PLANTATION. 125 



CHAPTER VIII. 



PLANTATION. 



IST. ARRANGEMENT OF VINES. 



(A) Shape of the plantation. Plantations in which the 

 whole surface of the soil is covered with vines may be con- 

 sidered as the only ones offering any interest with the actual 

 methods of viticulture. Those in which other plants are 

 cultivated together with vines cannot be considered as having 

 the intensive character of viticulture. But vines may be 

 disposed in different ways, and it is important to study the 

 value of each of these 1st, planting in lines ; 2nd, in squares ; 

 3rd, in quincunx. 



Planting in lines (Fig. 104) is that in which vines are closer 

 on the lines than the lines are between each other. 



This disposition is not favorable to good growth and 

 abundant fructification of vines, the vigour of which 

 diminishes rapidly when c .^ ... _ ^ 



their roots come in con- \l} f '.T 



tact, which happens long \^ 

 before they have grown (^) 



{ 

 ' 







over the whole surface. >} 



Experiments made by (*: (} 



H. Mares have shown {**; (*';. 



that the yield under those (T^ (V) 



circumstances is one-fifth f? : : \\ . ;. 



smaller than that ob- /T^ **' (? $T) 



tained with vines planted /'< >< f*\ 



in squares in which each '*-' *'~' ^ 



vine occupies the same 



surface. But if this arrangement offers less advantages 



from this point of view, it offers other advantages, such as 



allowing ploughing during the whole time of vegetation, even 



with vines of spreading habit, which means a large saving 



of labour. 



Plantation in squares (Fig. 105) is preferable if the yield 

 alone is concerned, and, further, it renders cross ploughing 

 possible, and if the plant dies it can be replaced by layering 

 a cane from one of the four neighbouring vines. 



