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The number of varieties of soil are very great, and it would be 

 out of place to here give complicated analyses, yet it will be of use 

 to those who intend planting, to briefly review what are the chief 

 types of soil, what are the principal constituents of each, and in what 

 way it acts upon the vine. 



All soils more or less resemble one of the following types : 

 Clayey, sandy, calcareous, plutonic, and peaty soils. 



Clay soils give excellent wines, as a rule, in temperate climates, 

 especially if they are not too compact, their principal drawback being 

 their liability to crack and dry up. Wines made in clay soils usually 

 possess all the requisite characteristics of a good wine in moderation 

 and are very pleasant. Their chief constituent, pure clay or silicate 

 of alumina, is not necessary to the vine, so its influence must be 

 more mechanical than otherwise. 



Schistose soils are usually metamorphic clays, and therefore give 

 similar results. A loose surface resting on a mellow clay subsoil 

 will give excellent results in a cool district. A clayey soil will in 

 most cases greatly benefit by being irrigated. 



Sandy soils contain a greater or lesser proportion of pure silica. 

 The wine they produce is generally light and delicate, more so than 

 that produced by any other. In them the vine grows very freely 

 and begins to bear early, probably on account of the facility with 

 which the roots can spread. 



Calcareous or limestone soils. The presence of lime has a marked 

 influence on the strength of the wine that made on a limestone 

 soil containing as much as 5 or 6 per cent, more alcohol than wine 

 grown on sandy soil. They are therefore more desirable in a cold 

 than in a warm climate. The vine does not grow very vigorously 

 on such soils, although lime is to be found more extensively in the 

 wood than in the fruit. 



Plutonic soils. Under this category may be classed granitic, 

 porphyritic, basaltic, and the so-called volcanic soils ; they are, as 

 a rule, rich in potash, and therefore admirably suited for viti- 

 culture. The Hermitage vineyard in France is situated on granitic 

 soil ; the Tokay of Hungary on basalt. The wines made on such 

 soils are therefore excellent, and these soils will grow vines for 

 many years without becoming exhausted. 



