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CULTIVATION of tile VINE. 



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34 



fume then a perfed: liberty in planting of vineyards and 

 making of wines, as well asinall other partsofhufbandry, 

 I ihall now proceed to give fuch rcafons for planting vines 

 at a diftaoce, as are obvious and clear to me from feveral 

 experiments v/hich I have made. If a vineyard lies on a 

 flopuig ground and is not too fteep to plough, the vines 

 fhould be planted eight feet from each other every way j the 

 advantages of this manner of planting I think are many; 

 with a fmglehorfe plough, having a foot fixed in the fore 

 part of the beam,, by way of gage, to prevent the plough 

 from going io deep as to cut the roots of the vines; a man 

 with the help of a careful boy to ride at>d guide the horfe,the 

 horfe always fuppofed to be tame and under good govern- 

 ment, may plough a full acre or more in a day, which is as 

 much as fix men will generally dig up with hoes, and is every 

 way much better done, the furrows lying acrofs the de- 

 fcending ground, will very much prevent wafhing away by 

 hard rains; the ground lies light hollow and loofe, by 

 xvhich means it readily receives all the benefit of the atmo-- 

 fphere, the dews, the winds, and night air, the mills and 

 foft dcfccnding rains, which meliorate and impregnate it 

 with nitre, volatile and fixed falts, and with oily and fuU 

 phureous matter, fit for vegetation and the richeft produc- 

 tions, and the Sun more efFedually draws out the four and 

 bitter nature of the foil, and by its genial heat prepares it 



for a plentiful production. After this it requires no more 

 culture for twelve or fourteen days time, or more, accord- 

 ing to the weather. If a drought fuccecds the ploughing,, 

 it will need no other ftirring 'till rain comes, provided the 

 ground turned up mellow and crumbly, v/hich it will do if 

 it was not wet when it wos ploughed, which a judicious 



farmer will at all tiuies carefully avoid, for nothing hurts a 

 crop of any kind more than ploughing or harrowin,^^ ground 

 when it is wet; Columella fays, that it renders the ground 

 carious, and that it will not recover a proper temper again 

 that feafon, and this I once found by woeful experience, 

 which effedually cured me of ftirring ground when wet, 



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