18 



COMPOSTS SUITABLE FOR VINES. 



too close together, and so preventing the entrance of air 

 into the soil, or the percolation of water through it. Of 

 burned clay, Dr Lindley, in his able work, ' The Theory 

 and Practice of Horticulture,' speaks to this effect : 



Why burned clay should be better than that sort of 

 soil in its ordinary condition is sufficiently obvious — 

 its texture is changed. In its natural state it is so ad- 

 hesive that air cannot get into it. It also offers great 

 mechanical opposition to the passage of roots through 

 its viscid mass, and hence it is exclusively inhabited by 

 a coarse and worthless vegetation. Burning changes 

 all this ; the particles of clay lose their adhesiveness, 

 and this gives a new character to the soil, which offers 

 freedom to the entrance of air and exit of water, and 

 which crumbles readily away beneath the advancing 

 roots of any race of plants. But that is not all the 

 difference betwixt burned and unburned clay : the roots 

 of plants which it previously contained were unable to . 

 decay, and are now by fire reduced to their saline con- 

 stituents, and so enrich the soil ; and, moreover, the 

 burned particles of clay acquire the power of absorbing 

 ammonia from the air, and holding it within their pores 

 till showers fall and wash it into the land, where it 

 immediately acts as a nourishing food for plants.'^ 



When the soil is what is termed light sandy loam, 

 add all the ingredients except the burned clay, which 

 need not necessarily be used, as the compost will be 

 porous enough without it, though it will do no harm ; 

 but add double the quantity of horse- droppings, and 

 half the quantity of lime-rubbish. 



As many who are anxious to grow grapes may not 

 be able to obtain access to a sheep or deer park to 

 procure the loam I have described as most suitable 

 for vines, I will here indicate a compost that will 



