Much has been written on the subject of border-making, and also very much about the gross feeding propensities of the vine. It is considered by men of experience in Europe as in America, that the vine must be supplied with the "fat of the land," and to this we say, Amen. The vine borders of our intelligent fathers of a century ago did not cause them the troubles which are daily being presented to their should-be more intelligent sons ! Their vines and their borders lasted for forty and fifty years - yes, ninety and a hundred! And who will say their fruit was inferior to ours? We say the samples of fruit produced by these men in those days were as good, and much better than the ordinary crops of the present day. Their bunches of grapes did not dwindle from two pounds to a half pound, in the course of three or four years of the vines fruiting, as hundreds of our graperies do at the present day; but they continued year after year till the half century rolled away, and the cultivator laid in the silent tomb, and still their vines lived, flourished, and continued to produce their average quality of fruit.

What was the cause of this? Had they the possession of some secret in border making that we do not possess? Have we not progressed in knowledge and chemistry sufficient to discover the identical elements that form every particle of the vine's organism, and that which is also needed to be ingrediated in the various particles of matter, so that " tartaric acid " shall be nicely blended with its saccharine 1 Who will say that we do not understand a sufficiency of the chemistry of the vine when we have special fertilizers in bags, and boxes, and bottles, from twenty pounds and upwards, so nicely compounded and adjusted that every element the luscious vine may require is warranted to be there? What secret did our forefathers possess? is the question. Common sense. And this was applied to the general principles of growth. Now, what are the general principles of growth? Let the intelligent mind go to the vegetable world and seek the answer to this question, and there he will find a universal law proclaimed, and so indelibly stamped upon every fruit-bearing plant and tree that the most casual observer can not but recognize the law which governs and controls, and insures fruitfulness with health and longevity.

This great principle our old grape-growers fully understood, and not merely understood, but practiced. Their vines or vine covered a large surface under their glass roofs, and their systems of pruning were such that insured not only heavy crops of fruit, but large annual wood growths. The progressive (!) system of the present day, by many termed scientific, reverses this order of things, and is endeavoring to cause the vine to produce all fruit and no wood growth. We wonder some of our scientific grape-growers do not contend that the few leaves their walking-stick grape vine produces are useless absorbents, and so remove them, that the bunches may become better swelled!

The general formation of vine borders fifty or sixty years ago was very similar to many of the present day, very loose, with a good deal of rich materials incorporated; but the vine-grower paid far more attention to the quality of the plant he planted than is done at the present day. We seem to care but little about strength of roots, so that the plant be bought cheap enough. Then, as far as the actual border making is concerned, there is little or no difference between modern growers and those of the " days of yore," but there is a vast deal of difference between the ground on the outside of their borders and that of ours, and this, with their difference of pruning and training, caused the difference in results. We have previously stated, that vines having strong, healthy roots when first planted, do not grow downwards, but grow through and out of rich borders. Now, this was just as much the case sixty or eighty years ago as to-day; but in England, where much attention is given to grape-culture under glass, the majority of vineries, with fruiting-houses generally, are situated in the gardens, and the latter are as rich as it is well possible to make them.

The vine roots are soon out of the borders, through the causes previously stated, but they get into ground equally as good, if not much better, for the ground in those kitchen gardens is constantly trenched and highly manured, and in the act of trenching most of the roots get cut with the spade, and the consequence of this cutting back of the roots would induce them to throw out a host of others, and so increase the feed-ing powers of the vine. With such resources as this, combined with a system of pruning that permitted the vine to produce annually a proportionate wood growth to that of its fruit, any vine will continue to yield for an indefinite period of time good crops and good fruit This is the only secret resting with the famous vines of England. Take those old vines, and exchange their present system of pruning - that of laying in new wood all over the vine - for our present system of spur pruning and fruiting to the top of the rafter, and what would be the consequence.? why an instant stoppage of all growth; roots, of course, as well as all the external parts. There is no extension of roots unless there is an extension or increase of size in all the external organism of the vine.

A vine that has not increased perceptibly, after becoming a year older, in the diameter of its trunk or principal stem, is not growing, but dying!

Now let us see for a moment how the majority of graperies are situated in this country. The Eastern and Middle States are the principal localities where the exotic grape is cultivated, and all know that the natural soils are poor enough. Many of these vineries are erected as ornaments, and stand oftentimes on a poor, barren piece of ground, and others sometimes stand in the vegetable garden. Most of us know what our vegetable gardens are; and as to our "individuality," we would not object to walk a good many miles to see one that was really and truly - rich!