THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 163 



In France, Dr. Busliby states the same general practice ; 

 at some vinejards, he was told that they never manured the 

 vmes ; at others, for instance, under date of Montpelier, he 

 says : " Notwithstanding the apparent richness of the soil, I 

 observed them every where digging in large quantities of 

 dung, and this, as well as the mode of pruning, indicated that 

 they were more anxious for the quantity, than the quality, of 

 the produce. The -\vines of this district are almost univer- 

 sally converted into brandy." 



All the small proprietors manure their vines with strong 

 stable dung ; they make no distinction, using that of horses 

 and that of coavs. 



It would appear that the question, Are vineyards manured ? 

 might be put to rest as an estal^hshed fact that they are. 

 Unquestionably, there are places where nothing but loam and 

 vegetable substances are used for this purpose. But, from 

 the observations of travellers, and the writings of agricultu- 

 rists, and from my own observation, I have no douljt of the 

 fact. In many of the grape countries of Europe, manure is 

 so valuable, that, by the road sides, and in the villages, women 

 and children are frequently on the lookout for the droppings 

 from the post and other horses that may be passing by. 

 Many a time have I seen eight or ten women, scrabbling for 

 this purpose, come very near a pitched battle. In Switzer- 

 land, and parts of Germany, as well as in some parts of 

 France, also, the farmers have, next the road, in front of their 

 houses, a large hole, or tank, dug in the earth, into which is 

 thrown the manure and all the refuse matter of every kind, 

 solid and liquid ; the solid matter is heaped up in the middle ; 

 the rainwater is led into tliis hole from the vicinity, and this 

 liquid is carried, by women, in long buckets strapped to their 

 backs, and spread broadcast over the land. This I have seen 

 applied in Avet weather, not only to grass land, but to vine- 

 yards and other crops, — a practice more beneficial to the 

 land, than agreeable to the traveller. 



A story of a grape-groAver, who had become so poor that 



