234 Vineyard Culture. 



more than farm-yard manure, have the drawback of 

 acting unfavorably on the quality of the wine. For 

 this reason the employment of these manures must be 

 avoided in those vineyards where the quality of the 

 product is more an object than the quantity. 



Broken Bones, Fragments of Horns, Wool-Waste. 

 These manures are likewise very rich in nitrogen, and 

 they possess the following advantages over farm-yard 

 manure : they are decomposed much more slowly ; 

 their effect, being far less sudden, lasts much longer; 

 they very gradually yield their elements to the roots of 

 the vine, and their action is prolonged over a period of 

 from five to eight years. 



Woolen rags are now very generally employed in 

 Languedoc. Their use begins to be adopted in the 

 South- West, also. We employ them ourselves, suc- 

 cessfully. 



Sea-Weeds. The sea-weeds are employed as man- 

 ures in some vineyards near the ocean, especially in 

 1'Aunis. Although not so rich as farm-yard manure, 

 these substances have a decided, but temporary, effect. 

 They also impart a disagreeable flavor to the wine. 



Composts. These generally consist of alternate layers 

 of dung and earth, piled up together. Some months 

 after their first preparation, the composts are thor- 

 oughly mixed, and again allowed to rest for one or two 

 months ; they are then mixed again, as they are used. 

 If the vineyard is situated on a dry and parched soil, 

 composts which are of an argilo-silicious character are 

 best ; if the soil be clayey, those made with calcareous 

 earths are preferred. To these composts are often 

 added leaves, weeds, sods, etc. This kind of manure, 



