GRAPES. CULTIVATION, SOIL, ETC. 271 



more expeditious, though perhaps less perfect mode ; and 

 instead of requiring three years for the vine to reach the 

 wall, the vines are laid in horizontally, a few inches be- 

 neath the surface, and their tops brought to the wall at 

 once. In this case the vines are bent and surrounded by 

 brickbats, and thus forced to throw out innumerable roots. 



The eyes at the bottom of the shoots of the grape are 

 very close together, and extremely small. There are no 

 less than six in the space of two lines, or the sixth of an 

 inch. When you cut the bearing branch long, say one or 

 two inches, these little eyes become extinct or lie dormant, 

 and do not push ; but if you cut close to them, they de- 

 velop they grow, and produce beautiful clusters. Able 

 gardeners are well aware of this ; they always cut their 

 coursons, or bearing branches, at the distance of a line, (or 

 one twelfth of an inch,) sometimes even less. It is for this 

 reason that these branches never become long under their 

 management. Those who are ignorant of the nature of 

 the vine cannot conceive how a bearing branch shall have 

 given fruit for twenty years, and not be at the end of the 

 time an inch long. 



As soon as the young shoots of the vine have grown to 

 a sufficient length, they are attached to the treillage, the 

 stronger ones first, but loosely, until they have acquired 

 sufficient elasticity. Great caution is here necessary ; 

 you ought not to force them into a vertical position till the 

 berry is large, for they break off easily when young. 



The lateral shoots which break near the eyes on the 

 young wood, and the tendrils, should be suppressed while 

 young. And if there be more than two buds which start 

 from the same courson, [spur,] the supernumerary ones 

 must be suppressed, even though they exhibit fruit. Two 

 bourgeons, [branches,] each decorated with two beautiful 

 clusters, are more valuable than a greater number of infe- 

 rior size. But caution is here necessary ; those supernu- 

 merary shoots which start from the base should not be 

 removed too soon, for if removed too suddenly, it gives a 

 shock to vegetation, or occasions wasteful bursts of sap , 

 you wait until the wood has acquired some consistence, and 

 until new channels are provided for the expenditure of the 

 sap by the expansion of the leaves, and until after the 

 grapes are set. 



At Thomery, the young wood is pinched at its extremity, 



