1 66 Vineyard Culture, 



Thus, the staking in this part of Bordelais costs 

 about $16.80 per acre, yearly. 



Fines Supported by Horizontal Laths. — In Medoc, as 

 also in the Departments of the Doubs and Upper Saone, 

 the vines are trellised on long laths, supported by stakes. 

 In Medoc, the laths, which are about six feet six inches 

 in length, are fixed sixteen inches above the ground, 

 and maintained by stakes about tw^enty-four inches in 

 length, and placed at intervals of five feet. [Fig. 

 33.] These laths are made of young pines, obtained 

 from the clearing of w^aste lands generally covered 

 with young saplings. As for the stakes, they are of 

 locust, also cultivated in thick-set groves, in flinty soils, 

 for the use of vine-dressers ; they are also made of 

 barked pine. 



The annual expenditure arising from this mode of 

 training the vine, may be stated thus : 



One thousand stakes of barked pine $2 00 



One thousand laths of pine wood 3 00 



The average duration of the stakes and laths, is : 



The stakes, three years, per year $0 66 



The laths, two years, per year i 50 



7,200 stakes are required to the acre, costing, yearly, 4 75 



And i,Soo laths, costing, yearly, 2 70 



7 45 



These stakes and laths thus cost, per acre, yearly $7 45 



Replacing, sharpening, and binding the damaged stakes and laths... I 60 



Interest, at 5 per cent, on the cost price of these stakes, per year,-is i 00 



Total $10 05 



This mode of support, then, costs about ten dollars 

 per acre, yearly. The different modes of staking we 

 have just considered, have some serious drawbacks. 



