239 CULTIVATION of the VINE. 



I have already obfcrved, that the black grapes differ from 

 the white in the manner of ripening, but whether your 

 grapes be black of white, they muft be fully ripe before they 

 are gathered, othefwife they will not make good wine; 

 gather them in a fair day, when they are perfedly dry 

 take away all the rotten and unripe grapes from every cluf- 

 ter, for they fpoil the wine: If your vintage be large and 

 you gather more grapes than you can mafli and prefs out 

 in one day, let them be gathered without bruifmg, for 

 bruifed o-rapes foon contradl: an unfavory tafte and hurt the 



wine in proportion; if they are maflied the fame day they 

 are gathered, the bruifmg will do nohurt; neverthelefs I 

 would advife the gathering of them to be direded by fome 

 grave difcreet perfon, for as this work is done generally 

 by fervants and children, it is made matter of paftimeand 

 frolic, rather than prudent labour, and fo many grapes are 

 torn off, and either bruifed or fcattered on the ground, to 

 the no fmall damage of the owner, both in the lofs of 

 fruit, and in hurting the wine, and thefe things fhould be 

 imprcffed on the minds of the gatherers before they begin, 

 that every thing may be done regularly and in order, by 

 which means more work will be done, and to much better 



purpofe. 



The black grapes are beft known to be ripe, when here 

 and there one of the forwarded grapes begins to flirivel 



and dry; then fet to and gather and make them up into 



tineas faft as you can. 



If white froils happen before fome of your grapes are 

 fully ripe though very near.it, fo as to want no farther 

 feeding, you need be under no apprchcnfions about them, 

 let them ftlll hang on the vines, they will grow ripe, rich 

 and high flavoured nothwithftanding; but then tliey muft 

 be gathered before the weather be fo hard as to freeze the 

 grapes, for that will fpoil them; the light frofts that only 

 kill the leaves do not hurt the fruit, unlefs it be fuch as 

 are late ripe, thefe fliould be carefully covered from all 

 frofts,they fliould grow againft walls or board fences front- 



in^f- 



