154 TREATISE ON THE 



of injury to the blossom of the young fruit, will 

 always deter the vigneron in the performance of 

 his duty, and, as a consequence, the work will at 

 best be but half done, and detected at the first 

 glance by a skilful eye, as the result of a sloven- 

 ly cultivation. Even when no professional pride 

 on the part of the cultivator urges him to pre- 

 serve the character of his vine grounds, still this 

 labour, if postponed, must be executed under 

 great disadvantages, as with all! the precaution 

 that can be taken, it will be impossible in the 

 performance to avoid inflicting, to greater or less 

 degree, the most serious mischief to the young 

 and tender branches, which at this moment are 

 so fragile, that they willjnevitably be broken, to 

 the great suffering of the plant. 



The loss of the broken branches, though in 

 itself sufficient to excite the most lively alarm, 

 is but a secondary consideration. An active 

 hemorrhage issues from the wounded surface, 

 which offers to myriads of insects an unprotected 

 point where the attacks are simultaneous, and 

 which soon exhaust the vital principle of vegeta- 

 tion. The superficial roots which have not the 

 proper depth, must now be cut, and not broken 

 off, a s a neat clean cut more speedily heals, and 

 exposes the vine to a less loss of sap, than where 

 from the torn and lacerated root, a greater surface 

 will probably be exposed. In some of the com- 

 munes of this Canton, it is the practice to plant 

 stakes at the time of giving the first labour. In 

 doing this, the workman should be careful to ob- 

 serve that the point of the stake be, not decayed, 

 .or if so, to break off the unsound wood, and point 



