92 THE GRAPE CULTURIST. 



considerable quantity, would be out of the question, or 

 would be so expensive that it would very much lessen, if 

 not entirely absorb, the profits of the vineyard. There 

 are thousands of acres of sandy or gravelly lands in the 

 Eastern States, that would make the very best vineyards 

 in the country, simply by applying the enriching mate- 

 rials that are to be found in abundance in their immedi- 

 ate vicinity. 



Strange to say, these lands are now considered almost 

 worthless, because barnyard, 6r commercial manures (as 

 they are called), can not be had sufficiently cheap to 

 make them profitable for cultivation. While a sandy 

 soil may not naturally produce the most luxuriant 

 growth, it is certain that it produces fruit of the richest 

 quality. Such soils are moderately favorable to the 

 growth of the vine, are easily worked, and do not retain 

 an excess of moisture, as they are thoroughly under- 

 drained by nature. 



Volcanic, granitic and limestone soils are all excel- 

 lent for vines, and as these are usually strong and rich 

 they need but little more than a slight change in their 

 mechanical condition, which is readily accomplished by 

 plowing or trenching. And here let me remark, that 

 very often the mechanical texture of the soil has more to 

 do with success or failure, than do the ingredients it 

 contains. 



A moderately loose and friable soil, whether it be 

 loam, sand, gravel, or the debris of rocky hillsides, espe- 

 cially if of a calcareous nature, are to be chosen, in pref- 

 erence to clay or muck. These latter may be somewhat 

 reclaimed and made available by underdraining, trench- 

 ing, etc. , yet in a majority of cases they prove unsatis- 

 factory in the end. 



The soils in many portions of the Western States, 

 and in some portions of the others, that have but re- 

 cently been brought under cultivation, need no addition 

 of fertilizing materials. 



