326 



■WILD SPAIN. 



cleavages of what appears solid rock, thickening out again 

 as they reach a wider fissure of " fatter " soil, as may 

 be seen in road or railway-cuttings. 



Nothing can be a greater contrast than the appearance 

 of the vines at Christmas or in January when not even 

 a branch survives, each vine then being cut back, till 

 nothing remains but a gnarled, knobby stump some two 

 feet high, limbless and lifeless. The vineyards then 

 assume a barren hungry look, a grey expanse studded 

 with rows of the inanimate stocks. 



During early spring much care and labour are devoted 



VINES IN MARCH. 



to the vineyards. The soil around each vine is drawn 

 back with hoes and small adze-shaped spades, the blades 

 of which are turned inwards, till the plant stands in 

 the centre of a hollowed square, the heaped-up earth 

 around serving to catch and direct the moisture towards 

 its roots. For a time the vineyards resemble huge chess- 

 l)oards, till in April the spreading tendrils and bright 

 green leaves once more hide the face of the earth from 

 view. 



The workmen who are employed upon these operations 



