122 FRUIT BOOK. 



Upon the subject of manuring vines, the fol- 

 lowing, from one of the most distinguished writers 

 on Agricultural Chemistry of modern times. Doc- 

 tor Justus Liebig, of Europe, appears to us ra- 

 tional, as it seems to follow nature in her modes 

 of enriching the soil : 



"I remember, (says Fauenfelder,) that twenty 

 years ago, a man called Peter Muller had a 

 vineyard here, which he manured with the 

 branches pruned from the vines, and continued 

 this practice for thirty years. His way of apply- 

 ing them was to hoe them into the soil, after 

 having cut them into small pieces. His vineyard 

 was always in a thriving condition, so much so, 

 indeed, that the peasants here speak of it to this 

 day, wondering that old Muller had so good a 

 vineyard, and yet used no manure." 



Another example of this method of manuring 

 vines, is from Wilhelm Ruff, who says, " that for 

 the last ten years, I have been unable to place 

 dung on my vineyard, because I am poor, and 

 can buy none. But I was very unwilling to 

 allow my vines to decay, as they are my only 

 source of support in my old age ; and I often 

 walked very anxiously among them, without 

 knowing what I should do. At last, my necessi- 

 ties became greater, which made me more at- 

 tentive, so that I remarked that the grass was 

 longer in some spots, where the branches of the 

 vine fell, than on those where there were none ; 

 so I thought upon the matter, and then said to 

 myself, If these branches can make the grass 

 strong and green, they must also be able to make 

 my plants grow better, and become strong and 

 green. I dug, therefore, my vineyard as deep as 



