion, it is doubtful whether any material 

 like slaughter-house manui-e is fit for vine borders. Its 

 effect is to cause excessive growth, and, for a little while, 

 large quantities of grapes ; but the effect is transient, 

 and plants suffer finally. It is much better to employ 

 bones, hair, woolen rags, skin, tanners' fleshings, and 

 similar substances. See Mr. Nash's border, Bishop's 

 Stortford." 1847, p. 736. 



Here the question naturally arises. What is slaughter- 

 house manure ? or, of what does it consist ? It is to be 

 presumed that this manure varies very much, in its com- 

 ponent parts, in different countries, being affected by lo- 



