MANURES. 371 



appropriated till they are made soluble. Spe- 

 cial manures, such as ashes, bone-dust, etc., are 

 best applied as top-dressings. The prunings 

 should be dried and burned, and the ashes 

 spread on the surface. We must apply nothing 

 to the vineyard, either in kind or quantity, that 

 will produce a gross, succulent growth. The 

 time to apply manure is in the fall, after ap- 

 plowing has been done. The fall rains will dis- 

 solve a part of it, and carry it down a few 

 inches, and the remainder will be covered 

 when deplowing is done in the spring. There 

 is some waste, to be sure, but it can not 

 be helped ; for we can not apply and plow in 

 the manure as we would for a crop of corn. 

 The feeding roots of the vine adjust themselves 

 near the surface, and the rains carry the manure 

 quite deep enough for their appropriation. 



How often manures should be applied will de- 

 pend upon circumstances. In a soil that is natu- 

 rally very rich and deep, it should be applied only 

 at long intervals, except it may be ashes ; while 

 in one that is lean it should be applied more 

 frequently. The condition of vigor in the vine 

 should guide us in some degree in the applica- 

 tion of manure, but we should by all means 

 avoid letting the vines " run down" for want of 



