506 pliny's natural history. [Book XYII. 



case tlie vine by over-luxuriance should happen to exhaust 

 itself. Close to it there is another bud left, no bigger than a 

 wart; this is known as the " furunculus," 30 and is kept in 

 readiness in case the reserve shoot should fail. 



The vine, if enticed to bear fruit before the seventh year 

 from its being planted as a slip, will pine 31 away, become as 

 slim as a bulrush, and die. It is thought equally undesirable, 

 too, to let an old stock-branch range far and wide, and extend 

 as far as the fourth stay from the stem ; to such a branch the 

 name of dragon 32 -branch is given by some, and of juniculus by 

 others ; if these are allowed to spread, they will run to wood 

 only, and make male vines, as they are called. When a vine 

 has become quite hard, it is an extremely bad plan to use it 

 for reproduction by layers. When the vine is five years old 

 the stock-branches are twisted, but each is allowed to throw 

 out some new wood ; and so from one to another, care being 

 taken to prune away the old wood. It is always the best 

 plan, however, to leave a reserve shoot ; but this should always 

 be very near the main stem of the vine, not at a greater dis- 

 tance, in fact, than that already mentioned. 33 If, too, the 

 stock branches should throw out too luxuriantly, they must 

 be twisted, the object being that the vine may put forth no 

 more than four secondary branches, or even two only, if it 

 happens to be a single cross-railed vine. 



If the vine is to be trained to grow without any stay at all, 

 still it will stand in need, at first, of some support or other, 

 until it has learnt to support itself : in all other respects the 

 mode of proceeding will be the same at first. When pruning, 

 it will be necessary that the thumb-branches 34 should be ar- 

 ranged in equal numbers on either side, in order that the fruit 

 may not overload one side of the tree ; and we may here remark 

 by the way, that the fruit by its weight is apt to bear down 

 the tree and counteract any tendency to increase in height. 

 The vine, unsupported, when more than three feet in height, 

 begins to bend, but the others do not, until they are five feet 



30 The pilferer, "or little thief," apparently, 



31 This, Fee observes, is not in accordance with the fact. 



32 " Draco." Male vines appear to have been a kind that threw out no 

 stock-branches, but ran to wood. 



33 Than three buds, as already mentioned in the present Chapter. 



?,i " Pollices." Branches, so called from the resemblance, being cut off 

 above the first eye. See Columella, De Be Bust. B. iv. c. 24. 



