194 THE AMERICAN GARDEN T ER. [Chap. 



clear the vine of confusion of branches, and also 

 to keep the sap back for the supply of the fruit. 

 These new shoots, that have the bunches on, must 

 l>e kept tied to the trelis, or else the wind would 

 tear them off. The other thing is, to take care 

 to keep nicely tied to the bars the shoots that are 

 to send forth bearers the next year ; and, if you 

 observe any little side-shoots coming out of them 

 to crop these off as soon as they appear, leaving 

 nothing but the clear, clean shoot. It may be re- 

 marked, that the butt, as at b, when it is cut off the 

 next time, will be longer by a bud. That will be 

 so ; but, by the third year the vine will be so strong 

 that you may safely cut the shoots back to within 

 six inches of the main trunk, leaving the new 

 shoots to come out of it where they \vill ; taking 

 care to let but one grow for the summer. If shoots 

 start out of the main trunk irregularly, rub them 

 off as soon as they appear, and never suffer your 

 vine tt) have any more than its regular number o> 

 shoots. As to cultivation of the ground, the 

 ground should not only be deeply dug in the fall, 

 but, with a fork, two or three times during the 

 summer. They plough between them in Langue- 

 doc, as we do between the Indian Corn. The 

 ground should be manured every fall, with good 

 rich manure. Blood of any kind is excellent for 

 vines. But, in a word, the tillage and the manuring 

 cannot be too good. All that now remains is to 

 speak of the sorts of grapes. The climate of this 

 country will ripen any sort of grape. But, it may 

 be as well to have some that come early. The 

 Black July grape, as it is called in England, or, as 

 it is called in France, the Noir Hatif, is the earliest 

 of all. I would have this for one of my eight 

 vines ; and, for the other seven I would have, the 



