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HJc of which fome very curious people wail with a 

 drv wall; CO curry off the water, whence they take 

 care to make proper drains to carry it away. 

 This being done, they proceed to level this piece of 

 ground, giving each fide thereof its proper declivity •, 

 fo that it foniewhac rcfemblcs a roof that is not fteep, 

 or as they here term it, a mule's back, bearing the 

 following figure i and this they do to preferve the 



Vines they plant the longer, and to make them fen- 

 der better wines, whilil thofe that are planted on the ' 

 flat and on the borders of ditches, wh6re they are 

 fupuortcd by a fort of Poplar-trees, and fervefor the 

 divifion of the Corn fields ; though the Vines grow to 

 a threat thicknefs, and produce much fruit, yet they 

 render a wine that is good for little, and the Vines 

 will not laft above thirty-five or forty years ; whereas 

 \vhat is fo planted, being tolerably well looked after, 

 hold good for one hundred and forty, or one hundred 

 and fifty, and in Chianti they will lall above three 



■ hundred years, they there accounting thofe of one 

 hundred years old as young Vines. 

 N. B. To defray in good part the charge of this expenftvc 

 culture^ thofe in the plains y the very firfl year^ fow ahole 

 t)f Melons between Vine and Vine^ which they make about 



' ten inches diameter^ a7id a foot deep^ filling about three 

 fourths of it zvith good macerated dung^ and the refl with 

 fine good earth {of which that left by land floods is efteem- 

 ed the bejl^) in which they put about fifteen or twen- 

 ty feeds ; which being come up^ before they put out the 

 domeftic leaf^ they nip the tops of all but two^ or at mofl 

 three ^ of the ftrongeft plant s-^ which they leave to bear 



' • fruity and order accordingly. After which they plant 

 Cauliflowers^ or Broccoli of Cauliflowers j and^ this they 



^- alfi do in the hills fo trenched ; but in the .mount ains Melons 

 do not well in the trenches ; hut 'Beet-root ts often produced^ 

 - and Caultflowers. 



' '*i. The ground being lb ordered, where the vineyard 



- IS' a plain, or on the hills, they proceed to mark it out 



' with lines* acc'blrdirig to the diftances tWey would plant 



' "at, endeavouring to do it ' Th Vows "ab6ut three feet 

 Vine from Vine, and about four or four and a half, 

 from row to row ; but for the mofl: part in a quadran- 

 gular manner, at the difl:ance of about four feet one 

 from the other, drawing lines lengthways and athwart; 



^ in the crofs they plant the cut of a Vine in the fol- 

 Jov/ing manner : ' 



Having an iron crow of an inch or more diameter a 



little pointed at Ihe end, they therewith make a hole 



"^ dire6tly down about three feet and a half deep ; then 



' being provided with an inffrurhent they call a crucci- 

 olo, having a handle of wood like that of a large au- 

 gur, and the body of iron four feet long, and more than 

 half an inch in diameter, at the end of which there is 

 a nich fomething like a half moon, making this figure. 



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. . they, after twifling the end of the cutting, put it 

 . therein, and force it down to the bottom of the hole, 

 ^ where they then leave it, and afterwards fill up the 

 ;,..yacahcy with fine fifted earth or fand, obferving to 

 ;• tread the earth clofe to the plants, which otherwife 

 (unlefs it be iliflf land) is often inclinable to be loofe 

 - and dry, efpecially if rain does not foon follow their 

 planting ; and it is incredible how many Vines three 

 ; perfons can in this manner plant in one day, viz. up- 

 wards of two thoufand- 



A^ the cuttings arc of a good length, there generally 

 remain about two feet. or more of them, above the 

 ./v.fi^PV^4 when planted,, and fometimes more. When, 



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as it fcqucntly happens, they find the eartli fliaih\f, 

 fo tb.at m t!ic trcnciiing they arrive at prime rock, or 

 a cold blcaky clay, at rhc depth of about three fecc, 

 and therefore they trench not lower, they plant the 

 depth of two feet and a quarter, or two and a half, 

 fliallowcr tlian which they ncvLT plant, and even then, 

 if the bottom be clay, they will do but li:tl;r; and if 

 rockv, are apt to lufter in the fumm.er bv dry lioc 

 weather, (t!\ough if once they fl:rike their roots in the 

 rock, they do well enough,) and yield tlie bcil wine 

 that is made in the plains ; which however, thouf^h 

 planted with the fame fort of Vines as thofe of the 

 mountains, and even of cuttings brought from thence, 

 never produce nearfo e;ood wines as thofe that crrow 

 there, notwithftanding the Grapes ripen three Weeks, 

 if not a month fooner. 



