10 



poorer the soil the greater the care should be taken to 

 prepare it for the reception of American resistant vines. 



"Preparation of the Ground. Here, again, attention 

 must be called to a fact that has been well established the 

 world over, namely, that all American vines must have 

 deeper and better cultivation in starting than the Yitis 

 Vinifera or European vine. This is not a theory, but a fact 

 too well established under the greatest variety of conditions 

 to be controverted. There are in this state some striking 

 examples of the good effect of extra-deep ploughing before 

 planting out American vines. 



" Too great stress cannot be laid on this necessity of 

 deep preparatory ploughing. Especially is this necessary 

 in California on lands that, while not being especially 

 dry. are apt to dry down considerably in summer. It is 

 especially necessary with the Riparias and those resistant 

 vines that tend to throw out their roots horizontally, instead 

 of downward, as in the case of the Rupestris. But even the 

 Rupestris requires deep ploughing to give it a good start. 

 Professor Viala says that very deep ploughing of land 

 destined to be planted in American vines will advance crop- 

 bearing from one to two years ; and the facts certainly bear 

 out this statement. Those who cannot give their vineyard 

 land a ploughing twice as deep as is usually given, no 

 matter what be the fertility of the soil, are advised not to 

 plant American vines, for they will surely lose the money 

 invested. 



" The soil should be ploughed at least once, with a four- 

 horse sulky plough, as deep as the plough can be driven 

 even if a couple of extra horses have to be called in to pull 

 it. It is, of course, an expensive operation, but it pays, and 

 pays well, to incur it. As before remarked, land thus pre- 

 pared will yield paying crops two years sooner than if the 

 ordinary method of ploughing be pursued, besides avoiding 

 the risk of the loss of the entire vineyard. The poorer the 



