

V 



eafcerly dry wind) being able to paf^, mofi cficclually 

 does the bufineis j and as they in tliat region come 

 almofl: every year, the trouble of io providing againn: 

 them is become habitual to the cultivators. ^ ' 



>e mamur of mnhb?^ 



may be propagated 

 perfe^ion. 



wine in Champaign^ and hoiv it 

 in other provinces^ io bring it to 



Wine is fo delicate a liquor, and an aliment fo proper 

 to give ftrength, and to prei'erve health. If ufed with 

 moderation, that one may very well v/onder, that in 

 moft of the provinces of France, they make it with lb 

 much negligence in all thofe places, where it might 

 be excellent. ^ 



The Champenois are exempted from this reproach, 

 and whether it be from a delicacy of tafte, ora defire 

 of making an advantage of their wines, or a facility 

 in rendering them better, they have been always more 

 indullrious to make them more cxquifite, than thofe 

 of the other provinces of the kingdom. 

 It is true, it is fcarce eighty years lince they have ftu- 

 died to make pale wine, which is very near white, 

 . but before, their red wine was made with more care 

 and neatnefs, than any other of the wines of the 

 kingdom. 



I fiiall not enter upon the ancient or modern difpute, 

 as to the preference between the wines of Champaio-n 

 and Burgundy, but content myfelf with taking no- 

 tice of all that the people of Champaign have invent- 

 ed to give the finenefs and agreeablenefs to their wines ^ 

 and by the obfervation that may be made therefrom,' 

 it will be eafy to fee that the fame may be imitated in 

 . other provinces, fo as to come pretty near that lio-ht- 

 nefs and exquifitenefs, ' ' 



If thefe ellays fhall give hopes of fuccefs for the future, 

 the wines of thofe provinces might be brought to per- 

 fedlion by degrees where they might be delicious, and 

 where they are but poor^bccaufe ^ they have never 

 fbudied to give them that finenefs,:/ J.^-^n - •-/' * . 

 In order to have the wine excellent, the Vines ouaht 

 ^ to be well expofed to the fun, efpecially to the fouth, 

 and alfo on the decline, or in the manner of a little 

 hill, rather than" on the plain. V, Vines Ihould be well 



^chofen, ind Ihould be* fuch a^ generally produce 

 none but fmall black Grapes : the bottom of the foil 

 fhould be good, a little ftony, and not naturally 

 moift. The grain of the foil of Champaign is very 

 fine, and has a fingular quality that is not found in 



, other provinces. 



As thefe kinds of lands are light, there is occafion to 



^ dung them from time to time, and tQ lay on new 



' earth j but the dunging ought to be fparino-ly done, 



for too much of it will render the wine foft^nd infi- 



pid, aLiidapt to be ropy; it ought to be commonly 



,' cow dung, becaulethat is not fo hot as horfe dung. 



In flrpng lands it may be mingled with horfe dung 



, and Iheeps dung, provided that the horfe dung be fo 



rotten, that it may be reduced to a powder, and that 



there be but one half as much as of the cow dun^r, 



otherwife it will burn the Vines. Let it be laid on a 



^trench pr pit, and mix one layer of dung and another 



"of new earth, and let it lie and rot during a whole 



winter, and toward the month of February take from 



thence half a baflcet of every Vine, efpecially for each 



.new plant, to help them to pufti forth. / It is fuffici- 



^ent^for a vineyard to be dunged once in eight or ten 



.years, or an eighth or a tenth part every year. 



.After the dung has been carried, the Vines ought to 



,^e opened round about, and a little trencli to be made 



^ound the foot of the Vine, in order to bury the dung 



at a'prbper time. , ' * . 



