4o6 OF THE CULTURE Part III. 



Satisfied with thefe firft trials, I thought I might fafely venture to 

 extend the fame pra6lice to larger tradts of ground. I had about two 

 acres of vines, which had produced very little wood for two 

 years paft. The branches were fo poor and flender, that they would 

 fcarce bear laying down : in fhort, the vineyard perilhed daily. I 

 conceived hopes of recovering it by means of this pruning. Accord- 

 ingly, I pruned it in November 1754; and in 1755, the vines pro- 

 duced ftronger and longer flioots. As the branches would then bear 

 laying down, I began to repienifli part of the vacant places. By this 

 means, my vineyard was replanted with young vines, and quite re- 

 newed, only by altering the time of pruning. 



This laft pruning underwent a, fevere trial, from the excefTive hard 

 frofts of the winter of 1755 : yet, intenfe as the cold was, my 

 plants bore it, without being hurt at all. I then looked upon it as 

 certain, that the vine might be pruned before winter, without any 

 danger from the inclemency of that feafon. 



It was abfolutely neceffary that the vine fliould bear pruning at 

 that time, in order to enable me to perform the other cultures in 

 their proper and mofl favourable feafons. 



That the vine may be benefited as much as poflible by every flir- 

 ting of the earth about its roots, thofe ftirrings ought certainly to be 

 performed at the times when they may be moft likely to excite the 

 greatefl vegetation. Let us fee whether the common pradtice anfwers 

 that end. The ufual time of beginning to drefs the vineyard, is in 

 the fpring, immediately after pruning the vines. Three dreffings 

 are judged fufficient, and it is generally thought that the laft fliould 

 be finiflied by midfummer. The plants are then left to fliift for 

 themfelves, till the time of vintage, which is upwards of three 

 months after. During that time, quantities of weeds generally flioot 

 up, which fliade the vines, and hinder the grapes from ripening as 

 they ought. Careful hulbandrnen pull them up : but the greater 

 part are unwilling to take that trouble. 



In the common way of cultivating the vine, the earth is firft ftir- 

 red when the buds are juft ready to come out, and even after they 

 are come out : a time always extremely critical, becaufe the uncer- 

 tainty of the feafon expofes the buds to feveral dangers, which are 

 increafed by that flirring of the earth, from whence many exha- 

 lations, oftentimes very pernicious, proceed at this feafon. Would 

 it not be much better to let the vineyard reft while the vine is bud- 

 ding .'' 



Z The 



