V 



moifture may the better drain ofT, but if the ground 

 flopes too much, it is by no means proper for this pur- 

 poie -, but if, at a diftance from this place, there are 

 larger hills, which defend it from the north and north- 

 well wind, it will beof great fervice, becaufe hereby 

 the fun's rays will be refiefted with a greater force, 

 and the cold winds being kept off, will render the fi- 

 tuation very w^rm. Add to this, a chalky furface ; 

 which if thofe hills do abound with (as there are ma- 

 ny fuch fituations in England,) it will flill add to the 

 heat of the place, by refledling a greater quantity of 

 the fun's rays. 



be 



open 



conflantly be filled with moift particles, occafioned 

 by the plentiful perfpiration of the trees, or the ex- 

 halations from the adjoining marlhes, whereby the 

 fruit will be greatly prejudiced (as was before obferv- 

 ed.) Thefe vineyards Ihould always be open to the 

 eaft, that the morning fun may come on them to dry 

 off the moifture of the night early, which, by lying 

 too long upon the Vines, greatly retards the ripening 

 of their fruit, and renders it crude and ill tailed. And 

 fince the fruit of Vines are rarely ever injured by 

 eafterly winds, there will be no reafon to apprehend 

 any danger from fuch a fituation, the fouth-wefl, 

 north-weft, and north winds being the moft injurious 

 to vineyards in England (as indeed they are to moft 

 other fruit,) fothat, if poffible, they Ihould be fhel- 

 tered therefrom. 



Having made choice of a foil and fituation proper for 

 this purpofe, the next thing to be done is, to prepare 

 it for planting. In doing of which the following me- 

 thod Ihould be obferved : in the fpring it fhould be 

 ploughed as deep as the furface will admit, turning 

 the fward into the bottom of each furrow ; after this 

 it fhould be well harrowed, to break the clods, and 

 cleanfe it from the roots of noxious weeds, and it muft 

 be often ploughed and harrowed for at leaft one year, 

 to render the furface light ; and hereby it will be ren- 

 dered fertile, by imbibing the nitrous particles of 

 the air (efpecially if it be long expofed thereto be- 

 fore it is planted ;) then in March the ground Ihould 

 be wellj)loughecl again, an5 after having made the 

 furface pretty even, the rows Ihould be marked out 

 from fouth-eaft to fibrt1i-weft,'^at the drftance often 

 feet from each other; and thefe rows fhould be 



crofTed again at five or fix feet diftance, which will I alftheir fpirit and flavour by theVlditional heat of the 

 mark out the exaft places where each plant fhould fire ; and fuch fruits as are by no means eatable raw, 

 be placed; fo that the Vines will be ten feet row from j are hereby rendered exquifite, which, if tranfplanted 

 row, and five or fix feet afunder in the rows, nearer [ into a warmer climate, have, by the additional heat 



V 



at lefs than ten feet row from row, and fonie allow 

 twelve. It was an obfcrvation of Bcllonius, almcll 

 two hundred years lince, that in thoic illands of the 

 Archipelago, where the rows of Vines were placed 

 at a great diftance, the wine was much preferable to 

 thofe which were clofe planted ; and this hepofirive- 

 ly affirms to be the cafe, in moll counrries where he 

 had travelled. Indeed we need not liave recourfc to 

 antiquity for the certainty of fuch fadts, when we are 

 daily convinced of this truth in all clofc plantations of 

 any kind of fruit, where it is conftantly obferved, that 

 the fruits in fuch places are never fo well coloured, fo 

 early ripe, nor near fo well flavoured, as thofe pro- 

 duced on trees, where the air can freely circulate about 

 them, and the rays of the fun luve free acccfs to the 

 branches, whereby the juices are better prepared be- 

 fore they enter the fruit. 



