600 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



glass might be grafted a month later. In neither 

 case, however, should the operation be deferred 

 after the periods mentioned, on account of the 

 time required for ripening the grafts before 

 winter." — Gardeners' Monthly Volume, 



There are various other modes of grafting the 

 vine, particularly those practised on the Conti- 

 nent, (vide Chaptal on the Vine, and others), but 

 those we have noticed are quite sufficient for all 

 practical purposes. 



Propagating by budding. — This operation, al- 

 though quite practicable, has been seldom had 

 recourse to. The season most suitable is just 

 as the sap begins to rise. The bud to be chosen 

 should be a plump well-formed one, taken from 

 •thoroughly well-ripened wood. Cut the eye out 

 about 3 inches in length, taking as much wood 

 with it as can conveniently be got at each end 

 of the eye; cut off about a quarter of an inch of 

 the upper bark, making the ends quite thin. 

 Next, measure off the exact length of the bud 

 on the bark of the vine intended to be budded, 

 and make a notch slanting upwards at the upper 

 part, and another slanting downwards at the 

 bottom ; then take the piece neatly out, so that 

 the bud may fit nicely in, and by making the 

 notch, as stated above, each end of the bud is 

 covered with the bark of the shoot. Bind the 

 bud firmly round with matting, and clay it, 

 taking care, however, that the clay does not 

 cover the eye of the bud ; then tie it round 

 with moss, and keep it constantly damp, and 

 as the sap rises the bud will begin to swell. 

 When the vine commences to push out young 

 shoots, take the top ones off, in order to throw 

 a little more sap into the bud, and, as it is per- 

 ceived to be getting stronger, take off more 

 young shoots, and so continue until they are aU 

 removed. Budding can only be performed 

 where the long-rod system is practised, as in 

 that case you have the power of confining the 

 sap to the bud, which will grow vigorously. As 

 soon as this is perceived, out the vine down to 

 the bud. Budding has the advantage over graft- 

 ing of not leaving an unsightly appearance where 

 the bud is inserted. A bud likewise grows more 

 luxuriantly. A shoot from a bud has been known 

 to extend, in one season, to the extent of 30 

 feet." — F. L. S. in Gardeners' Chronicle, 



Formation of vine borders. — Upon the subject 

 of breadth and depth of vine borders there has 

 been a variety of opinion, only to be equalled 

 by the diversity of opinion as to the proper soil. 

 Speechley, the very father of vine-growing, 

 says," One-fourth part of garden mould (a strong 

 loam) ; one-fourth of the swarth of turf from a 

 pasture where the soil is a sandy loam ; one- 

 fourth of the sweepings of pavements and hard 

 roads ; one-eighth of rotten cow and stable-yard 

 dung mixed; and one-eighth of vegetable mould 

 from decayed oak leaves. The swarth should 

 be laid in a heap till the grass-roots are in a 

 state of decay, and then turned over and broken 

 with a spade; afterwards it should be put to 

 the other materials, and the whole should be 

 worked well together." 



Griffin recommends good loamy turfy soil, 

 one half; rich solid dung, one quarter; bricks 

 and lime rubbish, one quarter. This he lays 



on a well-drained bottom, covered with brick, 

 stone, or lime rubbish, about 6 inches in depth. 

 M'Phail preferred earth of a loamy nature, 

 and for early forcing a strong deep loam, not 

 destitute of a mixture of sand, and well manured 

 with rotten dung, on a dry bottom of hard clay. 

 Abercrombie directs the top-spit of sandy 

 loam from an upland pasture, one-third part ; 

 unexhausted brown loam from a garden, one- 

 fourth part ; scrapings of roads free from clay, 

 one-sixth part ; vegetable mould, or old tan, or 

 rotten stable-dung, one-eighth part; shell-marl, 

 or mild lime, one-twelfth part. His borders he 

 recommends to be from 3 to 5 feet in depth, 

 and, where practicable, not less tban 4 feet wide 

 within the housBj and not less than 10 feet wide 

 without. 



Vine borders at Wishaw House, Lanarkshire, 

 in a cold and wet locality, are thus formed: 

 Breadth 12 feet, depth of soil 18 inches, under 

 which is laid a foot of hard clinkers, by way of 

 drainage. The soil used is that natural to the 

 garden, which had for years been under pasture, 

 and is a remarkably strong, rich, brick-clayey 

 loam, with no other preparation than the addi- 

 tion of a moderate supply of stable-manure. 

 In this soil the best gi-apes ever produced in 

 Scotland have been grown for the last three 

 years. 



Judd recommends one-half rich gritty loam 

 from a common, one quarter of rich old dung, 

 and a quarter of lime rubbish, tan, and leaf- 

 mould, mixed together. " These materials were 

 kept separate, frequently turned over during 

 winter, and afterwards mixed and laid upon a 

 prepared bottom to the depth of 3 feet. Mr 

 Judd does not recommend the use of much 

 manure, believing that, although the vine will 

 bear an extraordinary quantity of manure, yet 

 its growth is thereby retarded, especially when 

 young." — Horticultural Transactions. 



Harrison : " The border outside the house 

 ought to be at least 21 feet broad, 5 feet deep at 

 the back, and 2 feet 6 inches or 3 feet at the 

 front." The border is rendered perfectly dry 

 at bottom with draining, the bottom having 

 an inclination from the house towards the walk 

 of at least 1 foot. One drain should run along 

 close to the front of the house, and another at 

 the front of the border, with cross drains, filled 

 with stones, and 3 inches above the substratum. 

 If the bottom be wet, lay 6 inches of broken 

 stones, brickbats, &c., besides the drains, and 

 over tliese 2 inches of smaller stones or gravel, 

 rolled down to an even surface. This he prefers 

 to paving the bottom, as the water will filter 

 down to the drains. The soil he recommends 

 is, one-half good gritty loam ; the top-spit of a 

 pasture-field which has not been lately culti- 

 vated ; one quarter well-rotted manure from 

 hotbeds; and one quarter of lime rubbish, bone 

 dust, old spent bark, and pigeon or fowls' dung. 

 The whole to be procured twelve months before 

 wanted for use, and frequently turned and 

 chopped to pieces, but always in dry weather." 

 — Treatise on Fruit Trees. 



Appleby, an excellent cultivator, says, in 

 " The Gardeners' Chronicle :"— " The width of 

 the border need not be more than 20 feet, 



