GRAPE VINES. 45 



times there is a total failure when rains drown the blos- 

 soms ; but an extra good crop of 500 or 600 gallons 

 commonly follows and covers their loss. 



20. The cultivation of the vines includes several con- 

 siderations, a choice of ground, soil, and vines, repair- 

 ing the ground, planting, manuring, dressing, trimming, 

 grafting, harvesting, besides the diseases of the vines 

 and grapes. 



21. Vines may grow any where, but do not thrive 

 equally every where. Table grapes thrive best in shel- 

 tered gardens, espaliers, and bowers, producing more and 

 better fruit. Wine grapes thrive best of all on the east- 

 ern slope of hills exposed to the rising sun, and in a vol- 

 canic or gravelly soil, producing stronger and better 

 \\ ine. 



22. All our native grapes will grow well near to their 

 native soil, and produce different wines. Some species 

 are peculiar to the Southern States, and will not thrive 

 so well north of the Potomac and Ohio rivers. They 

 grow spontaneously in rich soils, or loam, sand, gravel, 

 rocks, near streams : in fact every where, but seldom in 

 clay and mountains. 



23. The best situations for native vineyards are shel- 

 tered valleys, banks of streams, on the eastern and 

 southern sides of hills in the Northern States ; but fur- 

 ther South plains and open grounds will do as well. If 

 they have a wood to the north west or south west to 

 shelter them from the cold blasts or sudden storms, so 

 much the better. In the north they may also require 

 such shelter from the north east storms. 



24. These are the best soils for them in the order of 

 excellence. 1. Volcanic, scarce with us. 2.Pseudovol- 

 canic, of New York and Connecticut. 3. Granitic, rot- 

 ten rocks. 4. Sandstone gravel. 5. Gravel and sand. 

 6. Barren and worn out soils. 7. Rich or loamy soils are 

 the worst, except clay and damp or cold soils, which 

 always produce bad wine. Pine barrens will do. 



25. Thus it is seen that the worst soils for all other 

 agricultural purposes are the best for vines. Many mil- 

 lions of acres of our rocky, gravelly, or barren soils, now 

 haitlly worth any thing, may thus, if turned to vine- 



D 2 