iJiyers perfons leave it there many weeks before 

 ihey bur)' it,^ but this is not the beil way, for the air, 

 the. cold, or the fun, will be apt to diffipate the moft 

 fubtile fubftahce of it; but when it is neither too cold 



hot 



r^ 



.They giv^ tp a yinc four ordinary dreffings, accord- 

 ing to, their fe.afons; but it is proper to take notice of 



'^ •. i * ^ , 'J s # ** 



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f 



9 

 i 



f 



L 

 ■ 



I 



V 



one thing, which is fcarcely obfervcd in Cl.vr.p.v^-^ 

 which ]s, that they cut their Vmcs in tlie n^omh^f 

 tebt-uary, and even in January, inilcidof v.hich thcv 

 ought never to begin to cut them till after the urii 

 of February: when they are cut before, they puflj 

 forth fooner, and are expofed to injury, and are f'nK-- 

 times killed, it any hoar frolls come prefl-ntly after 

 they have been cut ; but when they ftay till after the 

 1 4th ot the month of February, there is no danger of 

 their being injured by the frolls. 

 The covetoufnefs of vignerons leave them to under- 

 take the cultivation of more Vines than they well can 

 manage, and for this reafon they cut their Vines ia 

 January, which does an infinite injury to them and 

 to the greateft part of the plants, which they are fen- 

 fible ot for many years. 



In Champaign they cultivate two forts of Vines, which 

 they call the high Vines and the low Vines. The 

 high Vines are fuch as they leave to grow in thofe 

 places that are lefs fine, to the height of four or five 

 ten ; the low Vines are thofe, which they do not fuffer 

 to grow above three feet high ; thefe they inter, 

 or ravale, according to the country term, every year' 

 fo as to leave but a little of the end to appear, which 

 is repeated annually. 



The high Vines produce plentifully, and give often 

 feven or eight pieces of wine an arpent ; the low Vines 

 produce but little, but then the Vine is much more 

 delicate ; they often do not give above two pieces of 

 wine an arpent, oftentimes lefs, feldom three, but 

 much feldomcr four. 



In order that the wine may be the finer, all the wines 

 which give the white Grapes muft be taken away, and 

 thofe alfo that give the large black Grapes, but one 

 need not pluck thefe up, but graft them.. 

 But fometimes thefe grafts will not fucceed, which 

 being obferved, they muft be plucked up, and new 

 ones that have a root fet in their room, which they 

 chufe out of the nurferies, that are common in the 

 country. 



piftole a thoufa'nd. ' 



They ordinarily purchafe thefe plants for a 



« A f » ^ 



-'i - **- .'v ^- 



^ . ^ _ Vines 



himfelf nurferies/ '*" ^>* - 

 • Thefe plants that have a root are put into the earth, 

 - in the middle of a great hole about a foot deep, which 

 they make with a ftake, or ftrait mattock, or pickax, 

 and thefe produce fooner than the others, which have 

 no root. A plant that has a root begins to give wine 

 a little the third year, indifferently the fourth and fifth, 

 and in abundance in the following years, and fo for 

 above fixty years. 



Thefe new plants ought to be dunged the fecond year, 

 and in the fixth year, and afterwards in the eighth and 

 tenth as other Vines. ^ 



+ 



It will be fo the purpofe every year, to pull up part 

 of the old plants, which take up room and produce 

 little or nothing, and by this means a vineyard will be 

 conftantly renewed, as one may fay, and in a perfed: 

 good condition. 



When thei-e are dews or humidities in May, June, 

 and September, the vignerons muft not be fuffered 

 to enter the vineyards in a morning, for the dews of 

 thefe months are commonly very cold, if the fun da 



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V- 



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' 1 





not draw them up, which burns the leaves of the Vinc. 

 which are touched before they are drawn up. 

 It is very elTential not to enter the vineyards at tl>c 

 time when there is hoar froft, or fhowers attended 

 with froft, for this will certainly kill the Vines. 

 The vineyards muft be weeded now and then, and if 

 there be any beetles, which are pernicious animrds to 

 plants, they muft be picked off and put into facks, 

 and burnt at fomc diftance from the vineyard, and the 

 afties buried. ■ 



About the end of June, and alio of the month of 

 May, according as the vineyard is advanced, it is ne- 

 ceflary to cut off" the end of each twig, that the plant 

 may grow no more in height, and that it may convey 

 all its nourifhment to the Grapes. It is enough, if ic 

 have two feet and a half, or three at moft, above 

 ground ; all the reft is to be cut off, as muft alfo the 

 ■ , . tops 



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