CULTIVATION of the VINE. 



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lent winds, from liail and beating rains, from damps and 

 fogs and cold nights dews, which are all injurious to the 

 fruit, as well as the cold dry north-eaft winds, and the cold 

 driving north-eaft ftorms. But let not this lead us into the 

 other extreme, for if the vine be left to herfelf, and all be 

 fuffered to grow, fhe will run wild, and ruin all by her 

 own excefs. This is the method of managing vines when 

 the head is formed near the ground, which is now prac- 

 tifed in moft vine countries in vineyards, (except fome 

 parts of France, where they are ftill fond of efpaliers.) and 

 this method muft be continued as long as the vines laft, 

 which moft writers do affirm, will be above a hundred 

 years. As to the management of vines in gardens, againft. 

 walls, and for forming of fhady places, and many other 

 ways to pleafe the humour and phantafy of the owner, that 

 is not to be regarded, It has no relation to vineyards. 



Here I would propofe a new method of managing vines,, 

 the heads of which are formed near the ground, by way 

 of trial; I have not yet made the experiment, if it fhould 

 anfwer, it would fave a good deal of trouble, and be more 

 fecure againft the feverities of the weather; I have been 

 told that it is the pradice of fome to cut all the branches 

 down, and to truft to new flioots for bearing of fruit; and 

 I have read the fame account in a treatife publiflied by 

 'James Mortimer^ Efq; fellow of the royal fociety^ in the 

 year 1707? but thefe accounts are fo vague, fo general 

 and fuperficial, without entering minutely into any par- 

 ticulars, that I could have no dependence upon them; nor 

 could any man form a judgment of the manner of doing 

 it. However from thence I have taken the hint, and fliall 

 no A" propofe a method which may be worthy on trial. If 

 the fall of the third year of the vine's age, inftead of fav- 

 ing two or four branches for bearing fruit, cut down thefe 

 to two buds each, and the reft cut down to one bud each: 

 ilie upper buds of thefe branches that have two buds, are 

 defigned to bear fruit, this next year, the lower buds and 

 the buds of all the reft arc defiqncd for fruit the year after, 



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