N. B. This tillage and plantation is perfcrr^icd at ou 

 time between November and March^ in dry ^ hut not frbjly 

 weather ; fmce then the frozen earth in wcrking^ bcin^ 

 naturally thrown into the bottom of the trench^ where the 

 Vines are to make their principal roots^ it retains fitch a 

 frigidity^ that they will thrive but badly in it \ which 

 will be the cafe alfo^ if the ground be laboured too wet ; 

 wherefore this trenching^ or thorough tillage^ is generally 

 performed in February y after the feverity cf the frojls is 

 cver^ and may be planted at any time between that and 

 April \ whiljl^ as for the cuttings^ they are cbferved td 

 do beft when planted as foon as cut off in the dr effing \ hut 

 if that conveniency is not to be lady they may be brought 

 from any reafonaUe diftancCy their cut ends only beiftg tied 

 tipy and covered from the air with Mcfs^ flrawy cr the 

 like ; or if from a greater^ with fome earth about thcniy 

 and may be kept^ burying their cut ends in the groundy 

 till fuch time as they can be ufed ; but juft before this is 

 done, ft is proper to put them in water for twelve hours 

 or more, ftnce that wiU influence them to flrike root the 

 : better. 

 It is not of much importance that the cuttings be from the 

 beft fort of Grapes \,thd that is hefty ifeaftly to be bad^ but 

 may be from any Vines in the neighbourhood that thrive 

 well ; for afterwards, when they come to their . hearings 

 you may with little trouble y ingraft thmjvoith cuttings 

 from Vines of the forts you de/tre, and thefe will bear fome 

 jI fruit the very year they are ingraf ted, and moft abundantly 

 , :jhe next'y beftdes that, the foot of the Vine or flock will 

 receive benefit by this operation, 



5. The plantation having been made in the manner 

 before related, the firft culture of it is performed dif- 

 ferent ways, which may be termed the old, and the 

 modern- s. ; 



According to the old way, above a month after the 

 planting, when thfcy begin to Ihoot, they cut off the 

 tops of the plants juft above the fecond eye that is 

 ^ above the ground, and fb let-tliem remain, and (hoot 

 .. out at pleafure; only after the Melons, &c. (which, 

 as is faid before, are planted or raifed in the vacan- 

 cies) are gathered, they dig and fow, at proper dif- 

 tances, the ground with Beans, Kidney-Beans, Tur- 

 neps, Beets, or the like ; and let the Vines flioot and 

 grow at liberty till the third year, (that is, when they 

 have been planted three years complete then open- 

 ing the earth about each plant in March, or towards 

 the beginning of April, to the depth of about a foot^ 

 they, with their hand, clear away the fuperficial roots, 

 and then throw in two handfuls of good half confumed v 

 fheeps dung, or elfe of Lupines that have been par- 

 boiled -, after whigh with a fharp inftrument, (either 

 a bill or a flrong pruning knife) and a fteady hand, 

 they cut off the head of the plant juft below the lowcft 

 fhoot, which is fometimes a finger or two under 

 ground, rubbing the part cut over with fome of the 

 contiguous earth ; and then, upon its fhooting, take 

 the principal Ihoot (gently cleaning away the reft,) 

 and fix it with a green Bulrufti to a fmall ftick, to 

 keep it when tender from being broken by the winds, 

 and fo let it remain till the next drefling feafon \ when 

 having pruned it, leaving but one eye, they put a 

 ftick that is fomething more fubftantial, of betweca 

 three or four feet long, to fupport it from time to 



time, tying the (hoct to it till the moath of July, be- 

 fore 



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