312 APPENDIX I. 



peared like mere banks of gravel and dead earth. In this place it required 

 a long time to establish the vines; the rays of the sun beat down in the 

 afternoon almost vertically during the long and severe droughts with 

 which we were visited for several years; but after continued watering 

 and mulching, they were at length established, and are now loaded to 

 their utmost capacity with fruit. 



u The foregoing remarks upon the soil are applicable only to that por 

 tion of the vineyard upon the side-hill; the soil of the part situated upon 

 the table lands is of good quality for farming purposes. The table lands 

 about this vicinity are full of gentle swells or eminences, which are more 

 or less gravelly or porous in the substratum; such places as these have 

 generally been selected by the judge for his vineyards, not that they were 

 supposed to be more suited to the vine than the lower or more level parts, 

 but because they were less capable of sustaining other vegetation. 



&quot; The first planting of much extent was made in 1830, from vines of one 

 year s growth, purchased of Col. Alden Spooner, of Brooklyn, who fur 

 nished a thousand at six cents apiece; these were planted upon the best 

 portion of terraced ground, which was prepared by ploughing in such a 

 manner as to throw the furrows down hill, and then finished by hand 

 labor. A part of the terraces were made ten feet wide, but as the opera 

 tion was found laborious, the remaining ones were made only eight feet ; 

 no particular pains were taken in forming banks. 



&quot; The original surface being a sward, the sods were placed on the out 

 side of the terraces to sustain the banks. They soon covered them with 

 gra s, which has since needed no further attention excepting to mow it 

 once or twice a year. The vines were planted six feet apart, with a locust 

 post between each, and then four lines of No. 12 wire were strained and 

 fastened firmly upon the posts, beginning two feet from the ground and 

 setting the wires one foot apart ; the posts, therefore, require to be six 

 feet high, which is the usual height throughout the vineyard. 



&quot; The vines have not been subjected to the rigid system of pruning 

 practised by many; they were trained somewhat fan-shaped upon the 

 trellis and rather sloventy pruned for many years. The plough was freely 

 used, seldom allowing the ground to get hard and weedy. This vineyard 

 bore uniformly for many years, yielding great crops of grapes, which 

 commanded a fair price in market. 



&quot;In a few instances of late, it has been prostrated for a year or two 

 from the effects of enormous bearing. This was the case last year, but it 

 is now loaded with fruit. The vines which were placed upon the widest 

 terraces have been much the most productive, showing that it would have 

 paid better if they had all been of one width. 



&quot;A few of the vines purchased of Col. Spooner were planted on the 

 more level part of the ground ; these also succeeded well, but not so uni 

 formly as those placed on the terraces. About the same time, one hun- 



