VINE. 



objects of which arc, to protect them 

 from the influence of the wind ; to 

 bring then) into close contact with 

 the wall, for the purjMise of rtceivinjr 

 the benelit of its w-armth ; to spread 

 them at proper distances from cacli 

 other, that the foUn^c and fruit may 

 receive the full effect of the sun's 

 rays, and to retard the motion of the 

 sap, for the purpose of inducing the 

 formation of fruit buds. The flow of 

 sap, it must be remembered, is al- 

 ways strongest in a vertical direc- 

 tion, and weakest in a downward 

 one. For this reason, the method 

 of serpentine training may be con- 

 sidered preferable to every other, be- 

 ing calculated in a greater degree to 

 check the too rapid ascent of the sap, 

 and to make it flow more equally into 

 the fruiting shoots, and those intend- 

 ed for future bearers. On walls that 

 are much less than five feet high, a 

 portion of the shoots must be trained 

 horizontally." 



In respect to the making of icinc 

 much is to be learned ; it seems that, 

 in order to preserve it, an addition of 

 sugar, brandy, or spirits is universal- 

 ly made ; this is not, however, making 

 wine in the proper sense of the word. 

 I am informed by the largest wine 

 maker in North Carolina, that one 

 fourth part brandy or spirits is added 

 to each gallon of scuppernong wine, 

 or that two pounds of sugar are fer- 

 mented with a gallon of the must. 

 Mr. Weller, of North Carolina, breaks 

 his grapes by passing them between 

 rollers, and then strains the juice 

 through flannel, to deprive it of a por- 

 tion of the extraneous matters. Gen- 

 eral Van Ness, of Washington, pro- 

 duced a wine resembling hock, by 

 mixing equal parts of Isabella and 

 Catawba grapes, and adding 1 lb. 7 

 ounces of flue unrelined sugar to each 

 gallon of must ; but no spirits to the 

 wine. The following particulars of 

 the culture and management of 

 grapes are from Mr. Rham and M. 

 Boussingault : 



" It may, however, be interesting to 



know how the vine is cultivated in the 



countries which produce good wine, 



of which France is one of the principal. 



828 



The vine grows best in a soil where 

 few other shrubs or plants would 

 thrive. The vine delights in a deep, 

 loose, rocky soil, where its roots can 

 penetrate deep into fissures, so as to 

 ensuie a supply of moisture when the 

 surface is scorched by the sun's rays. 

 On the deep slopes of hills towards 

 the south, and sheltered from the 

 northeast, the grapes attain the 

 greatest maturity, and the vintage is 

 most certain. So great an influence 

 has a favourable exposure, that in the 

 same vineyard the greatest diflference 

 exists between the wine made from 

 one part and that made from another, 

 merely because there is a turn round 

 the hill, and the aspect varies a very 

 few degrees. A change of soil pro- 

 duces a similar efTect. The famous 

 Rhine wine called Johannisbcrg, 

 when made from the grapes which 

 grow near the castle, is worth twice 

 as much as that made a few hundred 

 yards farther off Here both soil and 

 aspect change. The Clos dc Vovgeaii, 

 which produces the finest Burgundy, 

 is confined to a few acres ; beyond a 

 certain wall the wine is a common 

 Burgundy, good, but without extra- 

 ordinary merit. 



"The best vineyards in Europe 

 formerly belonged to monasteries, and 

 the quality was then thought of more 

 importance than the quantity ; of late 

 the demands of commerce have made 

 the quantity the principal object, and 

 to this the quality is frequently sacri- 

 ficed. 



" When a vine is first established 

 on any spot where none grew before, 

 the first thing is to prepare the ground 

 for planting. In steep places, where 

 the soil might be carried away by 

 rains in winter or spring, terraces are 

 formed by building massive stone 

 walls along the slope, and levelling 

 the soil behind them. The walls 

 serve to reflect the heat, and form a 

 shelter to the vine below. Thus a 

 whole hill is sometimes covered with 

 terraces from top to bottom, and 

 there the wine is generally good, if 

 the exposure is favourable. Lime- 

 stone, gravel, or coarse sand, with a 

 small mixture of clay, form a good 



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