250 THE PHILADELPHIA FLORIST. [Dec'e. 



phones, charcoal, stones, anything that will allow water to escape. 

 V^It cannot be made too dry — in reality draining does not dry the soil. 

 y All soils have their respective absorbing properties and after they 

 have absorbed as much water as they can retain, the rest will pass 

 away by the drains, otherwise stagnate and cool the soil. 



Next in order follows the material for the roots to feed in, and 

 without much comment upon the practice of others, we will state the 

 method we practise. Premising, however, that we have "gone 

 through" the greater part of the various receipts recommended du- 

 ring these last 10 years, such as, dead horses, dogs, dissolved bones, 

 slaughter house offal, guano mixtures, poudrette, and heavy dressings 

 of barn yard manure. Our advice to beginners then would he — 

 Mark off the breadth you intend the border to extend, there is no 

 limit in this respect, we are content with 12 or 14 feet, but make it 

 as much wider as you please. Now commence at one end and throw 

 out a trench 4 feet wide and 2 feet deep if the sub-soil is gravel or 

 sand. If clayey, dig down 5 inches farther and frl up the space 

 with drainage materials. Throw the next 4 feet trench into the 

 open space, rejecting all the bad soil you meet, laying down sufficient 

 drainage in the bottom of each trench; if necessary, to prevent the 

 soil falling among the drainage throw a sprinkling of short litter of 

 any description over it, a rough sod with the grassy side down is best. 

 When the whole length of the border has been treated in this man- 

 ner, fill it up to the desired level with turfy sod, chopped up coarsely 

 and mixed with a fourth part of charcoal or broken bones. Trench 

 it over again in the opposite direction, then lay on 4 or 5 inches of 

 well rotted horse manure, and spade it deeply in. In such a border 

 the best grapes will be produced, and the plants remain healthy and 

 fruitful for half a century. True, it will not be so "open and po- 

 rous" that you can sink up to the knees in it, neither will it "col- 

 lapse" 10 or 12 inches in as many months, tearing and rending the 

 roots in the process as we have actually seen occur in borders "rich 

 in organic matter." "Oh ! but the grape is a gross feeder, and your 

 two feet border will be burned up in summer." A "gross feeder" so 

 is a cabbage when planted on a dunghill. We protest against this 

 gluttonous character so frequently levelled against this generous ex- 

 otic now-a-days; after many years' observation of its habits we be- 

 lieve that it enjoys more robust health and gets through its yearly la- 

 bors more satisfactorily to itself, and profitably to its owner when kept 

 on rather "spare diet. Even allowing it to be a gross feeder there is 

 no reason for indulging it in such an unnatural propensity to its man- 

 ifest injury. Perhaps we are behind the age, but we prefer setting 

 all fruit trees in rather poor soil, so that it is healthy and free from 

 excess of water. It is an easy matter to apply stimulants when the 

 plants stand most in need of it, viz: when ripening the fruit. 



We cannot suppose for a moment that any one who has tried the 

 introduction of "carrion" to the roots of grapes, would recommend 

 the practice to others. We have met with many who have tried and 

 all strongly condemn it. We have also met with a few who spoke 

 highly in favor of it, but on questioning their experience, the fact 

 always came out that they had'nt tried it, 'but the grape being a gross 

 feeder,' &c. From what we have seen, we believe the roots invariably 

 rot immediately on coming in contact with decomposing animal sub- 

 «J stances. In cases of its application where the plants apparently suf- 



?9bs. 



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