COMPOSTS SUITABLE FOR VINES. 



19 



grow excellent grapes, and that is at tlie same time 

 Avithin the reach of all who possess a garden. Take 

 of the ordinary garden-soil one-half the quantity re- 

 quired to make up the border, lay it in sharp ridges 

 to get a winter's frost, then procure one-fourth the 

 quantity required of the parings of turf-edgings and 

 the scourino;s of ditches, with the addition of a few 

 barrow-loads of clay ; then get together all the clip- 

 pings of hedges, the prunings of fruit-trees, with any 

 other refuse of a kindred nature ; build all into a 

 heap and set fire to it, piling it round with the turf- 

 parings and clay already referred to, till the whole 

 forms a cone, with a fire in its centre. After it has 

 burned for some days, and the whole has got thor- 

 oughly hot tlirough, and the wood all charred, ex- 

 tinguish it by pouring on the hot mass the drainage of 

 cowbyres, pigsties, or any similar liquid ; and while 

 still in a hot state, mix it with the common garden- 

 soil that has been for some time in ridges. To every 

 ten loads of this compost add one of old lime-rubbish, 

 one of horse-droppings, 4 cwt. of bones about an inch 

 square, 2 cwt. horn-shavings, when they can be pro- 

 cured, and if they cannot, let superphosphate of lime 

 take their place. Let the whole be turned over more 

 than once, but always in dry weather, and it will form 

 an excellent compost for vines. 



For reasons that all gardeners understand, I would 

 not make the whole width of the border at the time 

 the vines are planted, but would make up, say, 6 feet 

 inside the house, and the same width outside. This 

 will be found ample for the roots of the vines to run 

 in for the first year. The second year I would add 

 3 feet inside and 3 out, and at this rate annually till 

 the allotted width is made up, going back to the points 



