356 



MANAGEMENT OF VINES AND WINES IN CHAMPAGNE. 



Pruning. °f *he crop, is to prune the vine. When it is strong, tw<y 



side scoots or branches may be left: if weak, only one. 

 Three eyes should be left on each shoot. Sometimes th6 

 vinedressers leave three shoots, and four eyes to a shoot. 

 If the vine be young, and the stock is not loaded with old 

 euttings, its height when pruned is only three or four 1 

 inches. The branches are never suiiered to shoot up above 

 a foot and half. 



After this pruning, about the end of March, or in April, 

 when the earth is softened and rendered pliable by the win- 

 ter frost, it is dug up about a foot deep, so far as to un- 

 cover the roots, and all the clods are well broken. Aftef 

 this layers are put down where necessary, throwing on 

 them a basket of dung, and filling up the trench with mould ; 

 so as to let the two or three stems left on them appear above 

 ground four or six inches apart, and taking care not to in- 

 jure the buds on them. At the end of April, or in May, 

 the earth is stirred again, but more superficially. While 

 the vine is in flower, it must Hot be touched : but when this 

 is over, in June, the shoots are to be stopped at about a 

 foot and half; and the vine is to be staked, and tied up, 

 but not so as to interrupt the circulation of the air, or the 

 developement of the shoots. When this is done the earth 

 has a second stirring, and about the middle of August, it 

 has its third and last. 



About the end of September, or later in some seasons, 

 the grapes will be ripe ; which is known by the footstalk of 

 each being brown and woody, as well as the general stalk ; 

 the grape coming off easily, and the part of the stalk within 

 it not appearing green ; and the stones being brown, dry, 

 and not glutinous. 



Great care is necessary for making the white wine. The 

 ripest and soundest bunches must be carefully gathered, 

 freed from all dry, rotten, and bruised grapes, put into 

 large baskets, covered with a cloth to keep the sun from 

 -them, carried into the shade, and there kept till the even- 

 ing, when they are to be pressed as speedily as possible. 

 Pressing. The g-apes being laid on the bed of the press, they are to 



be cov red with three or four layers of flat stones, and the 

 press turned. When the juice has run for four or five mi- 

 nutes, 



Digging. 



Putting down 

 layers 



Stirring the 

 grouud. 



Stopping the 

 sI.oo>s, and 

 staking. 



Stirring the 

 ground again. 



Ripeness of the 

 grapes. 



Gathering them 

 for white wine. 