Having thus confidered the diftance v/hich is necefiary 

 to be allowed to thefe plants, we come next to the 

 planting ; but in order to this, the proper forts of 

 Grapes fhould bejudicioufly chofen ; and in this par- 

 ticular we have egregioufly erred in England. Alhhe 

 vineyards at prefent planted here, are of the fv/eeteft 

 and beft fort of Grapes far eating, which is contrary 

 to the general praftice of the vignerons abroad, who 

 always obferve, that fuch Grapes never make good 

 wine ; and therefore^ from experience, make choice 

 of thofe forts of Grapes, whofe juice, after ferment- 

 ing, affords a noble rich liquor ; which Grapes are 

 always obferved to be auftere, and not by any means 

 palatable. This is alfo agreeable to the conftant prac- 

 tice of our cyder-makers in England, who always ob- 

 ferve, that the beft eating Apples make but poor cy- 

 der ; whereas the more rough and auftere fores, after 

 being preffed and fermented, afford a .ftrong vinous 

 liquor. And I believe it will be found tjue in all 

 fruits, that where the natural heat of the fun ripens 

 and prepares their juices, fo as to render them pala- 

 table, whateverdegree of heat thefe juices have more,, 

 either by fermentation, or from any other caufe, will 

 render them weaker and lefs fpirituous. Of this we 

 have many inftances in fruits; for if we Iranfplant 

 any of Gui" "faffimef"of''au£5rhii 'fruirsV which ripen 

 perfedlly in Eriglahd, '■Without the affiftance of art, 

 into a climate a few degrees warmer, thefe fruits will 

 be.meally and rnfipid ; lb likewife if we bake or ftew 

 any of thefe fruits, they will be good for little, lofm^ 



they 



who 



And 



greatly erred, fome having allowed no more than 

 five feet row from row, and the plants but three feet 



been 

 delicious of our fruit in this country. 



pes 



agreeable to the palate for eating, are not proper for 

 afunder in the rows ; and others;" who think they I wine -, in making of which, their juices muft under- 

 have been full liberal in this artide, havfc'only plaht- | go a ftrong fermentation ; therefore fince we have ia 

 cd their V'ines at fix feet diftance every way, but riei- [ England been only propagating the moft palatable 

 ther of thefe, have allowed a proper diftance to them, | Grapes for eating, and negled: the other forts„ before 

 as I Ihall Ihew : for in the firft place, where the rows [ we plant vineyards, we ftiould take care to be pro- 

 vided with the proper forts from abroad, which fnould 



be choferi ac 



be 



fun and air to pafs in between them to dry up the 



ft 



being detained amon 



-i , ' 



the Vines are placed 

 ther as fix feet, there 



4 



O 



A . ' — D 



can be no room for the cur- 



between 



are extended on each fide, and fo confequently the 

 damps in autumn will be entangled and detained 

 amongft the Vines, to the great prejudice of their 

 fruit ; for fince the autumns in England are often at- 

 tended with rains, cold dews, or fogs, all proper care 

 Ihould be taken to remove [every thing which may 

 cbftrufl the drying up the damps which arife from 

 the ground. » . . 



The Ikilful vignerons abroad are alfo fenfible how 

 much it contributes to the goodnefs of their Vines, 

 to allow a lai-ge fpace between the rows; and there- 



ifnitated ; though I believe the moft probable fortr 

 to 'fucceed in England is tlieAuvernat, or true Bur- 

 gundy Grape, (which is at prefent very rare to be 

 found in the Englifti vineyards, though it is a conn- 



ac^ai 



Grape is moft preferred in Burgundy, Champaign,. 

 Orleans, and moft of the other wine countries in^ 

 France; and I am informed, that it fucceeds very 

 well in feveral places to the north of Paris, where 

 proper care is taken of their management •, fo that- 

 I fhould advife fuch perfons as vvould try the fuccefs 

 of vineyards in England, to procure cuttings ot this 

 Grape from thofe countries; but herein fome perfon 

 of integrity and j.udgment ftiould be employed, to get; 

 them from fuch vineyards w^here no other lorts ot 

 _ . , . . Grapes are cultivated; which is very rare to find, unleis' 



fore where the quality of the. wine is more regarded j fome particular vineyards of the citizens, who arc 



than the quantity,: there they never plant their Vmes \ very exaft to keep up the reputation of their wines^. 



'■' ' ■ " nothing; 



