THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 71 



Eoberts states " that it has been his study to bring the 

 vine into a bearing state earlier than what is commonly 

 practised." 



The first chapter treats of the border ; the opinion of 

 the author upon the different composts as recommended 

 by Speechly, Abercrombie, Ma we, and others, rfind his 

 own plan upon the subject, which is as follows : — 



" The borders outside the houses ought to be twenty- 

 four feet wide, cleared out to the depth of three feet 

 six inches upon a bottom of retentive clay, well pre- 

 pared, with a fall of one foot from back to front. A 

 main drain ought to run along the extremity of the 

 border, one foot six inches deep, with cross drains, in an 

 oblique direction, leading into it, so as to have perfect 

 command in draining off superfluous water, which I con- 

 sider an essential point to attend to., so as to lay thenj 

 dry (more particularly where the climate is humid); 

 I then laid upon the bottom thus formed, broken s.tone3 

 and lime rubbish to the depth of one foot, leaving a 

 depth for compost of two feet six inches. Upon the 

 broken stones, every six or eight feet square, I have 

 placed large limestones, of the same nature as the far- 

 famed Skipton rock, which I have no doubt contribute to 

 retain mokture in a dry season, and to facilitate the 

 drainage in a wet one. The compost and manures I 

 most recommend, and which I made use of, are, two 

 parts the parings of a piece of old pasture land, a strong 

 loara, laid up one year, (or till the sward is half decom- 

 posed,) in the form of a potato hod, close covered in 

 with soil, and never turned ; one part, the turf with four 

 inches of the soil, of a looser texture, laid up for the 



