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the material that is most readily and economically obtained should 

 have the preference, other things being equal. 



KEEPING THE LAND CLEAN. 



An undergrowth of grass or other weeds is undesirable in a vine- 

 yard, as it helps to exhaust the plant food and moisture at the 

 expense ol the vines. In the spring and early summer this under- 

 growth is specially injurious, as it absorbs a deal of moisture, 

 and causes the soil to dry up much more rapidly than would 

 be the case under other conditions. The more the moisture 

 can be conserved in the summer, the better for the vines, 

 and this object will be materially promoted by keeping down 

 the weeds as much as possible. Sometimes continuous rains 

 will prevent cultivators from keeping the land clean, but weeds 

 should never be allowed to make headway if it is possible to prevent it- 

 Care should, however, be taken in destroying weeds not to work the 

 ground deeply among the vine roots. Deep ploughing or digging will 

 necessarily injure the r ots, more or less, and the lighter the work is 

 performed the better, The scarifier and the hoe are better implements 

 for the work than the plough or the spade. Several stirrings may be 

 necessary during the year to keep the weeds down ; but, as a matter of 

 course, the requirements in this respect will often differ materially. 

 These stirrings will also assist in keeping the suface soil loose a matter 

 of some importance in the case of heavy soils which aie liable to cake 

 after rain. A loose surface is a material check to rapid evaporation, and 

 the finer the tilth the better. Surface stirring should be invariably 

 practised with irrigated land after each application of water. In 

 cleaning ground, advantage should be taken of bright drying days, and 

 on no account should the work be done while the surface soil is wet and 

 cloggy. 



MULCHING. 



Mulching is not generally practised in vineyards, yet it is a valuable 

 aid to cultivators in dry districts. If the surface soil is covered with a 

 layer of long stable manure, straw, grass, or other material suitable for 

 the purpose, it is protected from the direct influence of sun and drying 

 winds, and consequently their is less evaporation and the ground retains 

 its moisture longer. There are some who object to mulching, on the 

 ground that the material used harbors insects and interferes with culti- 

 vation. As regards the first objection, it may be admitted that mulching 

 does to some extent favour certain kinds of insects, but notwithstanding 

 this drawback, the advantages are far greater than the disadvantages. 

 Respecting the second objection, it may be said that, when the surface 

 soil is mulched, weeds grow but little during the summer, and the 

 ground does not require stirring. When the summer is over and the 



