Maintenance and Renewal. 245 



It is, therefore, advisable to begin renewing the plants 

 when they present signs of exhaustion. The time to 

 be selected for that purpose is indicated by the extent 

 of decrease in the product ; but this diminution may be 

 allowed to go further, if we be inclined to sacrifice 

 quantity to quality. 



For, we know that quality increases in an inverse 

 ratio to the degree of vigor in the plant. Therefore, to 

 renew vineyards in which quality is chiefly sought after, 

 we should wait until such time as the superior quality 

 no longer compensates for the diminished product. On 

 the other hand, in vineyards where quantity is the ob- 

 ject, this renewal should take place as soon as the yield 

 does not give a sufficient profit. 



In a well laid-out and well-kept vineyard, where the 

 different growths are cultivated separately, and in which 

 each plant is situated on a uniform soil, the plants of 

 each of these parts, being placed under the same con- 

 ditions, will, at about the same time, present signs of 

 exhaustion which will necessitate their renewal. This 

 operation may thus be performed at one time over the 

 whole extent of the vineyard. Nevertheless, individual 

 plants may become languid, or disappear long before the 

 rest, owing to some accident such as the bad soil at 

 the point where the roots happen to be, intense frosts, 

 the presence of hurtful insects, diseases, the careless- 

 ness of work-people, etc. In such cases, recourse 

 must be had to partial renewals. Besides, if the whole 

 extent of the vineyard be renewed at one time, all the 

 old plants are replaced by new ones, and this acts very 

 unfavorably on the quality of celebrated growths. In 

 such cases, also, it is better to renew portions of the 



