"EARTHING IN" AND "TEIMMING." 373 



is of far more importance than quickness in tying, it is 

 usually paid for by the day, one woman being employed 

 for each two or three acres under crop. Rushes or Russian 

 matting is the material used for the purpose, the women 

 taking charge of the bines until they are beyond their 

 reach, when boys with a light rough ladder, made in the 

 form of the letter ^, are sent through the ground, to tie 

 up those which, from the effects of wind or other causes, 

 have got their heads away from the pole, and cannot re- 

 gain it without such assistance. 



Some time during the month of June, as the season is 

 early or late, the hills are " earthed in/' by taking a shovel- 

 ful of fine soil and placing it round the root of the bines, 

 which not only gives support to the plants, but causes them 

 to enlarge and form cuttings for the next spring, and indeed 

 to be generally more productive. The price paid for this 

 work is from 3d to 4d per 100 hills. Previously, however, 

 to "earthing in," the ground should be very carefully looked 

 over, when all unoccupied poles, or every pole upon which 

 the bines look weak and sickly, and not likely to run up, 

 should be taken down, and smaller ones substituted. Any 

 large poles thus removed should be set up again on some 

 of the hills where the bines are growing most vigorously 

 one bine being taken from two of the poles and attached 

 to this extra one, thus leaving on the particular hill 

 three poles with two bines, and one pole with the original 

 number tied to it. The results always amply justify this 

 small additional attention. 



During the following month of July the more vigorous 

 growing varieties, as the Goldings and the Whitebines, 

 require trimming or pruning, the lower portions fre- 

 quently branching out considerably, and obstructing the 

 access of air and light. In such case they require to be 

 pruned pretty close, and up as high as 3 or 4 feet from 

 the ground, so that cultivation may be carried on between 

 VOL. II. 67 



