CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 



THE VINEYAED 



In establishing a Vineyard, it is a matter of mucli impor- 

 tance to select the right 



POSITION AND SOIL. 



A hill side with a southern aspect is preferred, although an 

 eastern or western exposure is nearly as good. Some have 

 recommended the north, on account of safety from late spring 

 frosts, but it will scarcely afiford sun enough to ripen the 

 grapes in cold, wet seasons (if the declivity is steep), and 

 may perhaps be more subject to '' the rot." Any undulating 

 surface, if dry, is preferable to a level one. 



The soil best suited for a vineyard, is a dry calcareous 

 loam — with a porous subsoil — not retentive of moisture; if 

 mixed with some gravel or small stones, so much the better. 

 Some prefer a sandy soil with a gravelly substratum ; as in 

 this the grapes are less subject to rot ; the juice however is 

 not so rich, — lacking in saccharine matter, — and in dry sea- 

 sons the vines will suffer from the drought, shedding their 

 leaves prematurely, and preventing the grapes from ripening 

 well. In warm, sandy soils, the fruit-buds on the vines, if 

 swelled prematurely in autumn, are sometimes killed by the 

 frosts of a severe winter. 



Any soil underlaid by a stiff wet clay, is to be avoided, as 

 also wet or spongy lands. No trees should be allowed to 

 grow within one hundred feet of the vineyard. 



(9) 



