THE ORAPE. 109 



nor grows in a healthy, vigorous manner. This de- 

 fect is chiefly owing to the wood growing too thickly 

 together ; the consequence is, that it is of a soft 

 sappy nature, and not in a proper state either to bear 

 fruit the following year, or hardy enough to bear the 

 severity of winter. This fact may be easily ascer- 

 tained by an intelligent person who will take the 

 pains to examine vines in the fall, so treated ; the 

 young wood will be found of a soft sappy nature, 

 when it should be hard, to ensure fruit the following 

 season. Vines which have riot been summer pruned, 

 are generally so thick of young wood that the sun 

 and air are partly excluded from the under branches, 

 which are, consequently, weak, the fruit small and 

 of an inferior quality, with many of the berries rot- 

 ting from the bunches, owing to their being too 

 much shaded. If the vines are allowed to remain 

 thus, the fruit will not ripen, and therefore it will 

 not obtain its proper quality, consequently it will be 

 unpleasant to the taste and unwholesome. 



ART. 2. Soil and Location. 



The soil best adapted to the grape vine, is that of 

 a rich loamy nature, with a portion of sand ; but al- 

 most any natural soil will grow the native grape, if 

 richly manured, on condition that the subsoil is dry. 

 Wet bottoms are in all cases injurious to the growth 

 of the grape vine. It is held as a general rule by 

 some grape-growers, that vines, when cultivated in 

 the open air, should have a site chosen on an eleva- 

 tion, as on a hill side facing the south. I am well 

 aware that such locations are generally chosen in the 

 grape districts of Europe ; but, observation has 



