1378 .] 
THE HEREFORDSHIRE POMONA. 
163 
two to tliree feet in depth; they should never 
be less than two feet, and need seldom be more 
than three feet. A shallow border is apt to 
become too dry, and requires great care and 
attention as to watering and the keeping up a 
proper degree of moisture ; and a deep border 
is apt to get soddened, and the roots, if they 
penetrate so low, are entirely beyond the solar 
influence. The roots of the vine travel a long 
way in search of nourishment; there are in¬ 
stances of their having been found from 60 to 
100 feet away, so that, although some limit 
must be fixed for the size of the border, a 
greater extent would, of course, be no dis¬ 
advantage. Indeed, in most of the ordinary 
prepared borders, where no means have been 
adopted to confine or restrict the passage of 
the roots, the greater portion have passed 
through all the carefully prepared border into 
the soil beyond, and are thus beyond the con¬ 
trol of the cultivator, and beyond the influence 
of his treatment. Except the natural soil of 
the place be conducive to the well-being of the 
vine, the action of the roots should always be 
restricted to the prescribed space that has been 
specially prepared for their well-being. 
Inside or Outside Borders .—Much discussion 
has taken place as to the relative merits or 
advantages of having the Vines planted inside, 
with the roots inside, or in borders outside the 
house. Here it is only necessary to say a few 
words. Inside borders are specially under the 
control of the cultivators. The vines growing 
therein are in a degree as dependent on his- 
careful attention and skill as those grown in 
pots. Every particle of nourishment and 
moisture has to be supplied. It is, therefore, 
manifest that in cold, wet, low-lying situations, 
in the hands of the skilful cultivator, for early 
forcing and for very late-keeping grapes, there 
is much to be said in favour of “inside borders.” 
The disadvantages are these :—The great 
amount of labour, &c., required in watering, 
and the skill and care in keeping up the requi-' 
site degree of moisture at the roots. A scarcity 
of water, or a little neglect in its application, 
and the crop is ruined. On the other hand, 
outside borders require little attention in regard 
to watering, being exposed to the ordinary 
rains, which is the best water of all, only re¬ 
quiring attention in very dry times. Many 
amateur cultivators never think of watering their 
vine borders, although frequently they would 
be greatly benefited thereby. For the general 
crop of grapes, and for all ordinary cultivation 
where superior skill and constant care cannot 
be administered, “ outside ” borders are far 
preferable to “ inside.” A very common prac¬ 
tice is to form the borders both outside and 
inside, the front wall being erected on arches, 
so that the vines which are planted inside may 
have liberty of action for their roots to go to 
either. It has often been noticed in cases of 
this sort how great a per-centage of the roots 
are to be found in the outside border, that 
being generally the moister of the two! It is a 
fact worthy of notice that the greater portion 
of the ravages committed by the Phylloxera in 
this country have been in dry inside borders, 
the insect having seldom been found in the 
more moist soil outside. This, if not testimony 
exactly in favour of outside borders, at least 
points to the suppression of this great pest, 
Phylloxera, by the application of more water. 
—A. F. Barron. 
THE HEREFORDSHIRE POMONA. 
UCH is the title of a valuable and 
. handsome publication, of which the first 
part has been issued by Messrs. Hard- 
wicke and Bogue (192 Piccadilly), on behalf of 
the Woolhope Naturalists’ Field Club. The 
work was originally intended to be of a local 
character, as its title indicates, but the great 
and wide-spread interest with which the an¬ 
nouncement of its publication has been re¬ 
ceived has induced the Club to make it more 
general in scope, and consequently it is now in¬ 
tended to make this Pomona a thoroughly Eng¬ 
lish work ; and though its local name will 
be retained, it will embrace all Apples and 
Pears of established merit cultivated in Great 
Britain. “ The coloured drawings, the wood- 
cut outlines and sections, and the greater 
part of the letterpress are original, and 
their production very expensive. The Wool- 
hope Club, however, has neither the in¬ 
tention nor the desire to make any profit 
from the publication of the work; and beyond 
the copies supplied to its members, the number 
offered for sale to the public is very limited, 
and only sufficient to meet the great expendi¬ 
ture of a work of this character.” 
The Pomological department is under the 
M 2 
