Supporting the Vine. 177 



these were quite low, and in some cases, the vines were al- 

 lowed to cross from one row to another, so as to shade the 

 ground completely ; but generally the close pruning, adopted 

 by the foreign vine-dressers, prevented such a result. Others 

 were made higher, having three poles, or they were made of 

 sawed lath, nailed to the posts ; these last were more neat and 

 more permanent. At length, the Americans introduced wire 

 trellises for the vines, and in many parts of the country, noth- 

 ing else is now used, in large vineyards. The wires are sup- 

 ported upon posts firmly set in the ground ; these are gen- 

 erally placed twenty to twenty-five feet apart. The end-posts 

 must be very firmly braced, by slanting timbers set into the 

 ground. Sometimes, when a wagon-road is made across the 

 rows, for convenience at the vintage, the posts on either side 

 are made very high, and are not only braced, but are also 

 coupled together overhead, by strong wires. When the posts 

 are set at wide intervals, the wires may be supported between 

 them by stakes driven into the ground at suitable distances. 

 The size of the posts will depend upon the cost of material 

 and its character for strength and durability ; if squared, they 

 should not be less than three by three inches. Locust posts, 

 if from four to six inches in diameter, will last a long while. 



To Mr. O. D. Ford, of East Cleveland, Ohio, I am in- 

 debted for the following estimates and data : 



Number of vines per acre, at 



8 by 10 544 



8 by 8 729 



6 by 6 1,210 



Number of posts', per acre, at twenty feet apart : 



10 by 8 231, costing $23 10 



8 by 8 297, costing 29 70 



6 by 6 385, costing..... 38 50 



No. 9 wire, running from nineteen to twenty feet per 

 pound, will require, at : 



