Pruning the Vine. 129 



ous vines and vines of moderate growth, is adapted to 

 the southern regions and intermediate climates. In the 

 North, if the grapes were too far removed from the 

 ground, they would ripen badly. Vines of moderate 

 growth are trained in various shapes. Let us examine 

 the principal ones, and try to improve those which are 

 inconvenient. 



In Languedoc, Roussillon, Provence, where very 

 vigorous varieties are generally grown, the plants have 

 an upright stock, six to twelve inches high, which, at 

 that hight, divides into three or five horns, or arms, six 

 or twelve inches long, spreading like a cup, and meas- 

 uring, at the top, about twenty inches in diameter. 

 It is at the extremity of these horns that the fruit-bear- 

 ing stems shoot each year, at a hight of from sixteen to 

 twenty inches above ground. These vines are not pro- 

 vided with any support, but they are of such varieties as 

 generally have pretty stiff stems. Nevertheless, if the 

 plants are somewhat vigorous, the long shoots which 

 they develop soon overspread the general surface of 

 the ground. Figure 30 represents one of these stocks, 

 fully grown, before pruning. 



By giving this shape to the vines, we save the ex- 

 pense of staking, which is always great ; we also do 

 away, to a considerable extent, with plowing, as the 

 ground is soon overspread with the branches. There- 

 fore, this mode of cultivation has the advantage of not 

 being very expensive ; but, on the other hand, the 

 bunches, being entirely covered up by the leaves, re- 

 ceive the influence of the sun in an insufficient degree, 

 and the soil can not have the requisite tillage both of 

 which circumstances injure the quality of the wine. 



