82 GRAPE. 



rows, at distances of ten feet from each other, and at such 

 a depth as to leave five feet above the surface of the earth ; 

 then taking three nails to each post, and driving them to 

 within half an inch of their heads, the first two and a half 

 feet from the ground, a second midway between that and 

 the top, and the third near the top, I attach No. 11 iron wire 

 (one degree soft is best) firmly to one of the nails in the 

 end post, pass on to the next, and stretching it straight and 

 tight, give it one turn round a nail in the same line as the 

 one to which it was first attached. Having in this manner 

 extended it along the three courses, the whole length of the 

 row, my trellis is formed. I have had a portion of my vine- 

 yard fitted up in this way for three years, and experience 

 has confirmed the superior fitness of the plan. It is not its 

 least recommendation, that it possesses in a degree the cha- 

 racter of labour-saving machinery. - A very important and 

 extensive labour-making portion of the operations in the 

 vineyard during the summer, is the attention required by the 

 growing shoots to keep them properly trained up. They 

 grow and extend themselves so rapidly, that where the strips 

 of the trellis are lath, or where poles are used to support 

 vines, unless very closely watched, they fall down in every 

 direction, in a very unsightly and injurious manner. Here 

 the wire being small, the tendrils or claspers eagerly and 

 firmly attach themselves to it, and thus work for themselves 

 in probably two-thirds of the instances where the attention 

 of the vigneron would otherwise be required. There is a 

 free access afforded to the sun and air, and no hold for the 

 wind to strain the frame," &c. Mr. Bonsall says faither, " I 

 shall not enter into a minute description of my manner of 

 pruning, but may just say, that after the vines have attained 

 a full capacity for production, (say five years from the cut- 

 ting,) my view is to prepare them for bearing an average of 

 fifty clusters to each, leaving several shoots of from three to 

 five joints on a vine for this purpose. When fresh pruned, 

 they will not be more than four feet high, at their greatest age." 



