WEEKLY CALENDARIAL REGISTER. 119 



der, but beautifully constituted organs, must flow the 

 chief part of the nourishment, required to bring the 

 fruit to perfection. Observe, also, that in no instance 

 should there be more than the thickness of one leaf 

 to shade the fruit. The solar rays, being thus trans- 

 mitted through the medium of the leaves, are divested 

 of their scorching effect, and are also modified in such a 

 manner as to operate most beneficially on the swelling 

 of the berries. Grapes that are exposed to the direct 

 operation of the sun's rays, scarcely ever attain their 

 proper size or flavour ; while, on the contrary, the 

 finest and most highly flavoured fruit will uniformly 

 be found, to hang in close contact with the wall, and 

 to be moderately shaded by the leaves. The leaves, 

 also, not only serve as a chastened medium for the so- 

 lar rays to pass through, but they prevent, in a con- 

 siderable degree, the heat from escaping from the 

 wall, and, as a necessary consequence, make the tem- 

 perature of the air in which the fruit grows, warmer 

 than that of the atmosphere. They also protect the 

 fruit from the effects of hail, and from continual and 

 heavy rains ; which, in the latter part of the season, 

 when it is ripe, are advantages that cannot be too 

 highly appreciated. It may therefore be considered 

 as an important, and, indeed, an indispensable point cf 

 culture, that all the fruit of a vine ought, from the mo- 

 ment of its coming into blossom, till it be ripened and 

 gathered, to be shaded by a surface of continuous sin- 

 gle leaves, so that no part of it can be seen by an ob- 

 server, without pulling them aside. It is true, that the 

 shape of the leaves prevents any species of training, so 

 disposing them, as to present one continued single-leaf 

 surface, but though this point of perfection cannot be 

 attained, yet the nearer you approach to it, the better 

 the culture will be. 

 July 29th. Pay great attention to the future bear- 



