BOOK XVII. XXXV. 188-190 



vineyard aftei' every fall of dew throughout the 

 wholc of the summer, but others forbid this while 

 the vines are in bud, becausc the eyes get knocked 

 ofF or rubbed by the drag of people going bctween 

 the rows, and for this rcason it is necessary to 

 kecp away all cattle, but especially sheep, as their 

 fleeces most easily remove buds ; they also say that 

 raking does harm whilc bunches of grapes are forming; 

 that it is enough for a vineyard to bc dug over 

 three times in a year, between the spring equinox 

 and the rising of the Plciads, at the rise of the 

 Dogstar, and when the grapes are turning black. 

 Some people give the following rules : to dig over 

 an old vineyard once between vintage and midwinter 

 (though others think it is enough to loosen the soil 

 round the roots and manure it), a second time after 

 April 13 but bcforc the vines bud, that is before 

 May 10, and then before the vine begins to blossom, 

 and aftcr it lias shcd its blossom, and when the bunch 

 is changing colour ; but more expert growers declare 

 that if the ground is dug more often than necessary 

 the grapes bccome so thin-skinned that they burst. 

 It is agreed that when vincyards are dug it should be 

 done before the hottest part of the day, and likcwise 

 that a mud-Iike wet soil ought not to be either ploughed 

 or dug ; and that thc dust raised by digging is bene- 

 ficial to the vine as a protection against sun and fog. 



It is agreed that the spring trimming of foliagc a.and^ 

 should take place within ten days from May 15, at "^'"'"♦'^?- 

 all events before the vine begins to blossom, and that 

 it should be done below the level of the cross-bar. 

 As to the subsequent trimming opinions vary : some 

 people think that it should takc place when the vine 

 has shed its blossom, others when the grapes are 



131 



