VI T 



part of the fence almoft as thick as the bottom. But 

 neither thcfe, nor the boarded fences, need be made 

 till the Vines are in full bearing, which will be the 

 /ourth or fifth year after planting, according to the 

 progrefs they make ; during which time th'l fhoots 

 may be fupported by any common ftakes, for if the 

 fences are made before the Vines are planted, as is fre- 

 quently praftifed, they will be half decayed by the 

 time the Vines are fit to bear, and before this time 

 the fences are of no ufe to them. 



The forts of Grapes which are proper to plant againft 

 thefe fences are, . . 



The Miller Grape. . - 



The Chaflelas White. . . . . ■ . ^ 



The White Mufcadine.' . ■ : ■ 



The Sweet Wate 



Le Cour Grape. 



* . ■ 



* . 



% 



Thefe, if well m.anaged, will ripen very well, pro- 

 vided the.feafon is tolerably good, and will come in 

 foori after thofe of the walls -, fo that if they are taken 

 care of, by hanging of mats before them, when the 

 nights prove cold in autumn, and are permitted to 

 hang till Oftobei*, the fruit will prove very good. But 

 where the Sweet Water Grape is planted againft thefe 

 fences, they will require to be covered in the fpring, 

 at the time when they are in Rower, if there fliould 

 be cold nights -, otherwife the bunches will receive a 

 blaft, which will deftroy the greateft part of the 

 Grapes, fo that rhahy tinies there will not be more 

 than fix or eight good Grapes on each bunch ; and the 

 others will be fmall ftarved fruit, hardly fo large as the 

 finalleftPeas. \ '.'. /r / - 





In planting of thefe Vines, either for open efpaliers, 



or the clofe fenced, it ihould be performed in the ^ , ^,. 



fame mafiner as for walls-, the cuttings fhould be | ' , nificent pair of ' ftairi In wKicK ti-enclies^ a t a^ 

 planted 



T 



2. As to its expofurc, they duifL-'brie tTiat Is" du8 



fouth, or that inclines to tlie well, rather than to the 

 eaft ; and m the plains, they are obliged to be con- 

 tented, as will be here related, with a north one for 

 part of their vineyards •, which they fence however, if 

 not naturally covered with feme v/ood or adjacent 

 hill, with either a good hedge, or a ftone wall, ac^ainft 

 . the northern blafts. ° 







3. The manner of preparing the ground for planting 

 differs according to the fuuation of it -, being perform^ 

 ed one way when on mountains, anotlier when on 

 more moderate hills, and a different inforne refpei^ls, 

 to that when on a plain or level. 

 In thofe plains which are very mountainous and rocky, 

 .as alfo on hills, where the bottom of (tone is found 



. . near the fuperficics, and is hard, they with the help 

 of proper inftruments,. or die with guiipbwder, make 

 a trench of four feet and a half wide, drawing it from 

 eaft to weft (and though* it may be near, yet always 

 fomewhat under the fummit or top of the moliritain, 

 to Be covered from the north wind thereby ;) and 

 with part .of the ftohcs which they faifc out of the 

 foundation, they make a dry wall, i. e, without mor- 

 tar, juft below the trench ; about twelve feet below 

 this they make a fecohd trench in, like riianner, level- 



. ling the ground between the trenches as well as they 

 cah, with mattocks, crows of iron, &c. and fo pro- 

 ceed till they have finilhed the whole groulid they in- 



. tend to plant. 



The ufe of thefe little w^lls is, to keep the little earth 

 there is from being wafhed away by the impetuous 

 rains, for the carrying bfi^ of which, they make pro- 

 ■ 'per channels at cohvenieht places ; lo" that the whole 

 plantation at fome diftarice, relembles a reguhr miff- 



out 



lignedfor the table, a fingle row of Vines of a mo- 

 derate lerrgth will be fufficiertt to fupply a family, 



where there are others againft walls to come before 

 them. But where a perfon is inclinable to have more 

 rows thari oiie, they mould be placed it le^ft twelve 

 ftet afunder, that they may equally enjoy the fun 

 and air. 



