Chap. 35.] CULTUBE OP THE TINE. 505 



The nature, too, of the soil will afford some very useful 

 suggestions. Where it is thin and hungry, even though the 

 vine should display considerable vigour, it should be pruned 

 down below the cross-piece and kept there, so that all the 

 shoots may be put forth below it. The interval, however, be- 

 tween the top of the vine and the cross-piece ought to be but 

 very small ; so much so, indeed, as to leave it hopes, as it 

 were, of reaching it, which, however, it must never be suffered 

 to do ; for it should never be allowed to recline thereon and 

 spread and run on at its ease. This mode of culture ought, in 

 fact, to be so nicely managed, that the vine should show an 

 inclination rather to grow in body than to run to wood. 



The main branch should have two or three buds left below 

 the cross-piece that give promise of bearing wood, and it 

 should be carefully trained along the rail, and drawn close 

 to it in such a manner as to be supported by it, and not 

 merely hang loosely from it, When this is done, it should 

 be tightly fastened also with a binding three buds off, a 

 method which will greatly contribute to check the too abun- 

 dant growth of the wood, while stouter shoots will be thrown 

 out below the ligature : it is absolutely forbidden, how- 

 ever, to tie the extremity of the main branch. When all 

 this is done, Nature operates in the following way — the parts 

 that are allowed to fall downward, or those which are held fast 

 by the ligature, give out fruit, those at the bend of the branch 

 more particularly. On the other hand, the portion that lies 

 below the ligature throws out wood ; by reason, I suppose, of 

 the interception of the vital spirit and the marrow or pith, pre- 

 viously mentioned : 26 the wood, too, that is grown under these 

 circumstances will bear fruit in the following year. In this 

 way there are two kinds of stock branches : the first of which, 

 issuing from the solid stock, gives promise" of wood only for 

 this year, and is known as the leaf stock-branch ; 27 while that 

 which grows beyond the mark made by the ligature is a fruit 

 stock-branch. 28 There are other lands, again, that shoot from 

 the stock-branches when they are a year old, and these are in 

 all cases fruit stock-branches. There is left, also, beneath the 

 cross-piece a shoot that is known as the reserve 29 shoot, being 

 always a young stock-branch, with not more than three buds 

 upon it. This is intended to give out wood the next year, in 



26 In the present Chapter. 27 Pampinarium. 



28 Fructuariura. 29 Gustos. 



