THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 149 



to poudrette. These should be mixed with good loam, to ren- 

 der the effect more durable. Where the soil is excessively 

 •\vet, it will be best to apply manure without any other mix- 

 ture ; in this case, spread a handful of the substance, as you 

 ■would sow the seed broadcast on the land. 



" Vegetable matter alone is sufficient to invigorate, for 

 many years, the vine which has been suffering in poor soil 

 near the top of a declivity. Thus, to manure and improve a 

 soil understandingly, you must be acquainted with the effects 

 of the different manures, and of the proper proportion in 

 which to apply these, to the necessities of the different kinds 

 of earth. 



" Some cultivators have employed the scrapings of horns, 

 others have made use of the hoofs and feet of sheep, and 

 others, again, of the pieces of woolen clothes. 



" All these matters succeed as manures for the vine ; they 

 contain much hydrogen and carbon, two of the chief agents 

 in vegetation. Buried in the earth, their decomposition is 

 slow, nearly insensible ; but, as it is impossible to obtain these 

 in large quantities, it is not necessary to discuss the effect of 

 them at large ; perhaps they may have the effect to give a 

 peculiar taste to the mne." Pages 335 and 337. 



" Fresh dung, the manures obtained from the depositories 

 for carrion, etc., and other powerful matters not yet converted 

 into poudrette, are not the only substances which give a bad 

 taste to the wine. The vine absorbs with much vigor all va- 

 pory substances suspended in the air." — Traite siir la Culture 

 de la Vigne, page 340. 



The soil of the celebrated vineyards which produces the 

 Constantia wine at the Cape of Good Hope is a decomposed 

 sandstone. 



The vineyard of Rudesheim, on the Rhine, is very steep, 

 and is terraced ; the soil is of a dark rocky nature. 



The soil of Johannisberg, on the Rhine, is argillaceous 

 schist, with a proportion of mica, and, in one place, is a red- 

 dish quartz. This is mixed with diluvial and alluvial deposits, 



