698 



FARMERS' REGISTER— MANAGEMENT OF VINEYARDS. 



The vine is pruned, the first year, to three eyes, 

 and cut in the middle of the space between the 

 joints: the ibllowing year it is pruned again to 

 three eyes in the growl h of the year; and in Ihc 

 same way successively till it has reached the first 

 branches of the trees. Then two of the vine 

 branches are directed into tlie top of the tree, and 

 the two others are extended, the one to the right, 

 the other to the left, under branches of the tree, to 

 form garlands, which are to unite with garlands 

 on the neighboring trees. The vine is lastened 

 to the trees with some soft ligament that it may 

 not bo wounded. By this way of pruning much 

 wine is made, but it is not of the first quality. I] 

 it is desired to liave the wine as good as possible, 

 but in less quantity,* fewer branches are left upon 

 the vine, and they are pruned shorter; the vine is 

 also directed more towards the top of the tree than 

 under and among the boughs. 



The vine having ac(iuired the proper height 

 and the required directions, the pruning consists 

 only in taking out the old branches which have 

 borne, and leaving the new ones; these are pruned 

 to two eyes. The small branches and sprouts 

 which straggle from the garlands are cut off. 

 Every yearlhe vine is united and tied again with 

 rushes. 



Every two or three years the trees which sup- 

 port the vines are trimmed; the branches which 

 grow at a distance from the garlands are cut ofi'; 

 the dead wood also, and the small interior boughs 

 are taken out. 



M. Loiseluer-Deslongchamps recommends the^ 

 cultivation of the vine on trees in the centre of 

 France, where it has never yet been so cultivated, 

 a weak wine only, it is true, is obtained, but yet 

 much superior to all the drinks of which wine 

 does not make a part, and a precious resource tor 

 persons of stnall means. 



Manures. Vineyards should be manured every 

 two or three years; and only well-rotted compost, 

 or mould which has been used for gardeners' beds 

 should be employed; manure from unrotted dung- 

 hills would communicate a portion of its odor to 

 the grapes. The rotted manures are advantage- 

 ously mixed with earth obtained from cleaning 

 out fish-ponds, ditches and rivers, with turf, soil of 

 heaths, marl, broken shells, the marc of grapes, 

 &c. These manures, very finely divided, are 

 spread in autumn over the whole surface of the 

 vineyard, and they quicken the vegetation. The 

 vineyards are improved also by removing a part of 

 the soil, and replacing it whh better. 



Tillage. All the lands of vines planted in 

 fields, are worked at Paris in November and 

 December, after having taken up the props and 

 laid them in piles. The hindie is used which 

 goes one decimetre (three inches) deep into the 

 earth, and the roots of the vine are a little un- 

 covered. The earth is collected in httle heaps in 

 the intervals between the vines. The pruning 

 being given in February or March, the land is 

 worked again, but deeply, and the little heaps of 

 earth are made to disappear. If the land is slo- 

 ping, it is worked diagonally, and the earth is al- 

 ways thrown up rather than down, that the upper 

 part of the vine may ahvays keep the same quan- 

 tity of earth. 



The vineyard is worked three times more with 



• Qualite in the original, evidently for quaniiie. 

 \ Annales de la Societe d'Agriculture. 



the bineltej the first time before blossoming, a 

 second time when the berries are formed, and the 

 third wiien the bunches begin to ripen: the ojbect 

 of these workings is to extirpate the weeds, that 

 the rain, the gases and light may penetrate the 

 earth and pulverize it. The moss and detached 

 bark are scraped off, particularly in warm coun- 

 tries. 



Propping. In the north and centre of France 

 the vines cultivated in fields, and those not culti- 

 vated on arbors in gardens, are propped. This 

 operation is performed after the spring working: 

 the props are driven vertically into the ground with 

 a mallet, at the foot of the vine-stock at one deci- 

 metre six centimetres, (three or four inches) to 

 i)ruig the branches together, and to prevent them 

 from being thrown down by the wind; in driving 

 them down, care must be taken to spare tlie roots 

 and not break off' tlie buds as Columella* directed. 



Blossoming. No work should be done in the 

 vineyard while it is in bloom, that the progress of 

 fecundation may not be interrupted; if the vine- 

 yard were worked or watered during this time, a 

 }iart or the whole of the pollen might be carried 

 ofl', which would occasion the fi-uit to fall; this 

 iroquent]_y happens, on that account, after rains or 

 high winds. M. Oscar Leclcrc t advises to make 

 an incision in June, to prevent the fall of the 

 flowers by leading off the sap. 



Stripping the leaves. V/hen the grapes have 

 nearly attained their full size, the leaves are strip- 

 ped off, as it is desired to color the fruit and to 

 develope the formation of the sugary mucus. On 

 vines raised on trellises, all the leaves are taken 

 off which touch the bunches, when there are 

 others a little farther forward sufficient to break off 

 the rays of the sun, without hindering them from 

 entering and giving color to the fruit. The air 

 also then circulates freely; the leaves which mask- 

 ed and touched the bunches wounded them, and 

 served as abodes for the insects which feed upon 

 the grapes, and the light did not penetrate to the 

 bunches. The foot stalks of the leaves are left; 

 the vine-dressers of Thomery and Fontainebleau 

 strip the vines with great dexterity, and fill their 

 hands ^vilh leaves in a moment without touching 

 the bimches. 



In general, it is necessary to strip off the leaves 

 a little more from vines growing against walls or 

 on hill-sides,^ than from those which are in the 

 shads or on moist lands, because in such situations, 

 says Bosc,J the leaves protect the bunches front 

 cold winds, and preserve the caloric which, passing 

 to the fruit, hastens its maturity. Columella§ 

 thought it not advisable to strip off the leaves in 

 Italy in warm districts, and even recommended to 

 shade, with straw, the vines loaded with bunches 

 when ripe, that the heat might not dry them; 

 while he advised to strip off the leaves in colder 

 places that the grapes might ripen and not rot. 



Enemies. Many insects destroy the vines and 

 eat the grapes. 



The pirale de la vigne.\\ The larva lives upon 



*Economie rurale, Liv. ii. chap. 2. 



fAnnales de la Societe d'Agriculture. 



jCours complet d'Agriculture. 



§Economie rurale, Liv. ii. chap. 2. 



II As the insects are described, it is thought best not 

 to attempt to give them English names, and the trans- 

 lator's ignorance of entomology might occasion mis- 

 takes, if it were attempted. 



