Other Operations. 181 



served above ground. In this way the plant, in the 

 following year, will be again composed of four or five 

 shoots [Fig. 39]. The process of laying down is then 

 renewed, and the pruning takes place on. two shoots 

 only. This operation is repeated yearly. If, as often 

 happens, the ground be sloping, the laying down is 

 managed so that the plants shall take the direction of 

 the top of the slope. At the end of thirty years, 

 through this annual laying down, each plant may have 

 an underground layer,C, more than ten feet in length. 

 All the plants being thus directed toward the summit of 

 the ground, there must be confusion toward that point, 

 while the base becomes bare, for which reason it is ad- 

 visable, occasionally to replant at the base and thin out 

 toward the top. 



We have already shown the drawbacks arising from 

 this confused planting, and from the too close proximity 

 of the plants to one another. We have also drawn at- 

 tention to the injurious effect arising from the absence 

 of a parent stock, on the quality of the wine, and we 

 have recommended the substitution of an oblique form, 

 with a single arm, as in Figure 35. With this sort of 

 form, the laying down of the stock is no longer re- 

 quired. 



FASTENING OF THE PLANT, AND BENDING OF THE 

 FRUIT-STEMS. Immediately after the pruning it will 

 be well to fasten the plants firmly to the wires. We 

 should next endeavor to give the corresponding arms 

 the same degree of inclination ; otherwise the lower 

 one would soon become less vigorous than the other. 



It is also at this period that the fruit-stems should be 

 tied. For, by the system of pruning we have recom- 



