PREPARING THE GROUND. 235 



but when men are employed who understand it, the requisite 

 disbursement is not so great as would be supposed, and no 

 men are in general more competent to its performance than 

 the Irish emigrants. 



I have found the expense of this mode of preparation to ave- 

 rage about $12,75, for every ten thousand square feet of sur- 

 face. It is probably as much on account of the expense as from a 

 consideration of the labour in. removing the stones, that in many 

 vineyards established on stony soils, they trench only a narrow 

 strip of ground where the row of vines is to be planted, and 

 this course may be in like manner pursued by those among 

 us who are averse to incurring greater expense, and in doing 

 it the following mode may be pursued. Having marked out 

 by lines the strip to be trenched, dig out the earth to the depth 

 of one foot, and throw on one side of it, and remove the earth 

 to the depth of another foot, and throw on the other side ; 

 then recommence by throwing the former at the bottom of the 

 trench, and after covering it with a thick coat of compost or 

 manure, place the remainder of the earth on the top of it. It 

 will readily be understood, that as the advantage of preparing 

 the whole plot in this manner i proportionably greater than 

 that of a part only, in like proportion to the breadth of the 

 strips of ground thus trenched, will be the advantages derived 

 from it, by affording the means of a more wide and easy ex- 

 tension of the roots. 



Those consequently who are willing to incur the disbursement 

 requisite for an entire preparation of the ground, will reap ad- 

 vantages far exceeding the difference in expe-nse, and I would 

 recommend that in planting a vineyard which without doubt 

 may stand for ages, no parsimony or false economy be introdu- 

 ced ; but that every disbursement be considered according to its 

 relative importance as connected with the great object in view. 

 Where the planting of the vines is deferred till spring, the 

 ground should be again ploughed to as great a depth as pos- 

 sible as soon as it is sufficiently dry, and be followed by the 

 harrowing as before. The more compact the soil, the 

 deeper it should be worked in preparing it. If it is low arid 



