396 AMERICAN GEAPE TRAINING 



" Now for bowers and espaliers or hedgerows : Any way 

 a vine is trained on the lattice work as to furnish regularly 

 the wall for an espalier, and top of a bower, answers the 

 purpose. But as the sap of plants, and of grape vines par- 

 ticularly, always tends to run upwards, it will happen that 

 a vine which is to give branches at different heights, the 

 uppermost of all will shoot overgrown branches of the 

 lowest part, which will be always weak; therefore, if a 

 high wall or a large bower in a garden is to be covered with 

 an espalier of vines, the wall or bower must be divided in 

 sections, that one vine may furnish wood enough to fill one 

 story in that section; say from fifteen to thirty feet long, 

 according to the force of the ground. The height of one 

 story being about three feet; a wall of eighteen feet high 

 and fifty feet long would offer two sections, and five 

 stories, also it would require ten vines to furnish it; one 

 per story in each section; then five vines, or as many as 

 there are stories must be planted before each section, not 

 close to the wall or bower, but four or five feet from it ; and 

 when the vines are strong enough to be laid as directed for 

 vines planted by mulberry trees, they are to be laid down 

 in the same way, nine or twelve inches deep, and raised 

 against the wall or bower, and pruned to three eyes : Vines 

 planted immediately where they are to grow would perhaps 

 do as well; but I have done myself and seen it done the 

 other way. It is supposed that a vine which is to nourish 

 more branches and more fruit than one in a vineyard, will 

 be stronger if it runs some space into the ground, it will 

 surely shoot more roots from the stock; but I think any 

 plant will get roots in proportion to the branches it has to 

 nourish : also, I do not think that it is absolutely necessary 

 to plant them first at a distance from a wall or a bower, 

 but it is surely better to do it against a tree, on account of 

 the roots of the tree, which keeps the ground very dry 

 within their reach ; it is best, however, to do it always 

 when it can be done most conveniently. After the vines 



