Chap. XII. O F T H E V I N E. ^1^ 



♦* people, and at this day very few peribns will believe it pofliblc 16 

 " be efFeded. 



" Indeed if we judge only by the fuccefs of fome modem eiTiyS 

 " made near London, where fmall vineyards have been planted a 

 ** few years pail, there would be no great encouragement to begin a 

 " work of this kind, becaufe the produce of very few of thefe vine- 

 *• yards has been fo kindly as were to be wiflied : but however, this 

 ** fhould not deter others from making farther trials, efpecially when 

 " they conlider the many dil'advantages, which molt or all of thofe 

 ** plantations which have been made, were attended with; for firfl 

 " there is fcarce one of them placed upon a proper foil and fituation 

 " for this purpofe; and fecondly, there is not one which is rightly 

 " planted and managed, as I lliall prefently lliew : and how can we 

 " expedl fuccefs from vineyards under thefe difadvantages,when evert 

 *' in France or Italy they would fucceed little better, if their ma- 

 *' nagement were not directed with more judgment? I Ihall therefore 

 *' humbly offer my opinion, which is founded upon fome trials 

 <* I have fecn made, and from the inftruftions that I have received 

 *' from feveral curious perfons abroad, who cultivate vineyards for 

 ** their own ufe, and that of their friends, and who have been very 

 ^' exadl in obferving the feveral methods of pradice amongft the Fig- 

 " nerons of thofe countries ; from whence it is hoped that the preju- 

 " dice, which moft people have againfl: a projed: of this kind, will 

 " either be removed, or at leaft fufpended, until trials have been ju- 

 " dicioufly made of this affair. 



" The firft and great thing to be confidered in planting vineyards 

 " is the choice of foils and fituations, which, if not rightly chofen, 

 " there will be little hopes of fuccel's ; for upon this the whole afl'air 

 '•'■ greatly depends. The beft foil for a vineyard in England is fuch, 

 ■' whofe furface is a light fandy loam, and not above a foot and a 

 •' half or two feet deep above the gravel or chalk, either of which 

 bottoms are equally good for vines, but if the foil is deep, and the 

 bottom either clay, or a ftrong loam, it is by no means proper for 

 this purpofe, for although the vines may flioot vigoroully, and pro- 

 duce a great quantity of grapes, yet thele v/ill be later ripe, fuller of 

 moifture, and fo confequently their juice not mature, nor well di- 

 gefted, but will abound with crudity, which in fermenting will 

 render the wine four and ill-tafted, w^hich is the common com- 

 plaint of thofe who have made wine in England. 

 *' Nor is a very rich, light, deep foil, fuch as is commonly found 



D dd 2 " near 



<c 



