The Grape Vine #1

It is only in the most favoured spots of these islands that Grapes of any kind can be grown, of even tolerable excellence, out of doors. Glass houses and artificial temperatures are absolutely necessary for growing Grapes to anything like perfection, especially in the northern counties of England, and all over Scotland; nevertheless, many good bunches of Grapes are annually ripened in very small glass structures, where very little heat is applied. Going into places where one could scarcely find an entrance, and where an upright attitude was an impossibility, except to persons much under the writer's height, we have often been astonished to see Vines, cramped for room, trained on no intelligible principle, and planted in soil by no means congenial, bearing quantities of fairly good Grapes, and this in counties having the least favourable climates. That with proper soil, proper training, and, at times, a little artificial heat, better results would be obtained, there can be no room to doubt. But the knowledge of what proper treatment is, is just what such cultivators want, and what it is our object to supply.

We do not write for those whose vineries are large and roomy, and specially put up for the cultivation of the Vine by owners of extensive gardens; for such generally employ practical men, who are, or ought to be, able to advise their employer how to carry out, or to carry out themselves, the proper operations necessary to secure the best results. And if a book, giving all the information that can be desired, be wanted, then no better treatise can be secured than W. Thomson's 'Practical Treatise on the Cultivation of the Grape-Vine,' to be had from Messrs Blackwood, Edinburgh; or D. Thomson's ' Handy-Book of Fruit-Culture under Glass,' from the same publishers, - both of which are the very best books of their kind to be had, and the cultivation of the subjects treated on is given even to the minutest detail. However, we will suppose that no such books are ready to hand, and will therefore give all necessary directions for the cultivation of the Vine on a small scale.

We think we cannot accomplish our object in a better way than by transcribing a letter which we wrote a year or two ago to an artisan who came to us asking for instruction. He had, in his spare time, put up a house 12 feet long, 5 feet broad, and 10 feet high. The back of the house was a stone wall, so the house formed what is called a "lean-to." It faced nearly due south, and he thought, if he knew how to proceed, he might grow Grapes. We did not sit down and tell him how to proceed, but promised to write out instructions, so that they might be referred to at any time. The truth is, we were afraid (like the unjust judge) that his continued coming might weary us, and, worse, absorb too much of the few minutes which we can daily call ou own. Our written instructions were as follows : -

"You may congratulate yourself on the fact of having had a bare wall facing the south against which to lean your house, for that is the best aspect possible - although one facing a little further east, or much further west, would have done well enough. Your "lean-to" is also the best form of a vinery, although even that is by no means necessary to successful Vine cultivation. I would advise you, in the first place, how to make your border. You need about 2 feet in depth, at least, of good healthy soil for the Vine-roots to run in; and you want it a good breadth, for confinement either at root or branch is not good for Vines. You say that you have founded your house 6 inches deep. That was a mistake which you will have to rectify. Your front wall is 2 feet high, and you may have the soil to within 6 inches of the front plate. Well, you must excavate another 18 inches, beginning at the back wall and extending to, in the meantime, 2 or 3 feet in front of the house. This will of course undermine it, and you must provide against this by underbuilding it, and allowing the front wall to rest on pillars 3 feet apart, - two in the middle and one at each corner. The spaces are for the roots extending outwards; for we certainly advise your having an inside border, and the Vines planted inside.

Should you object to so much trouble, and perhaps expense, you may have your border wholly outside, but our experience is that your Vines will not grow so rapidly the first year as they would do planted inside; but this is about all the difference that will happen in your case.

"After you have taken out the soil to the depth advised, if the soil underneath is the least wet you must put drains in it to make it dry; for a wet bottom will not answer for Vines, although they do require such waterings as you saw us giving the Vine-borders here. If it is naturally dry you will only need to surface-drain it - that is, lay a row of tiles from the back to the front, with a few inches of fall, if possible, one at each end, and one in the middle. Over these drains you must put stones or broken bricks, tiles, or similar material, to the depth of 8 or 9 inches; for Vines need great waterings, and a speedy outlet for superfluous water. Over these stones you must place a turf, grassy side downwards, to prevent the earth, of which the border is to be made, from getting down among the stones and choking the drainage." J. H.

(To be continued).