VIN 



VIN 



477 



buds, which may come from the 

 old wood, which only produces 

 weak dangling branches, as also 

 when two shoots are produced from 

 the same bud, the weakest of them 

 should be displaced, which will 

 cause the others to be stronger ; 

 and the sooner this is done the bet- 

 ter for the vines. 



" After one month, go over them 

 ag;>in, rubbing off all the dangling 

 shoots as before ; at the same time 

 fasten up all the strong branches, 

 that they may not hang from the 

 wall. Towards the middle of 

 June, stop the bearing branches, 

 which will strengthen the fruit, pro- 

 vided you leave three eyes above 

 the bunches: For if you stop them 

 too soon it will injure the fruit, by 

 taking away that part of the branch 

 which is necessary to attract the 

 nourishment to the fruit, as also 

 to perspire off the crudities of the 

 sap. 



" But though I recommend the 

 stopping thosfe shoots which have 

 fruit at this season, it is not to be 

 practised upon those shoots which 

 are intended for bearing the next 

 year; for these must not be stop- 

 ped before the middle of July, lest 

 you cause the eyes to shoot out 

 strong lateral branches. 



" During summer rub off dang- 

 ling branches, and train the shoots 

 to the wall as before, which will ac- 

 celerate the growth of the fruit, 

 and admit the air to them, which 

 is needful to ripen, and give them 

 a rich flavour. But you must 

 never divest the branches of their 

 leaves." 



The same directions should be 



followed, when the vines are train- 

 ed to espaliers, or to w<iodcn fen- 

 ces; and the pruning, stopping, &c. 

 in vineyards, are the same as in 

 gardens, or green houses. 



The vines in vineyards must be 

 supported by stakes ; by two short 

 ones the first year, by longer ones 

 the next, and so on as there shall 

 be occasion. Bui as to those 

 things which are most peculiar to 

 vineyards, the above author di- 

 rects that the soil which is to be 

 chosen for the purpose, is that 

 the surface of which is a light san- 

 dy loam, not more than a foot and 

 a half or two feet deep, with a grav- 

 elly or chalky bottom; but if the 

 soil have a bottom of strong clay or 

 loam, it is not fit for this purpose. 

 As to the situation of the place, it 

 should incline to the south, with a 

 gradual descent, that the water may 

 drain off; but a steep slope is not 

 good as it will not so well hold the 

 manure. 



To prepare the soil for planting, 

 he says, " In the spring, if the 

 ground is green sward, it should 

 be ploughed as deep as the surface 

 will permit; then well harrowed to 

 break the clods, and cleanse it 

 from the roots of noxious weeds. 

 After this, it must be frequently 

 ploughed and harrowed for one 

 year, to render the surface light. 

 The following spring the ground 

 should be ploughed again, and af- 

 ter making the surface even, the 

 rows should be marked out from 

 south-east to north-west, at the dis- 

 tance often feet from each other; 

 and these rows should be crossed 

 again at five or six feet distance, 



