Chap. XII. OFTHEVINE. 3- 



" fpring, it Diould be plowed as deep as the furface will admit, turn- 



" ing the fward into the bottom of each furrow: then it fhould be 



** well harrowed to break the clods, and cleanfe it from the roots of 



" noxious weeds; and after this, it mail be kept conftantly ploughed 



" and harrowed for at leaft one yeir, to render the furface light; 



" and hereby it will be rendered fertile, by imbibing the nitrous paf- 



" tides of the air (efpecially if it be long expofed thereto before it is 



" planted): then in March the ground ihould be well plowed again, 



" and after having made the furface pretty even, the rows fliould be 



" marked out from fouth-eall to north-weft, at the diftance of ten 



** feet from each other : and thefe rows fhould be croffed again at 



" five or fix feet diftance, which will mark out the exaifl places 



" where each plant ftiould be placed, fo that the vines will be ten 



" feet row from row, and five or fix feet afunder in the rows, nearer 



** than which they ought never to be planted. And herein moft 



** people, who have planted vineyards, have greatly erred, fome 



** having allowed no more than five feet from row to row, and the 



" plants but three feet afunder in the rows; and others, who think 



'• they have been full liberal in this article, have only planted their 



" vines at fix feet diftance every way : but neither of thefe have al- 



" lowed a proper diftance to them, as I fliall ftiew : for, in the firft 



" place, where the rows are placed too clofe there will not be room 



" for the fun and air to pafs in between them to dry up the moifture, 



" which being detained amongft the vines, muft produce very ill 



" eftefts: and, fecondly, where the vines are placed in exadl fquares, 



" fo near together as fix feet, there can be no room for the current 



" of air to pafs between them, when their branches are extended 



" on each fide, and fo conftantly the damps in autumn will be en- 



" tangled and detained amongft the vines, to the great prejudice of 



" their fruit: for fince the autumns in England are often attended 



" with rains, cold dews, or fogs, all proper care ftiould be taken to 



*' remove every thing that may obfi:ru(S the drying up the damps 



" which arife from the ground. 



" The fkilful Vignerons abroad are alfo fenfible how much it con- 

 ** tributes to the goodnefs of their vines to allow a large fpace between 

 ** the rows; and therefore where the quality of the wine is more 

 ** regarded than the quantity, there they never plant their vines at 

 " lefs than ten feet row from row, and fomc allow tw'elve. It was an 

 " oblervation of Bellonius, almoft two hundred years fiuce, that in 

 " thofe iflands of the Archipelago, where the rows of vines were 



" placed 



