CULTIVATION OP THE VINE. 169 



me to keep my vines closely pinched so as to 

 shorten the branches, the theory of which is, to 

 induce an active circulation of the sap, by which 

 the plant is enabled to resist the malady. 



Experience, however, has convinced me to 

 the contrary, having found in my own cultiva- 

 tion, that the more the vineyard abounds in long 

 oars and healthy branches, the less will be the 

 suffering from the scorching drought referred to. 

 In order to avoid in a dry time the burning of 

 the foliage, care should be observed in the strip- 

 ping, not to detach from the plant the small 

 shoots, or offsets, immediately adjoining the fruit, 

 as such offsets are the first to perish under the 

 influence of such injurious drought. Instead of 

 thus detaching such offsets, a couple of inches 

 may be pinched off from the extreme ends of the 

 shoots, which causes a new and fresh foliage to 

 push forth, and keeps up the requisite vegetation 

 which tends to the prosperity of the fruit, causing 

 it to form and develope fairly, and promoting its 

 growth and advancement towards a healthy ma- 

 turity. 



I have had occasion to remark the difference 

 in a vineyard where, for the sake of the experi- 

 ment, part of the vines had not received this 

 salutary precaution, and on which the fruit had 

 experienced a visible suffering from the omis- 

 sion. 



Where the vineyard is exposed to this drought, 

 the foliage becomes much parched by the heat 

 of the summer sun, changes its colour, and as- 

 sumes a yellow hue. In such a time the vine- 

 yard should be carefully worked, the soil turned 

 P 



