April  18,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
327 
Watering  Vine  Borders. 
Numbers  of  Vines  all  over  the  country  are  at  the  present  time 
either  swelling  up  their  buds  or  unfolding  their  first  leaves,  and  their 
progress  throughout  the  growing  season  will  to  a  great  extent  depend 
upon  the  management  of  the  borders  in  regard  to  watering  and 
feeding.  The>e  are  matters  which  require  a  great  amount  of 
judgment,  and  to  be  successful  the  cultivator  must  be  guided  by  the 
circumstances  connected  with  each  particular  case.  Without  doubt  a 
great  many  Vines  receive  too  much  water  during  the  early  stages  of 
growth,  and  it  is  equally  certain  that  some  do  not  get  enough.  I  am 
afraid  most  of  us  are  sometimes  too  much  inclined  to  take  for 
granted  that  a  Vine  border  needs  watering  when  the  Vines  are  starting 
into  growth  ;  of  course  I  am  here  referring  to  inside  borders,  as  no  one 
front  or  sides  of  such  houses,  where  the  hot- water  pipes  are  located,  the 
soil  frequently  needs  watering  while  the  central  portion  of  the  border 
may  be  quite  sodden,  and  for  some  reason  or  other  Vine  roots  are 
usually  more  plentiful  and  active  near  the  pipes  than  at  any  other 
point,  which  seems  to  point  to  the  fact  that  they  delight  in  warmth. 
The  stages  during  which  Vines  require  the  most  copious  supplies 
of  water  are  throughout  the  time  when  the  berries  are  swelling  and 
ripening.  In  the  early  stages  of  growth  the  shoots  are  the  product  of 
“stored”  sap,  and  the  roots  are  comparatively  inactive,  more  so,  in 
fact,  than  during  the  autumn  or  early  winter,  while  the  leaves  are 
falling.  Notwithstanding  the  above  facts,  it  is,  however,  an  e  sy 
matter  to  overwater  during  the  swelling  and  ripening  periods.  I  have 
seen  Grapes  begin  to  shank  badly  after  being  heavily  watered,  and 
many  a  bad  case  of  shanking  is  undoubtedly  caused  by  keeping  the 
borders  too  wet.  Even  where  they  are  well  drained,  and  the  compost 
A  MODEL  BED  OF  SUCCULENT  PLANTS. 
thinks  of  watering  outside  ones  thus  early  in  the  season.  When  Vines 
are  growing  in  narrow  borders,  and  the  soil  is  packed  with  roots,  a 
thorough  watering  is  invariably  needed  when  the  Vines  are  started, 
as  dryness  at  the  root  under  such  conditions  is  a  sure  forerunner  of 
red  spider.  As  a  rule,  however,  borders  are  far  wider  than  is  either 
necessary  or  desirable,  and  the  enormous  bulk  of  soil  is  but  scantily 
interlaced  with  roots.  If  it  then  gets  into  a  sodden  condition  early 
in  the  season,  neither  the  roots  nor  the  top  growth  can  make  really 
satisfactory  progress. 
When  the  borders  are  kept  free  from  plants,  and  have  been  well 
drained,  the  sun  and  air  actiDg  upon  the  soil  help  to  keep  it  in  a 
sweet  and  mellow  condition,  but  there  are  many  instances  in  which 
such  conditions  do  not  prevail.  During  the  spring  months  the  borders 
are  usually  covered  with  bedding  plants,  the  water  from  which  keeps 
the  soil  constantly  moist.  Under  such  conditions  the  whole  of  the 
borders  seldom  require  watering  till  the  plants  are  removed,  it  is  then 
an  excellent  practice  to  dress  the  surface  with  a  little  lime  to  dry  and 
sweeten  the  soil.  Early  in  the  season,  however,  there  are  many  dry 
positions  which  require  a  considerable  amount  of  attention.  Along  the 
much  open,  it  soon  becomes  close  in  texture  if  roots  are  not  working 
freely  in  it,  and  when  once  a  mass  of  soil  is  destitute  of  roots  it  is  a 
most  difficult  matter  to  get  young  ones  to  permeate  it. 
The  only  safe  method  to  follow  in  regard  to  watering  is  to  first 
ascertain  the  exact  condition  of  the  soil,  and  then  use  judgment  in 
giving  or  withholding  water.  The  well-known  method  of  testing  by 
thrusting  a  stick  into  the  soil  is  a  good  one,  but  the  “  Vine  border 
tester”  sent  out  by  Mr.  Kirk  should  be  in  every  garden,  and  if  used 
will  greatly  help  the  cultivator  to  avoid  mistakes  in  regard  to  watering 
or  non-watering. 
The  foregoing  remarks  will,  I  trust,  not  lead  readers  to  think  I  in 
any  way  advocate  keeping  Vine  borders  dry,  for  I  know  how  important 
a  part  copious  waterings  play  in  the  production  of  fine  crops  ;  but  to 
secure  such  crops  we  must  first  obtain  abundance  of  active  roots, 
which  can  never  be  produced  while  the  soil  is  wet  and  sour,  especially 
when  it  gets  into  that  condition  early  in  the  season.  After  abundance 
of  foliage  has  been  formed,  and  when  the  heat  of  summer  comes,  give 
water  in  abundance  when  the  soil  is  fairly  dry,  and  do  not  repeat  it 
till  a  similar  state  of  dryness  prevails. — H.  D, 
