68 FRUIT CULTURE UNDER GLASS. 



chopped with the spade and thoroughly mixed with 

 the heap of garden-soil and stable-manure. To each 

 cart-load of the mixture which this forms, add the 

 same proportions of lime-rubbish, charcoal, and bones 

 recommended in the case of the top spit from old pasture. 

 This will make a compost in which vines wUl grow 

 vigorously and bear well, and one which will for many 

 years be a good medium for feeding the vines with 

 waterings of manure-water and top-dressings of manure. 



I have superintended the making of borders where 

 the soil chiefly consisted of weeds or rack gathered off 

 farm-fields and allowed to lie till it was half-decom- 

 posed, or fully more, and then added the other con- 

 stituents named to it, with a slight addition of quick- 

 lime, and a portion of soil burned, or rather charred, in 

 the usual way, and the result for years has been most 

 satisfactory. 



In forming these composts into vine-borders, the too 

 common practice of making the whole of a wide bor- 

 der the first year is not a good one. The fact that a 

 great proportion of the border must lie unoccupied 

 with roots while the fibry and best part of it is un- 

 dergoing decomposition without being of any service 

 to the vines, is argument sufficiently strong against 

 making the border the whole width the first year, 

 and in favour of extending the completion of it over 

 several. Eight feet outside^ the house is quite suf- 

 ficient for the first year, and an addition of 5 feet 

 for two successive years will complete a border 18 

 feet wide. By this method an opportunity is afforded 

 of seeing that the extremities of the roots are not 

 running over-deep, and an upward direction can be 

 given to them, and the vines are afforded the stimu- 



