CULTURE OP THE VINE AT THOMERY. 303 



eighteen inches. If the soil is wet, they slope the border so as 

 to throw off the water from the wall. When the border is 

 prepared, they open a trench at four feet distance from the 

 wall and parallel to it, and nine inches deep, and having 

 ready prepared a quantity of layers or cuttings sufficient for 

 the purpose, they lay them across the trench at the bottom with 

 their tops towards the wall, and at a distance of twenty inches 

 from each other, they then cover them with four or five inches 

 of soil, and tread them down, at the same time raising the 

 upper end which was placed towards the wall nearly to a per- 

 pendicular, the trenches are then filled two thirds full, and the 

 residue of the soil spread over the border ; they next put into 

 the trench three inches of manure, which keeps the plants 

 fresh and moist, and prevents the ground from becoming dry 

 and hard. In March, they shorten or cut in the plants to two 

 eyes, they weed and dress the ground, and water the border 

 the first season, if the heat of the weather renders it necessary. 

 Scions and young plants of the vine require a moderate degree 

 of moisture to aid them in forming their roots. The young 

 shoots are tied to props, and every thing done that is necessary 

 to favour their growth. The following season, if any of the 

 vines have several branches, the'most luxuriant is left, and all 

 the others carefully pruned off. The vine is again buried in 

 autumn, in the same manner as before detailed, and in this 

 manner the culture is continued until the shoot retained reaches 

 the wall. Every time however when a new shoot is thus laid 

 down, it is pruned down to the strong and perfect wood, well 

 furnished with buds. It generally requires three years before 

 the vine reaches the wall, but in the meantime, it produces 

 annually some fine clusters of fruit. 



We now come to the formation of the bearing branches 

 [cordons.'] If the wall is eight feet high, you should make 

 five such branches on each side ; the first six inches from the 

 ground, and the four others eighteen inches apart upon the 

 horizontal rails of the trellis or espalier, arranged previously 

 so as to effect this object. The stalk destined for the lowest 

 bearing branch should be cut off just at the height of the shoot, 



