292 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 



covered with gravel. To notice the difference in the fruit- 

 ing and growing of the vines, when situated in this un- 

 prepared soil, as compared with the compost above, I 

 planted four vines, so situated that three of them would 

 send their roots into the street in search of food. The 

 diiference has been surprising. The vines planted in the 

 border have ripened three good crops of fruit ; those in 

 the natural soil have not ripened a bunch, and, until this 

 year, have not even set a berry. One vine, a Hamburgh, 

 has, at present, a very small bunch upon it. The vines 

 have been pruned and well cared for, and I have no rea- 

 son to suppose that they will not eventually yield a crop 

 of fair fruit ; that they will be able to bear comparison 

 with the other grapes, in the same house, I do not expect. 

 In 1844, having occasion to make more border, and 

 having a large quantity of stable manure and old leaves, 

 which had been used for covering the roots of the vines 

 in winter, I thought this, if added to the soil^in large 

 quantities, which was also a good loam, with some small 

 quantity of cow manure and bones, would insure me a 

 sufficiently good compost. But it was a mistake; the 

 vines grew slowly, and not more than half of them fruited 

 the last season. This spring, I have enlarged the border 

 very much, and added strong manure, with many whole 

 bones and twenty bushels of ground ones, with one 

 hundred bushels of charcoal screenings, and as much 

 more old mortar and brickbats, with some consider- 

 able wood-ashes mixed with them. The vines are now 

 growing very well, and many, but not all of them, have 

 good crops of fruit upon them. The fruit in this house 

 was small and well colored. In the autumn, watering 