As to the pftJnihg atid other management of thefe 

 VineS;. thatt beirtg the fame as for thofe againft walls, 

 I fhall not repeat it in this pkce, it being fully treat- 

 ed of Befbi-ei ^nd to? which I h'aver hothing Kere to 



Having thus treated of the m^^eniierit of Vines 



,1 come next to the cul- 



againft walls and efpal 

 ture of fuch ais are planted in vineyards j but as the 

 number of thofe in England is fmall, and thfe expe- 

 rience of them not very great, I fhall firft fubjoin an 



account of their planting arwl managing their vine- 

 yards in Italy and Frahte, and then fliall add fbtne 

 obfdrvations and experiments of ^ny own upon this 

 fubjed.'": And firft I fnall infert a curious account of 

 the iflethod the Italians follow ifi planting th^Jt vine- 

 yatds, ^d nfiaking their wine, which I received from 

 ^n ingenious correfpbn^ent in that country, who has 

 fome viheyairds 6f his own, ^fid H^th been very exkft 

 in hii obfei'vatibn^ updii the differjent methods n6w 

 praftifed by the Italian in their vineyards, which is as 

 follows. ' 



^ t V * - J 



/ ''' 



■ - 



. 1 



miifod df managing their vhti^'ards 



• . -■ ^ wines in Ifah.^ ' 



t-* 



' - 



t > 



'- 



T. As tO' the foil • next to that of Chianti, which* is 

 in a manner all rocky, they prefer that of the hilly 

 ^atts of this counify. Which has' a warm ftony bot- 

 tom, with a loamy fuperficies ; and next to that, fuch 

 as has a lime ftone, or chalky bottom, with a: fea- 

 foriably dee^ forface of any good earth ; but in the 

 plains, where the wines are nothing comparable to 

 thofe on the hills and mountains, they are forced to 

 content themfelVeS with any tolerably good fort of 

 ground, that is neither fandy nor light to excefs; nor 

 too clayey or binding, thoiigh a pretty ftiff mart does 

 •well enough. -' * •■/,:.: 'P 





■ 



three feet diftance orife froni the other, they pl^nt'the 

 " cuttings of Vines fomewhat flantino:, about the depth 

 of two and a half, or near three feet ; which being 

 drelTed as hereafter related, and when they come to 

 their bearing, being Kept of an equal height, make a 

 , ijiojt agreeable appearance. - : 



When the ground is hilly, but not very mburitamous,' 

 they dig a trench about four feet and a half deep, and 

 three and a half wide ; and then having thrown the 

 earth to the northward, they make a fecond, with 

 the eartli whereof they fill the firll: ; an^ to on one 

 , under and clofe to the other, till they Have finiffced 

 '',, the ground they would plant; the laft fervino: for a 

 ^,. Itch to carry the water ofr, into which, at proper 

 'J'.^iftances, they alfo make little ditches to convev the 

 water \ and having 10 done, and thrown the earth 

 taken out of the nrlt trench on the trenched ground,' 

 and levelled it fo as to give it an even prorrer decli- 

 vi^, they plant it with cuttings of Vines in quadran- 

 gles, or other manner, at the dift'anl:e of about five 

 'eet and a half or more, as they think moft DroDer 

 for their ground; if itony in the manner before re- 

 lated^, as praftifed in the mountains i biit if not, tlien 

 as tKey do it in the plains, as will be hereafter de- 

 scribed. . ^ ^ . 

 When the vineyard is to be made on a plain or an 

 exaift level, having ftaked the part out they defign for 

 walks, and laid out thi diVifions they intend for Vines, 

 their next care is, that each of them have a proper 

 declivity, and that there be »ood drains to carry water 

 off; in order to which, they ihake the firft trench in 

 the middle of the divifion, extending from eaft to weft, 

 of the depth of' four feet and a' half, and near f6ur 

 feet in breadth, throwing the eatfh' ^ak^fi out of it 

 northWard; then laying at the bott9m ftones; brufli- 

 wood, bones, or almoft any fort of rubbifh, to raife 

 and drain it, they pi-oceed to the fecoh'd t'fench, With 

 the e^rth of which they fill the firft," aiid fo' dri, till 

 they have finifhed as far as the feCorid divifion extends 

 fouthward, laying at the bottoni of e\^efy trertch fuch 

 rubbifh as they cin get ; and then removing the e'aVth 

 taken out of the firft trench over to the fourh fide al- 

 ready tfenclkd, tfiey pr6£eed in die firiie ma'nnef on 

 the north fide, as'far iS'thedivrfioh'extend^^; whiffl in 



r ' ' • 



the laft trench there Will naturally remain a ditch (the 



fide 



