242 WINE. 



again. Now you have two main branches to trim, and 

 these should be cut down to within 4 or 5 good eyes of 

 hist year's wood. The third year presents two main 

 branches, each furnished with 4 or 5 eyes. Proceed as 

 before in the choice of shoots, training only two from 

 each branch. Thus you will have four main branches 

 this year. If the vines begin to bear this 3'ear, pluck oif 

 n'iarly all the clusters while young, to prevent the vine 

 from being injured. With respect to cropping and prun- 

 ing the vine, be always careful to check its aspiring na- 

 ture, and keep it of humble size, by which means it is 

 always easy to be managed, and less subject to be injured 

 by violent winds. In the fourth year, training again two 

 branches from each trained branch of the previous year, 

 you will have 8 branches to each vine. You therefore pro- 

 ceed as before in humbling the vine; and proportioning 

 its quantity of fruit to its abiJit}' to bear; and remem- 

 ber not to let fhe vines bear all the fruit they put 

 forth, until they are fully able to do it without injury to 

 them afterwards. No more shoots should be permit- 

 ted to grow than can be laid in clear and handsome, 

 and without confusion on the trellis, and so as to ad- 

 mit the sun and air freely among the branches. All 

 this time the ground is constantly to be kept light and 

 mellow, and perfectly clear of weeds and grass. For 

 this purpose, straw, chaff, flax-shives, &,c. spread over 

 the ground, will keep it mellow and moist, and pre- 

 vent its washing. It is said that a vine properly man- 

 aged will not decline under 50 years. 



By packing grapes in dry saw-dust or bran, they 

 can be presefrved a long time. 



WINE. 



To make good wine, the grapes of the same -kind 

 should be gathered at different times. The tirst should 

 be of the ripest clusters. Those which are not suffic- 

 iently ripe, must be gathered at another time ; the green 

 and rotten ones must be. rejected. Wines of different 

 colors are made from the same grape. To make white 

 wine, grapes sufficient ibr a pressing are gathered early 

 in a damp, misty morning, while the dew is on. When 

 the sua comes out warm the gathering is diicontiuucd. 



