THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 145 



sipid and weak. It is necessary to diminish the vigor of the 

 vine to obtain a wine of good quality ; to do this, the soil best 

 suited for the purpose must be selected, the best plants, the 

 perfect maturity of the fruit must be attended to, and the 

 most favorable time for the vintage. From chemistry, he 

 must learn the elements of wine, and the manner to direct 

 the fermentation, etc. He must follow tiature ; in all his ope- 

 rations, she should be his study ; he should be tractable to 

 her lessons ; she alone never deceives." Pages 7 and 8, in- 

 troduction. 



" In France, it is only necessary to cultivate the sheltered 

 hill-sides, and soils granitic and calcareous, or sandy, and gen- 

 erally the poorest, such as are not suitable for pasture or 

 grain." Page 29. 



" The earth, the most suitable for vegetation in general, is 

 that composed of a mixture of flint, of clay, (alumine,) and 

 of lime, in such proportions as readily to imbibe moisture, and 

 so to retain it that it may be constantly and insensibly evapo- 

 rated by the warmth, giving enough nourishment to the plants 

 until a renewed rain has again filled the reservoirs. When 

 there is too much aridity, the plants become weakened and 

 soon die. To constitute a good vegetative soil, it is not suffi- 

 cient that barely the top layer of earth shall be thus composed ; 

 it must be of good depth." Page 197. 



" In time, the good soil will wear out, become exhausted, 

 and one cannot hope to reap a continued advantage, unless 

 by depositing, from time to time, new principles of nourish- 

 ment, — of oxygen, of hydrogen, and of carbon. These can 

 be found in proper quantities in the manures of animals, and 

 decomposed vegetable matter. One may also usefully employ 

 certain minerals, not as manure, but as a rectifier : for in- 

 stance, fossils and marl, which, from the effect of moisture and 

 heat, ferment and cause the small lumps of earth to separate, 

 and render the whole mass more permeable to the substances 

 which form the sap." Page 198. 



" The nutritive principles required from the soil, for the 

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