61 



views in the matter are not to be copied, and a medium course 

 should be adopted. 



If we consider vines, we must bear in mind that under the 

 Australian climate, where the sum of the sun's heat is always 

 sufficient for the complete ripening of grapes, the question of 

 orientation is not so important as under cooler climates, and the 

 direction to be given to the lines will be to a greater extent 

 influenced by the shape of the field, the intensity of the hot winds 

 if in the interior, or the sea breezes if in the coastal region. In 

 places, also, where hail-storms sometimes occur and follow certain 

 winds which generally come from the same quarter, the edge of the 

 lines should be pointed towards the direction the wind blows, and 

 not the flank, if it can be avoided. 



Lines laid along the longer axis of the field rather than in 

 the direction of its shorter width also save a considerable amount 

 of time and exertion on the teams, which have less turning to do. 



If the vineyard is to be planted on a slope with a very marked 

 incline, the lines and ploughings should follow the contour of the 

 slope and be laid at right angle to its fall, so as to prevent in 

 some measure the soil being washed down the incline during heavy 

 downpours of rain. 



Whatever disposition is given to the vineyard, the land should 

 be exclusively planted in vines, and no other crop or trees put in. 



In hot and dry districts where a thick growth of foliage would 

 rob the ground of a considerable amount of its store of moisture, 

 wide planting is generally resorted to, while in the cooler and 

 moister districts, where it is desirable to promote the evaporation 

 from the ground of as much moisture as possible, and besides 

 encourage the growth of the roots nearer to the surface, close planting 

 is the most profitable. 



If one takes France as an example, one notices a striking differ- 

 ence between the Champagne district, for instance, where there 

 are as many as 16,000 to 18,000 vines to the acre, while the number 

 decreases the farther South one goes, being 10,000 to 12,000 in 

 Burgundy, 4,000 to 5,000 in the Hermitage, 2,000 in the Herault, 

 and 1,000 in Algeria. 



In Australia experience has proved that the vines do better when 

 planted further apart, and the following distances are met with : 



SQUARE FORMATION 



4 ft. apart 



5 

 6 



7 



8 



9 

 10 

 11 

 12 

 14 



RECTANGULAR FORMATION. 



per acre. 



10,900 



1,816 



1,452 



1,556 



1,090 



908 



806 



692 



726 



545 



363 



