96 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
November 13. 
this is a great advantage to begin with, no one can 
doubt. Much, also, depends on uniformity of growth. 
A vine from an eye, cultivated in a liberal manner from 
its first sprouting, has a more direct continuity of sap- 
vessels than the layer; whilst having grown, as it were, 
by instalments, with now and then a severe check, it is 
frequently made to carry the marks of age betimes. 
Now, the formation of a bold stem, with a free continuity 
of sap-vessels, is a circumstance of no mean importance; 
a free transmission of the raw material (if I may thus 
term it), of which the fabric of the tree is built, and the 
vinous produce of which it is compounded, being a 
matter of much importance, especially when a great de¬ 
mand exists in the shape of a heavy crop of grapes. The 
use of eyes , therefore, cultivated by a most liberal system, 
has now become all but universal; and our nurserymen, 
who were wont in by-gone days to possess a considerable 
extent of what were termed “ stools,” that is to say, 
strong old bushes planted out-of doors to propagate from, 
have, in the main, broken them up, and have betaken 
themselves to the eye mode of culture. Now there is 
not a doubt, that the more rapidly the eye is cultivated 
from the moment it commences sprouting, the finer will 
be the tree, and the more speedily established;—need it 
be added that the fruit also will be finer? Accordingly we 
find by a report of the Regent-street meeting lately, that 
Mr. Elpliinstone, gardener to the Speaker of the House 
of Commons, exhibited grapes the produce of a vine 
grown this season from a single eye. We have the 
pleasure of knowing Mr. E., as also his relative, the 
gardener to the Speaker at Hecklield House (we 
believe), and may here observe, that, to use a homely 
adage, both gentlemen, as to vine-growing principles, 
have been tarred with the same brush as Mr. Mitchell, 
of Brighton; and I do hope, if this meet their eye, that 
it will not be considered a disparagement to be found in 
such company. 
As to the most proper period of planting, that must 
depend in part on the character of the plant. If an 
eye is to be used in the ensuing spring, it will, of course, 
be got to work very early, say in the course of January; 
and even then, it will of necessity be nearly the middle 
of April before the young aspirant can be committed to 
the soil. A plant from an eye of a former year, how¬ 
ever, may be planted in the middle of March; earlier 
than which, we think, would be no real gain, there 
being some little danger of the soil becoming soured by 
much rain, if the roots had to lay long dormant in it. 
In planting out young vines, we must advise the use of 
a special compost immediately in contact with the roots. 
Not but that the soil of the border, if carefully made ac¬ 
cording to previous directions, is good enough, but it is 
not quite fine enough to promote speedy rooting, on which 
so much depends. Each vine may have a barrow of 
compost to “ start” it in ; and sucli may be composed 
of one-lialf turfy sandy loam, and the other half old 
manure and vegetable soil, adding a trifling amount 
of cbarcoal-dust, or fine-pounded old plaster, or lime 
rubbish from old buildings. The loamy turf should be 
chopped as fine as mince-meat with a sharp spade, and if 
procured six months beforehand, so much the better; 
the whole, of course, being well-blended; the hillock 
when put together will constitute an elastic and rich mass, 
as rapidly transmitting moisture as receiving it. We do 
not say that this is the only proper compost, nor affirm 
that it is the best in the world; but merely that it is a 
good one. We well know that soils or compost often 
lie close to our elbow, which contain in their own 
nature all the elements necessary to perfect success, and 
as fitting for the purpose as if brought a score miles at 
much expense. Still, the amateur has not, in general, a 
compost-yard like that of the gardener of my lord, and 
the advice hero may serve to guide him in imitating 
such a compost. Whatever compost or soil is selected 
to start them in, it must possess the power of parting \ 
with moisture freely; it should also possess liberal 
absorbing power, if not, it will be liable to the extremes 
of drought and saturation. Of course, the border is 
supposed to be duly prepared; the soil reaching up to 
the front sill, at which point the vine is generally made 
to enter, for no portion of the stem may be left exposed 
to the vicissitudes of the atmosphere. Vines, then, from 
eyes of one or two years old, having been pruned back 
considerably, merely leaving about three or four eyes or 
buds inside the house, should have the soil removed 
from their balls entirely; the old plan of turning them 
out with their balls whole is a deceptive one. In order, 
however, to get them out with as little damage as pos¬ 
sible, the balls should be in a dryish state, or rather, 
what gardeners term mellow. A squeeze or two between | 
the hands, first liberating the drainage materials, will 
readily accomplish this. The whole of the roots must 
be carefully uncoiled, and a level bed being formed on ; 
the compost, every root must be trained out its full 
length, like training the branches of a wall-tree. A 
coating of the prepared compost, about three inches 
thick, must be spread over them, and pressed close with 
the hand; but remember this must be done when the 
soil is quite mellow. This completed, it is an old 
practice to cover the whole with a little mulching, but 
this is a doubtful proceeding so early, and we should : 
prefer a mixture of half old and coarse tan, and the 1 
other half charcoal of the size of peas. This will 
absorb solar heat to a considerable amount, and admit ! 
a free percolation of a little liquid manure occasionally 
in dry periods. Towards June a little mulch may be ' 
added with good effect. 
With regard to planting the newly-raised eye in April j 
or May, the practice must slightly differ. No squeezing 
of the ball here; the young fibres will be in so active J 
and tender a state, that every care must be taken to let 
them into their new position undisturbed, so that no 
time may be lost. Still, it is possible to liberate with 
much care the points of some of the leading fibres, in 
order that they may invest the new soil as soon as may 
be. Care must be taken that such young and tender 
vines are hardened down nicely previous, and that no 
part of their stems is left uncovered outside the house. 
Some gardeners plant about a foot away from the j 
front of the house, and we think there can be no \ 
objection to the plan, inasmuch as it gives the roots i 
more liberty, for it is not well to jam them against a 
dead wall. Care must be taken, however, to conduct the | 
stem beneath the surface—perhaps to hook it down. 
Some caution in this respect will be necessary with j 
young eyes, for if recently out of a house or frame, their | 
skins will be tender; and, moreover, the lower leaves, I 
which may by no means be stripped away, will, in part, ! 
preclude the possibility of the latter recommendation. ; 
We have known good and careful gardeners place a 
hand-light, or other spare glass, over the surface of the 
roots during the earlier portion of the first summer; ' 
and if the roots be kept carefully watered when neces¬ 
sary with tepid weak liquid manure, there is no doubt 
the plan is good, as tending to increase the ground-heat. 
Indeed, with chopped turf full of coarse herbage, and 
some warm dung and tree-leaves blended, we offer the 
opinion (simply as a speculative one), that a nice little I 
bottom-heat would be created beneath the youirg vines, 
of infinite service in expediting their growth, and by no 
means inimical to their permanent welfare. It would 
be well, also, to mix a goodly lot of pebbly charcoal and 
some coarse sand with the fermenting mass, in order 
that when it becomes a kind of humus with age, a 
thorough percolation should be insured. The border 
next the house would have to be lowered to about a foot 
below the sill, and for thirty inches wide, and then the 
fermenting mass should be built a few inches above the 
