CULTIVATION OP THE VINE. 137 



duce prematurely a .superabundant crop of fruit, 

 seriously injurious to the vineyard, exhausting 

 its vigor, and taxing its powers before it has ac- 

 quired sufficient strength to bear such imposition. 

 This greatly retards the growth of the vine, pre- 

 venting the attainment of the force and vigor es- 

 sential to a prosperous vineyard, diminishing, for 

 several succeeding years, the quantity of the 

 fruit, fend so changing the quality of the grapes, 

 as to render the wine greatly inferior to that 

 which, under judicious culture, it would other- 

 wise be. 



We frequently see the young vine that has 

 been immaturely charged with fruit, languish 

 and droop for two or three years, and sometimes 

 perish the second season. The weeding of the 

 young plantation should be performed the first 

 year by a skilful vine dresser, and 'care should 

 be taken in stripping the vines, to leave the pro- 

 per shoots adapted to form the stock branches of 

 the future plant. In the second or third year, 

 the vines should be stripped or weeded in rows, 

 from left to right, and vice versa, taking them in 

 turns, one by one, that none be overlooked, after 

 which the parasitic plants should be carefully 

 extirpated, or rubbed off the vines with a stiff 

 scrubbing brush; in doing which, without great 

 attention, there is danger of chaffing or wounding 

 the bark of the vine, by which serious mischief 

 is inflicted on the plant. 



Early in the fourth season, the strong branches 



or oars, should be tied up, and firmly secured to 



the stakes, as the weight of the oars, when in 



foliage, will expose them to be broken off by 



M 2 



