THE GRAPE VINE. 



601 



and should not be less than 15. It is a good 

 general rule to have the border the same width 

 as the houses. The width of the border being 

 determined upon, and the soil removed, the 

 top-spit, if it be good, may be mixed with the 

 compost ; then slope the bottom with a gen- 

 tle descent from the houses, making it pretty 

 firm. This is the floor of the border. At the 

 extreme edge build an open drain, extending 6 

 inches below the level of the floor, and 6 inches 

 above it, and 1 foot wide ; the sides to be built 

 in the pigeon-hole manner, to allow a ready pass- 

 age for the superfluous water. Have this floor 

 paved with strong slates, or thin flags, and then 

 covered all over with broken stones or brick 

 ends, about the size of a man's fist. When these 

 are levelled, cover them either with small twigs, 

 bean straw, or thin turf, laid with the grassy 

 side downward. This is to prevent the soil 

 from falling amongst the stones below. It is 

 now ready for the compost. The best compost 

 for the vine is the thin top-spit from an old pas- 

 ture, chopped, and thoroughly mixed with one- 

 fourth rotten'horse-dung, and one-fourth rotten 

 leaves, or one-third dung when leaves cannot be 

 had. Bones are excellent when broken small, 

 and mixed in the compost, but not indispen- 

 sable. The border should be 2 feet deep in a 

 low damp situation, or 3 feet in a high dry one." 



Mr Roberts, in his excellent work on the cul- 

 tivation of " The Vine under Glass," says : " The 

 width of the borders outside the house ought to 

 be 24 feet, cleared out to the depth of 3 feet 6 

 inches, upon a bottom of retentive clay, well 

 prepared, with 1 foot of fall from back to 

 front. A main drain ought to run along the 

 extremity of the border, 1 foot 6 inches deep, 

 with cross drains, in an oblique direction, lead- 

 ing into it, so as to have a perfect command in 

 draining off superfluous water, in order to keep 

 them dry. Place upon the bottom thus formed 

 broken stones and lime rubbish to the depth of 

 1 foot, leaving a depth for compost of 2 feet 6 

 inches. Upon the broken stones, every 6 or 8 

 feet square, place limestones, of the same nature 

 as the far-famed Skipton rock, which contributes 

 to retain moisture in a dry season, and facili- 

 tates drainage in a wet one. In autumn, when 

 all is ready, and the weather favourably dry, 

 proceed at one end of your border, wheeling in 

 and mixing the materials in proportion as they 

 stand to each other, on no account breaking the 

 materials in mixing, but turn them in as rough 

 as possible." To those who may not have per- 

 used Mr Roberts' book, we may say that he 

 places great reliance, in the formation, of his 

 borders, on the carcasses of animals buried in 

 the compost. 



Vine borders, according to Mr Saunders, 

 should be 16 feet in width at the least, 3 feet 

 6 inches deep, including- drainage, &c. "And, 

 first, the higher side of it which abuts the vinery 

 should, when the border is entirely finished, be 

 exactly on a level with the interior flooring ; and 

 that being the criterion as to the height, the 

 necessary calculations for the depth required to 

 render it so must be made before the foundation 

 of the border is commenced, and the ground 

 should be prepared accordingly, always preserv- 



ing from the beginning the proper declivity, not 

 less than 18 inches from the house to the front 

 of the border, and to have the surface of the 

 ground quite smooth before laying the founda- 

 tion over it, which must be done as follows : 

 Spread concrete to the depth of 4 inches, and 

 when sufficiently hard, upon that put 8 inches 

 of brickbats ; and next form a drain, extending 

 along the front edge of the border, to receive 

 and carry off all superfluous water." Having 

 proceeded thus far, the bottom of the border is 

 to be made up of rich loamy fibrous turf, cut 

 from an old pasture, not too retentive of mois- 

 ture, but yet of that adhesive nature termed 

 "strong loam." The remainder of the border 

 may be filled up with the following compost : 

 two parts of rough turfy loam in sods, cut in 

 pieces 2 or 3 inches square; one part of well 

 decomposed farmyard manure, and the remain- 

 ing fourth part composed of equal quantities of 

 droppings from the sheepfold and leaf-mould : 

 let all be well incorporated, adding a little sand 

 if the loam be deficient in it ; the whole to be 

 performed in dry weather. When it is thus 

 prepared, suffer it to lie in a heap for a month 

 or two, turning it occasionally, so that it may 

 become completely amalgamated. The opera- 

 tion of thus mixing the soil should, if possible, 

 be carried on in an open shed or otherwise, so 

 as to be protected from heavy rain, but at the 

 same time fully exposed to the air. 



A great mistake, we believe, has very gene- 

 rally been fallen into, by making vine borders 

 both too rich and too light. Such may be all 

 very well for open-air culture, but where such 

 draughts are made upon the vine, as is the case 

 in general in hothouses, we think a stronger 

 soil would be preferable. As to making very 

 rich borders in the first instance, we can see 

 little advantage, as they can be enriched ad 

 libitum by the application of liquid manures 

 whenever it may be required. If a pure rich 

 maiden loam can be procured, little else is 

 needed ; and we know gardens where such 

 was natural to the spot, whose vine borders have 

 continued for many years without further enrich- 

 ment than what has been washed downwards 

 by the rains from the mulching laid over them 

 during winter. In the formation of vine borders 

 in damp localities, we prefer placing them on 

 the surface of general ground-level altogether. 

 For examples, ride vol. i., figs. Ill, 435, 436, 

 437, 445, 447. 



In regard to the depth of vine borders, very 

 much depends on soil, situation, and climate, as 

 well as the nature of the subsoil. In light 

 soils and dry localities, as at Dalkeith and its 

 vicinity, where the soil is naturally light, resting 

 on an alluvial bed of gravel, with a depth of 

 rain averaging about 20 inches only, borders 

 require to be made deeper, and assisted with a 

 mixture of strong loamy soil ; whereas at 

 Drumlanrig, and many parts of the west of Scot- 

 land, where the soil is naturally strong and 

 retentive of moisture, and where the depth of 

 rain averages according to locality from 40 to 

 60 inches per annum, the depth should be 

 much less, and thoroughly drained or vaulted 

 below, as well as rendered lighter and more 



