HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



247 



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grounds should be avoided as much as possible. 

 They are always colder than uplands, and are 

 subject to cold vapors and fogs, and early and 

 late frosts, all of which more or less promote 

 mildew. A location near large bodies of water, 

 either fresh or salt, is desirable, because of the 

 ameliorating influence of the water. Some of 

 the best vineyards in the country are so located. 

 Hillsides may always be safely chosen. They 

 usually afford a longer season of growth. 



Exposure is also an important matter to deter- 

 mine. Some difference of opinion exists on this 

 point. We have no doubt that a southern ex- 

 posure is to be preferred; and southeast is bet- 

 ter than southwest. The exposure, however, 

 must in some cases be determined by the local 

 surroundings, but should be as far to the south 

 as possible. Shelter, in this connection, must 

 not be overlooked, for it has an important bear- 

 ing on the healthy growth of the Vines. It does 

 not receive the attention it ought to. It may be 

 safely said that some well located vineyards 

 have proved generally unremunerative for the 

 want of proper shelter. Many reasons can be 

 given for this, some of which will naturally sug- 

 gest themselves to a thoughtful man, and not 

 the least important is the protection it affords 

 against the prevalence of mildew. Where shel- 

 ter is not afforded naturally by woods or trees 

 growing near by, it must be provided by plant- 

 ing trees, and there are none better than Balsam 

 Firs. The Arbor Vitse will do in a small way, or 

 even a high board fence. Large trees, however, 

 should not be planted so near the Vines as to in- 

 terfere with their roots. The shelter should be 

 so placed as to protect the Vines from the pre- 

 vailing cold and high winds, the rest of the 

 vineyard being left open. There are some lo- 

 calities so favored that little or no artificial pro- 

 tection is needed. The owner must, in all cases, 

 -use a good judgment. 



The best Soil for the Grape is undoubtedly 

 a sandy or gravelly loam. A loam is always to 

 be preferred to clay. If necessity compels the 

 use of a clayey soil, it should be thoroughly 

 underdrained, and will be much improved by a 

 liberal addition of sand. Always seek to give the 

 Vine a "dry foot." One of the oldest and best 

 vineyards in the vicinity of New York is planted 

 in a soil (if it may be so called) that was origin- 

 ally a pure sand to the depth of eight feet or 

 more. Clay, muck, and leaf mould were nearby 

 and abundant, and the sand was liberally treat- 

 ed to each when the vineyard was made, and a 

 top dressing every few years since. It will thus 

 be seen that a valueless sand may be converted 

 into a profitable vineyard. The preparation of 

 the soil, whatever its nature, should be m:>st 

 thorough before the Vines are planted. A vine- 

 yard is planted for a future as well as the pres- 

 ent generation; everything connected with it 

 should therefore be done in the most thorough 

 manner, except such things as may afterward be 

 done on the surface, in the way of top-dressings, 

 etc. 



There are three methods of preparing the 

 ground for the Vine, viz., trenching, trench plow- 

 ing, and subsoiling. The first is confined to the 

 garden and small plots of ground. It is done 

 with the spade, and is expensive. It consists, 

 briefly, in spading two spades deep, and revers- 

 ing the soil, or placing the good top soil at the 

 bottom, and the poor subsoil at the top, which 

 must then be enriched with manures. In many, 

 if not all cases, what is sometimes called bas- 



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tard trenching will answer all purposes. In. 

 this the top and bottom soils are not reversed; 

 the bottom soil is simply stirred up to the depth 

 of the spade. This is a comparatively inexpen- 

 sive way of putting the ground in very good 

 condition for any kind of plant. Trench plow- 

 ing requires plows of peculiar make, of which 

 there are few or none in the market, being sel- 

 dom made except to order. It makes thorough 

 work, but requires strong double teams, and is 

 expensive, except in very light sandy soils, and 

 in such it is not so much needed. It consists 

 in opening a furrow as deep as it can be ran, 

 even up to the beam of the plow; another plow 

 follows in the same furrow, and is driven as deep 

 as four oxen can put it. The ground should 

 then be cross-plowed. SubsoUing is generally 

 followed, and consists in opening a furrow with 

 a common plow, and following in the same fur- 

 row with a subsoil plow, which moves and pul- 

 verizes the subsoil without changing its posi- 

 tion. It puts the soil in excellent condition, 

 and is inexpensive compared with the perma- 

 nent good that is done. In all these cases ma- 

 nures or composts must be more or less liberal- 

 ly applied, according to the necessities of each 

 csse. The preparation of the soil is undoubted- 

 ly one of the most important operations in the 

 establishment of a vineyard, and one of its ob- 

 jects should be to get the soil of a uniform tex- 

 ture and richness throughout, but not over-rich. 

 This deep stirring of the soil puts it very much 

 in the condition of a sponge, which enables it to 

 draw moisture from the soil beneath and the at- 

 mosphere above, and hold it for the wants of the 

 plants; hence soils that are drained and deeply 

 stirred, keeping the good soil on the surface, 

 are less subject to the evils that accompany and 

 follow a drought than those that are not so 

 treated. It is of the first importance, therefore, 

 that vineyards and orchards at least should be 

 put in the best condition for the reception of 

 the Vines and trees, if the best results are aimed 

 at. 



A few words may be added here in regard to 

 manures. The Vine is said to be a gross feeder, 

 and in a certain sense this is true; but it may be 

 doubted whether carrion will, at the present 

 day, find much favor among Grape-growers. 

 It must not be forgotten, however, that a Vine 

 under the protection of glass will bear more 

 and grosser feeding than a Vine growing in the 

 open air in our cold and fickle climate. Over- 

 feeding begets soft and spongy wood and feeble 

 buds or eyes, which are always in danger of be- 

 ing winter killed ; and what is gained in size 

 of bunch and berry is lost in quality and flavor. 

 Hence it happens that the best Grapes at our 

 public exhibitions - do not always get the first 

 prize. Gross, unfermented manures are not 

 best for the Grape, on account of the sappy 

 growth they produce. There is perhaps nothing 

 better than a compost made of old barn-yard 

 manure, leaf-mould, broken bones, muck, etc., 

 laid up to rot and frequently turned. Top 

 dressings of lime, ashes, bone dust, etc., can be 

 applied at any time. 



A few remarks may be added here in regard to 

 laying out the vineyard. There is some difference 

 of opinion as to whether the rows should run 

 east and west or north and south. A brief rule, 

 of general application, may be stated thus : 

 where it is convenient, let the rows so run as to 

 receive the full benefit of the morning sun. 

 This is a matter, however, that must be some- 



