THE CULTIVATION OF THE 

 GRAPE-VINE 



THE VINE 



( Vitis vinifera ) 



THE vine has commanded the attention of man in a 

 greater or less degree from the earliest period of the 

 world's history up to the present time. According to 

 Sickler, its cultivation extended from Asia to Egypt, 

 and thence to the southern parts of Europe through 

 Greece. From Italy it is said to have progressed 

 northwards into France, and probably it was intro- 

 duced into Britain by the Romans. The vine is by 

 no means difficult to grow, and under favourable 

 conditions as regards soil, situation, and climate it 

 lives to a great age, and continues to yield satis- 

 factory crops year after year. Pliny mentions a vine 

 six hundred years old. The now historic vine at 

 Hampton Court Palace was planted one hundred and 

 thirty-two years ago, and still annually yields a large 

 number of useful bunches. Of course the bunches and 

 berries produced by this celebrated vine are, in point 

 of size and quality, much below those produced by 

 younger and more vigorous vines. When grape vines 

 exhibit unmistakable signs of exhaustion through age, 

 it is much better to root them out as soon as the 

 crop has been taken and to replace them the same week 

 (assuming that the crop has been cleared at any time 



