1S52.] THE PHILAD ELPHIA FLOR IST. 251 



§ii>^ ~~^Gcg 



U-fer no injury, it will be found that the roots have preferred an oppo-^®) 

 o site course. % 



An instance somewhat in point occurs to our recollection. The \ 

 circumstances were these. A border was made and well arranged J 

 in all its details. A breadth of four feet next the house where the | 

 grapes were planted was filled up with a mixture of turfy sod, leaf 

 mould, and horse manure ; the balance was filled with a mixture of 

 turves, and a large quantity of dead animals and slaughter house of- 

 fal. The vines made fine healthy growth for two seasons and loud 

 was the praise in favor of exciting composts for grape vines. The 

 third season they started in an equally promising manner, but during 

 the summer, the bottom leaves began to drop off and the points of 

 the young shoots turn black. This was rather an unwelcome occur- 

 rence. The owner settled the matter to his own satisfaction on the 

 supposition that the check was caused from exhaustion of the excit- 

 ing materials. It was clearly perceptible to every one but himself 

 that their former health was due to the soil free of these noxious in- 

 gredients, and when the tender roots came in contact with them, the 

 consequence was as stated. But — 



" A man convinced against his will 

 Is of the same opinion still." 



And the last we heard of him he was making preparations for an 

 additional supply of his elixir. 



With regard to depth, we maintain that two feet is sufficient. — - 

 There are many advantages derived from having the roots near the 

 surface, and it is a simple matter to protect and keep them there, 

 even under the brightest sun. This is effected by mulching ; even a 

 few inches of tan bark will preserve the moisture. Short grass, any- 

 thing that will lie loose, is equally efficacious. Basing our remarks 

 on facts, we have during the past three summers closely observed a 

 border sloping from 16 inches to 2 feet, in a breadth of 12. The 

 subsoil is a heavy clay, and there is a depth of ]2 inches of brickbats 

 under the whole area. About the middle of May it received a coating 

 of short stable manure, about 4 inches in depth, and frequent invest- 

 igation during the season showed a sufficiency of moisture. The Grape 

 Vine is far from being an aquatic, it prefers a hill side to a swamp ; 

 neither is it carnivorous, sending its roots into a mass of brick rubbish 

 rather than into a dead horse. S. B. 



HINTS FOR DECEMBER. 



Hot-House. — Very little more can be said of this department than 

 was suggested last month; being a time of comparative leisure in some 

 things, attention can be paid to the destruction of insects. The red 

 spider is not confined by any means to dry atmospheres, though in 

 moist ones it does not appear to be so much " at home." The mealy 

 bug is most common in warm, moist atmospheres ; the scale and thrip 

 in all situations and places, from the dry and hardy pit, to the warm 

 and moist atmosphere of the orchid^ous house. The old and probably 

 best antidote for the red spider is sulphur — not ignited or put in the 

 flues, but sprinkled all over the plants in the morning before a fine 

 warm flay; in a day or two after, the plants to be syringed with a weak 

 solution of lime water, prepared by putting a lump of unslacked lime 

 in a tub of water, letting it remain till clear. In using it for syring- <■ 

 % in?, put about three-fourths of water to the lime water. Occasional C\ 



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