96 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 



France, and other countries. Falernia, whose wines were 

 so celebrated in classic song, was a fertile plain. The 

 Medoc district, near Bordeaux, is a gently undulating 

 plain, extending from the River Gironde on the east to 

 the Atlantic on the west, with frequent lagoons indenting 

 the shores on either side. This peninsula contains some 

 of the finest vineyards in the world, such as Lafitte, Cha- 

 teau-Margaux, Branc-Mouton, &c. The soil is a coarse, 

 sandy clay, strongly impregnated with oxide .of iron. 

 The vineyards of Languedoc, of Tonnere, and on the 

 banks of the Rhone, are of this level or slightly undulat- 

 ing character. Although a chemical analysis of a soil is 

 a very uncertain guide, independent of other conditions, 

 yet the following table of the soil of the celebrated plain 

 of Chateau-Margaux will be of interest : 



Oxide of Iron 3.341 



Alumina , . 1.590 



Magnesia 0.263 



Soluble Silicates 0.380 



Phosphoric Acid 0.147 



Potash - 1.291 



Carbonate of Lime 0.891 



Organic matter 6.670 



Insoluble residuum 85.427 



100.000 



