288 Transactions of the Horticultural Society. 



Preparation of the Borders. — The upper stratum of 18 in. 

 is trenched, well manui'ed, and such a slope given as will 

 throw off heavy rains. 



Selection of Cuttings and Planting. — Cuttings are preferred, 

 because they can choose them from any plant, or even shoot, 

 which has produced an improved variety of fruit. The cut- 

 tings, which are called croisettes, are about 2 ft. in length, 

 generally with an inch of old wood attached. In the month of 

 March, they are planted 1 ft. deep, in a row parallel with 

 the wall, 4 ft. distant from it and leaning towards it, and 18 in. 

 apart in the I'ow ; three eyes being left on the upper end of 

 each cutting. The young shoots made from the cuttings are 

 tied to stakes the first summer, and the second spring only the 

 strongest shoot is left on each plant. This shoot is shortened 

 to three eyes, and a trench being opened in a direction from 

 the plant to the wall, 11 in. deep, the whole plant is buried in 

 it, except the three buds on the young wood. This is the 

 first step in the journey of the plant to the wall, and the 

 operation, which is nearly the same as that called provigner in 

 some districts, is repeated every spring, till the plant reaches 

 the wall ; which at Thomery it generally does in three years. 



In some of the gardens at Montreuil, and in that, of De- 

 couffle in Paris, the cuttings are planted at the bottom of the 

 wall, where they remain two years, and the third spring they are 

 taken up and planted 4 or 5 ft. distant from the wall, and their 

 stems laid down at full length so as to reach the wall at once, 

 much in the manner employed by Mr. Judd {TLncyc. of Gard.^ 

 § 2961.), but without cutting, instead of which, stones or 

 brickbats are laid here and there on the shoots, which stimu- 

 late them to throw out roots. It must be observed that in 

 Mr. Judd's case, and also at Montreuil and other gardens at 

 Paris, the soil is, or is supposed to be, much richer than at 

 Thomery. 



" At Thomery," Mr. Robertson observes, " the vines 

 being planted closer have a more limited range for food, 

 and the numerous roots produced by the fi-equent laying in of 

 the stems, occupy the border so fully as to prevent any re- 

 dundancy of moisture or excess of nutriment; and instead of 

 a rank luxuriant growth, they are furnished with short, well 

 ripened shoots, closely set with bearing eyes, which, when the 

 ground is well manured, seldom fail to afford abundant crops. 



The sort of grape most in repute at Thomery is the Fon- 

 tainebleau or Royal Muscadine. 



Training and Winter pi-iining. — This will be clearly un- 

 derstood by an inspection of the figure {fg' 62). 



