148 GRAPE CULTURE ^V2fD WINE-MAKING. 



pose the -well-knowii sliovel-plow is the best and most simple in- 

 strument, commonly used in the "Western States to cultivate In- 

 dian corn. This requires one horse and a man. This plow can 

 go within an inch of the vines, and will consequently destroy all 

 weeds. First the plowman plows one way ; and then, when done 

 with the field thus, he plows crossways, by which operation any 

 weed escaping the first plowing will be destroyed without using 

 a hand-hoe. In this way, one man with two horses (one horse in 

 the forenoon and the other in the afternoon) wiU comfortably plow 

 three acres a day, on an average, in twenty-six working days of 

 the month. All plantations of vines one or more years old ought 

 to be plowed twice a month, as above described, to keep weeds 

 down, and stir up and pulverize the ground, by which means 

 you will charge it with nitrogen. This exposure of alternate 

 stratas of earth to the action of the sun, air, and rain, fertilizes the 

 soil incredibly. Moreover, the weeds plowed under ground by 

 their rotting enrich the soil, and impregnate it with ammonia and 

 humors. Then, a mellow ground is much more adapted to attract 

 moisture from the atmosphere than a hard-caked one. 



Pruning^ First Year. — When the last plowing at the end of July 

 is done, nothing more in the way of cultivation is necessary until 

 the end of December or beginning of January— the time for prun- 

 ing. Your vines, if planted as cuttings, will have but small shoots ; 

 but if rooted vines, those shoots will be strong, and several of 

 them. In either case you cut the vine back to two eyes, being 

 always careful that all ground-shoots shall be clean cut away from 

 the main stem. Your pruning-knife must be sharp ; or, still bet- 

 ter, use the grape-vine scissors, which are far superior to the knife, 

 and can be procured at the seed or hardware stores in San Fran- 

 cisco. 



When the vine sprouts, which is about the month of March — 

 and sooner in this country — the planter must carefally inspect 

 his new vines, and break all sprouts out from the vine except 

 the two coming from the two eyes left for that purpose. This 

 done, the planter must again put his shovehplow to work, and 

 cultivate the soil precisely in the same way as last year, described 

 above. 



Pruninrj^ Second Year. — Again, at the end of December, the 

 pruning begins, there having been two vines raised on each stem. 

 The one the most feeble or crushed is cut off; the other is left to 

 the length the planter wishes to raise his vine-stem. 



