394 



OF THE CULT RE Part III. 



" the fhoots which are trained up for the fucceeding year, will not 

 " only be ftronger, but alfo better ripened and prepared for bearing ; 

 •' becaufe they will have the advantage of fun and air, which is ab- 

 " folutely necelfary to prepare their juices : whereas if they are 

 "■ crowded by a number of fmall dangling weak branches, they will 

 " (hade and exclude the rays of the fun from the other fhoots; and 

 " fo by detaining the moifture a longer time amongft the branches, 

 •' occafion the veffels of the young wood to be of a larger dimen- 

 " fion; and hereby the crude juice finds an eafy paflage through 

 " them; fo that the fhoots in autumn feem to be moftly pith, and 

 " are of a greenifli immature nature, and wherever this is obferved, 

 " it is a fure fign of a bad quality in the vines. 



" The foil alfo fhould be confiantly kept clean, becaufe if there 

 •' are any vegetables (either weeds or plants of other kinds) growing 

 " between the vines, it will detain the dews longer, and by their 

 ♦* perfpiration, occafion a greater moiflure, than would be, if the 

 ■** ground were entirely clear; fo that thofe who plant other things 

 " between their rows of vines, are guilty of a great error. 



" In autumn, the vines fhould be pruned, which feafon I 

 "approve of rather than the fpring : and this being the third 

 " year from planting, the- vines will now be flrong enough to pro- 

 ** duce fruit ; therefore they mufl be pruned accordingly. Now 

 " fuppofe the two flioots of the former year, which were fhortened 

 " to three eyes, have each of them produced two ftrong branches 

 *' the fummer pafl, then the uppermoft of tbefe fhoots upon each 

 " branch fTiould be fliortened down to three good eyes (never in- 

 <• eluding the lower eye, which is fituate jufl above the former 

 «' year's wood, which feldom produces any thing, except a weak 

 " dangling flioot) ; and the lower fhoots fhould be fhortened dowa 

 "to two good eyes each; thefe being defigned to produce vigorous 

 " fhoots for the fucceeding year; and the former are defigned to bear 

 ** fruit : but w here the vines are weak, and have not produced more 

 " than two or three flioots the lafl feafon, there fhould be but one 

 '• of them left with three eyes for bearing; the other muft be 

 '• fhortened down to two, or, if weak, to one good eye, in order to 

 '''obtain ftrong fhoots the following fummer; for there is nothing 

 " more injurious to vines, than the leaving too much wood upon 

 -" them, efpecially while they are young ; or the overbearing them, 

 «< which will weaken them fo mucii, as not to be recovered again to 



