78 OPEN-AIR CULTURE. 



foliage and fruit of the vine. As soon as the grapes 

 are set the soil may receive a good watering with soap- 

 suds or any other liquid manure, to be repeated occa- 

 sionally during the summer if the season is a dry one. 

 During autumn and winter the roots should be kept as 

 dry as circumstances will admit of. In no case would 

 I put a permanent mulching over the roots during 

 summer, as it prevents the warming of the soil by the 

 sun. A few cucumber or melon lights fixed against the 

 wall, so as to cover the vines during autumn, will 

 hasten the ripening of the fruit, and protect it from 

 heavy rains. From what I have seen of the field 

 culture of vines for producing wine in France and 

 Germany, I consider that, by the application of greater 

 horticultural skill, the crops of grapes might be very 

 much increased, but it would be difficult to break 

 through the strong crust of prejudice that exists in 

 favour of things as they are. 



In Australia, where extensive vineyards are being- 

 planted on the Hunter Eiver and elsewhere, though 

 they have much to learn, they have nothing to unlearn, 

 like their brethren on the continent of Europe. James 

 Elliot Blake, Esq., of Tabelk Vineyard, Melbourne, 

 informed me recently that when they extend their 

 plantations they trench the soil, and then cut young 

 canes from the established vines 6 feet long, and run 

 one end of the cane 3 feet deep into the soil, and 

 that they make very little progress for two years. If, 

 instead of proceeding in this primitive way, they were 

 the previous year to make a long range of trenches, 

 sheltered round the sides by turf, over which during 

 cold or excessively hot weather some sort of cloth could 



