236 ] ournal of Agriculture, Victoria. [lo April, 1911. 



THE WINE INDUSTRY IN SOUTHERN FRANCE. 



Department of Herault. 

 {Continued from page 205.) 

 F. de Castella, Government Viticnllurist. 

 Methods of Pruning and Training the Vine. 

 The methods governing the pruning and training of the vine in this^ 

 the region of the world's heaviest bearing vineyards, might naturally be 

 expected to constitute a valuable object lesson. A critical examination of 

 them does, in fact, reveal several points of interest. More particularly 

 as regards summer treatment, the views held are most earnestly recom- 

 mended to the attention of our growers. Strikingly different iJhough they 

 may be, to those frequently expressed in Victoria, they are far more in 

 accordance with the laws of vegetable physiology, and essentially suited 

 to the maintenance of the vine in continued productiveness under warm, 

 dry climatic conditions. Their adoption would lead to the correction of 

 some of the chief mistakes made hj our northern viticulturists. Before 

 dealing with these matters, however, something must be said concerning 



The Distance Apart at which Vines are Planted. 



To a Victorian the vines appear very close. The great majority of 

 the vineyards are laid out " on the square," with the vine at_i m. 50 x 

 I m. 50 (4 ft. II in. X 4 ft. II in.). A few vineyards, it is true, are 

 planted at i m. 75 x i m. 75 (5 ft. 9 in. x 5 ft. 9 in.), but the former dis- 

 tance— say, 5 X 5, in round numbers — is the general rule. 



A few vineyards are planted in rows a la povenqale (Provence style) 

 at 2 m. 30 X I m. 15 (7 ft. 6|^ x 3 ft. 9^). This is particularly advan- 

 tageous where horse-drawn spray pumps and sulphuring machines are 

 employed. The absence of gaps between the vines permits the use of a 

 continuous spray without loss of spraying material, which would be in- 

 evitable with vines planted on the square, and therefore with a greater 

 interval between them. At one large vineyard I visited, the whole 225 

 acres could be sprayed in nine days by four spray pumps carried on pack 

 horses — a convenient arrangement, probably very suitable for spraying 

 our potatoes. 



Nevertheless, 5 x 5 is the arrangement which has found most favour 

 in the region since time immemorial. It is worthy of note that, owing 

 to the supposed greater vigour of vines grafted on resistant stocks, it was 

 recommended, in the early days of reconstitution, to plant them somewhat 

 wider than the old ungrafted vines. Experience has disproved the utility 

 of such a course, and grafted vines are now planted at the same distance 

 which centuries of experience showed to be most suitable for the region. 



This is not the place for lengthy discussion as to the best distance 

 apart. It must be suited to climate, soil and variety, so that no hard- 

 and-fast distance can be laid down to suit all conditions. No doubt, in 

 Herault, with its heavier rainfall and less active evaporation than are ex- 

 perienced in northern Victoria, the vines can be planted rather closer than 

 with us, yet there is a very wide difference between the 5x5 plantation 

 of the Herault and the 10 ft. x 12 ft. often adopted by our growers. 



A plea for very wide planting is often found in the fact that the outer 

 row of a block of vines is nearly always more vigorous than those in its 

 interior. This mav be observed, however, even at extreme distances, so 



