197 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY 
which brought forth wild grapes. Having described 
the woes of the unfruitful, the preaoher adds: ‘ These, 
my brethren, are the punishments which God in justice 
threatens to inflict in this world upon such men as are 
here figured by an unfruitful vineyard; and no doubt 
the whole vegetable creation will rise up in judgment 
against us on the day of his Son’s coming to receive 
our fruits, and will condemn us to be hewn down and 
cast into the fire, if under all these natural and provi¬ 
dential advantages we do not break up our fallow 
ground, or if, when it is thus enriched in everything 
unto all plenteousness, it prove barren, unfruitful, or 
bring forth evil or wild fruit. But if we now abound 
more and more in knowledge and in all judgment, and 
in the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ 
unto the praise and glory of God, we shall then be like 
trees planted by the rivers of water, prospering and 
flourishing in this world ; and when we die we shall be 
transplanted into a better soil and a happier climate; 
we shall, be blessed, and receive a right to eat for ever of 
the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of 
God.’ 
“On the 1st of June, 1852, the Rev. J. J. Ellis de¬ 
livered his forty-seventh lecture, the text being Genesis, 
chap. i. 11, in which he showed the analogy of nature 
in favour of the Christian doctrine of the resurrection 
from the dead, as shown by the renewal of the plant 
from the root, the tree from the seed, and the decay and 
revival of all vegetable creation. 
“The remarkable vitality of seeds and of certain 
lower forms of animal life may, indeed, well strengthen 
the faith of the contemplative Christian, as he antici¬ 
pates those long years that will elapse between death 
and the resurrection. The ‘ Spring ’ volume of Duncan’s 
‘ Sacred Philosophy of the Seasons ’ repeats a number 
of most interesting facts on this subject, which were 
collected by a writer in Professor Jameson’s journal. 
The writer in question states that the seeds of various 
plants and flowers which have lain dormant in the 
ground through a succession of ages have either, by 
being exposed to the air, been enabled to vegetate, or 
been brought into action by the application of some 
compost or manure agreeable to their nature. He men¬ 
tions that in boring for water at a spot near Kingston- 
i on-Thames some earth was brought up from a depth of 
360 feet, which was carefully covered over with a glass 
to prevent the possibility of other seeds being deposited 
upon it, and yet in a short time it produced plants. It 
is stated on the same authority that some ground in 
Bushy Park, which had probably been undisturbed by 
the spade or the plough since the reign of Charles I., 
was turned up in winter, and in the following summer 
was covered with a profusion of Tree Mignonette, 
Pansies, and wild Raspberry plants, which are nowhere 
found in a wild state in the neighbourhood. We may 
notice, also, the remarkable fact mentioned by Ray, that 
after the great fire of London, in 1606, the entire surface 
of the destroyed city was covered with such a vast pro¬ 
fusion of a species of cruciferous plant, the Sisymbrium 
iris , that it was calculated that the whole of the west of 
GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, Junk 30, 1857. 
Europe did not contain so many specimens of this plant. 
Still more remarkable is the fact that seeds discovered in 
the mummy cases of Egypt have germinated and fructified. 
How it confirms our faith to look at such facts as these 
as we read the delightful promise, ‘Thy dead men 
shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. 
Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is 
as the dew of herbs’ (Isaiah xxvi. 19). Bishop Lowth 
more correctly renders the words,— 
“ * Thy dead shall live ; ray deceased they shall rise ; 
Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust! 
For thy dew is as the dew of the dawn.’ ” 
A FEW REMARKS ON VINES. 
What a wonderful plant is the Vine; how remarkable 
in character and habit; how durable; and what nu¬ 
merous associations of pleasing ideas connected with i 
its history ! To what a vast age it will live! Yet the 
Vine ,is a most susceptible plant in spite of its usual 
longevity, and will soon evince, by unmistakeable signs, 
the consequences of bad treatment, or conditions 
foreign to its habit. Treat it according to the mode of j 
life it was framed for by our gracious Creator, and no 
plant is more manageable; place it under conditions 
foreign to its habits, and, behold, we are instantly beset 
with difficulties. 
Now, there can be no doubt that there is such a thing 
as over-cultivation with Vines, and that they are not 
unfrequently injured by too much kindness. Amongst 
other works of supererogation I would point to the 
sometimes injurious effects of heavy top dressings or 
mulchings applied at improper periods. I named in 
my last communication to The Cottage Gardener 
that in February I had my borders pared to a hard ! 
surface with the spade, and that they had cracked in 
various directions during the dry weather in April. 
This I did in order to throw off heavy rains, and to 
obtain a free access of atmospheric warmth to the roots, 
for it is well known that the soil will more speedily 
transmit heat when in a solid state than when covered 
with a loose material; the consequence is that the 
Vines are very much improved, as I anticipated. This 
applies, of course, to succession crops, and if I think 
they need manurial matters I shall apply a coating of 
rich, rotten manure and tree leaves after the first hot 
period in June. There is no doubt that most of the 
failures in Vines are chargeable on an imperfect or 
fitful root action: of this I am assured. Those who 
succeed in the pot culture of Vines know full well the j 
importance of taking especial care of the roots, and such j 
care is equally necessary with border Vines. But there 
may be an over-action of the roots, leading to a coarse¬ 
ness of growth; and I wonder much to find of late such 
a fuss made about the size of the foliage, as though it 
followed that the larger the latter, the finer and more 
abundant the Grapes; but such is not sure to follow, 
albeit I am an advocate, in the main, for a robust de¬ 
velopment. As to a weakly growth, this, again, must 
be traced either to a bad root action or to over-bearing, i 
and the latter being a serious evil of somewhat common 
occurrence, I must point to it as I proceed. 
We all know that it is exceedingly interesting to 
stroll through a vinery where every rafter is laden from 
top to bottom with its luscious treasures, conveying at 
once an idea of comfort to the family, of attraction to 
the eye, and, lastly, of a satisfactory return for the 
outlay incurred in the erection and subsequent manage¬ 
ment of the structure. And some Vines will sustain 
this high character for years; but many soon break 
down or show signs of oppression. Under the best 
