42 Agricultural Journal of Victoria. 



vineyards with American vines the stake is permanently maintained, 

 on account of the greater vegetation of grafted vines. 



The first year the vine is pruned back to the eye closest to the 

 ground. The second year it is pruned back again to one eye, and the 

 third year the crown is formed at from 6 to 10 inches above the surface 

 of the soil. 



On hilly ground the crowns are kept as low as possible, while on 

 low ground on the contrary, they are formed rather high to avoid in a 

 certain measure the action of frosts. The third year two or three 

 shoots are left in suitable positions, pruned with two eyes, ultimately 

 forming the arms or horns. The following years, if the vigour of the 

 vine allows it, an extra arm is added and one spur (or rarely two) of 

 two eyes, is left. With this method the arms lengthened every year, 

 and nothing is done to prevent the accumulation of old wood ; and it 

 is common, in some districts, to see old vines carrying arms often 

 reaching 3 feet in length. 



This practice should certainly be discarded, for it weakens the 

 vegetation of the vine, which loses in fertility on account of excessive 

 elongation. One could easily remedy this and endow the plant with 

 new vigour by practising the operation of lowering, which we mentioned 

 when studying the pruning methods of Languedoc. 



But this system will, perhaps, never be adopted by the vignerons 

 of Beaujolais, for they believe thai " old wood produces good wine." 

 There would be a means of reconciling the old custom and rational 

 principles by establishing a periodical rotation in the renewal of these 

 horns, so that the plant would always carry two or three old horns, 

 which would never reach the excessive dimensions often met with. 



The Gamai, which is exclusively cultivated in Beaujolais, would be 

 very well suited to this mixed system. 



All the vineyards we have studied so far present great analogy in 

 their modes of training. Low crowns and gooseberry bushes with 

 spurs are the rule. 



VI. — Pruning in Gieonde. 



The vineyards of Gironde have been divided into diiferent regions, 

 although as a whole they have cultural methods, products, and con- 

 ditions of soil and climate in common. From the point of view we 

 are studying now, we find noticeable differences in the systems of 

 pruning adopted in each of these regions. 



In Medoc the vines are trellised after the spalier system, with 

 two arms symmetrically placed on both sides of a main stem, formed 



Fig. 41 

 M^doc vine with two long rods and two spurs (after Foex). 



