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CHAPTER VII. 



LAYING-OUT OF VINEYARD. 



A vineyard should be methodically laid out and planted in such a 

 manner as to enable a maximum of yield to be obtained with the 

 employment of a minimum of labour, the high price of which in 

 Australia renders many methods often applied in Europe imprac- 

 ticable with us. 



As in the case with most other vineyard operations, no fixed rule 

 can be given, the laying-out depending essentially on the climate, 

 soil, and sorts grown ; so much is this so that a perfectly laid out 

 vineyard on the Murray would be most unsuitably so in one of the 

 cooler districts of the colony. 



In laying out the vineyard we have to consider 



1. Distance apart of the vines. 



2. Arrangement of the vines. 



3. Extent and form of the blocks. 



The distance apart of the vines, having considerable influence upon 

 the disposition and form of the blocks, must be considered first. 



Perhaps no question concerning viticulture has given rise to more 

 discussion than this, the most conflicting opinions being held by 

 practical vignerons. 



It is impossible to lay down any hard-and-fast rule for the distance 

 which vines ought to occupy relatively to each other. The vigneron 

 must be guided by practical experience and by climatic and 

 economical considerations. 



It was mentioned (p. 10) that plants exhale a considerable amount 

 of water through their leaves, If the ground contains too much 

 moisture, close planting, by giving more leaves per acre, enables more 

 water to be got rid of than would be the case if the vines were 

 planted far apart. In the warmer districts the reverse is the case, 

 the amount of moisture is insufficient, and, if recourse cannot be had 

 to irrigation, the vines will suffer if not planted at such a distance 

 that each vine has a sufficient store of water at its disposal. This 

 necessity for planting vines far apart in a warm climate is much 



