52 



ON A MODE OF TRAINING VINES. 



how it happens that so i^reat a variety of 

 anunal and vegetable substances pass into 

 acetic acid; a circiinfistance wholly inexpli- 

 cable, when this acid was considered as 

 the most liighly oxygenated of any of the 

 vegetable acids. 



2. All vegetable substances that afford 

 oxygen and hydrogen in such proportions 

 that the latter is in excess, belong to the 

 class of resins, oils, or alcohols. 



Thus 100 parts of common resin are 

 composed of, 

 Carbon, 



Hydrogen and Oxy- 

 gren, in the proportion re- 

 quisite to form water, 



.Hydrogen in excess, 



100,000 

 100 parts of olive oil are composed of, 

 Carbon, 77,213 



Hydrogen and Oxy-^ 

 gen, in the proportion re- v 

 quisite to form water, ) 



Hydrogen in excess. 



10,712 

 12,075 



100,000 

 All vegetable substances that afford ox- 

 ygen and hydrogen in such proportion 

 that the one completely saturates the other 

 belong to the class, neither of ac^^, nor 

 resins, but are analogous to sugar, gum, 

 starch, or woody fibre. 



Thus 100 parts of crystallized sugar, 

 consist of, 



Carbon, 40, 074 



Oxygen, 52, 101 



Hydrogen, 7. 105 



99,910* 



*Here appears to be an error of ninety-hundredths 

 of one, 



100 parts of beech-wood consist of, 

 Carbon, 51,192 



Oxygen, 42, 951 



Hydrogen, 5, 857 



100,000 

 In both which cases, the oxygen and 

 hydrogen are to each other in the exact 

 proportions requisite to form water. 



The only animal substances hitherto 

 examined by Gay Lussac, and Thenard, 

 are fibrin, albumen, gelatine, and caseous 

 matter. In all these, the hydrogen, if 

 considered only with regard to the oxy- 

 gen, i« considerably in excess- but if this 



excess of hydrogen 1)6 compared with the 

 nitrogen, which is one of the constituents 

 of the above substances, the proportions 

 of the two latter will be found to ap- 

 proach nearly to those deduced from the 

 analysis of ammonia. 



Obse7'vations. The experiments recited 

 in tins paper, are of considerable impor- 

 tance, and will, no doubt, if pursued lead 

 to curious and interesting results; but the 

 authors appear to generalize too hastily. 

 It may be objecteil to their theory with 

 regard to vegetable substances, • that it as- 

 sumes the composition of water to be 

 about 88 of oxygen, to 12 of hydrogen; 

 whereas the general concurrence of the 

 ablest Chemists, has fixed it about 75 of 

 oxygen, to 15 of hj'drogen. — Retrospect. 



ON A MODE OF TRAINING VINES. 



By Joseph Hayward, of Wilton, 



Trnns:iclions of llie Horticultural Society. 

 Vol, 1, Part 4. 



MrT'Hayward remarks that it is neces- 

 sary to keep three main objects in view, 

 in training the vine; first to cover the 

 space allotted to it with fruit branches, 

 leaving room for both ripening the fruit, 

 and the branches that are to bear the fruit 

 the succeeding year; secondly, to take off 

 the toj) of each branch, bearing fruit, the 

 third joint above the uppermost bunch, 

 except such branches as are destined to 

 bear fruit the next year, which latter must 

 be duly exposed, and, by no means topped, 

 for if the sap be checked in these, many 

 of their buds will burst the same season, 

 and the fruit for next year be destroyed; 

 thirdly, to take off all collaterals as they 

 arise, and any shoots which turn out un- 

 productive of fruit, that the whole strength 

 of the tree may be properly applied. 



He then directs that a stock be properly 

 planted so as to produce three shoots of 

 sufficient strength and age for bearing, 

 I the middle one to be topped for fruit, and 

 [ the extreme ones to be trained for young 

 wood, and so on year after year in suc- 

 cession; and the most effectual mode of 

 accomplishing this, is illustrated by two 

 plates. 



Ohservations. — The principles laid 

 down by Mr. Hay ward in this paper, are 

 the best axioms we have met with for the 

 pruning and training of vines. — Retro- 

 spect. 



