176 Vineyard Culture. 



and if the wires be substituted for the stakes, these 

 supports will give rise to the same annual expenditure 

 as in Burgundy ; that is to say, to four dollars and nine- 

 ty-two cents per acre. Now, this sum subtracted from 

 thirty-three dollars and sixty-six cents, the cost of the 

 staking system, shows the enormous saving of twenty- 

 eight dollars and seventy-four cents per acre. 



In the marshy districts, as well as the slopes of Borde- 

 lais, the staking gives rise to a yearly expenditure of 

 about $16.85 P^'' acre. 



If these vineyards be submitted to the mode of culture and pruning 

 indicated at page 100, and Figure 32, and the wires be em- 

 ployed, the cost will amount to only $4 gz 



Add one-half that sum for the third line of wire required by these 



vines x 46 



In all 7 38 



which gives a yearly saving of $9.47 per acre. 



Lastly, the supports employed in Medoc, cost, yearly, 

 $10.00 per acre. Substituting wires for the laths, and 

 setting up a second line, as shown in Figure 34, the 

 yearly expenditure would amount to only $4.92, which 

 gives a yearly saving of $5.08 per acre. 



To sum up : Wires, used instead of stakes, do away 

 with the numerous drawbacks, already pointed out, as 

 arising from the latter. Moreover, these wires allow 

 us to realize a considerable saving — say, on an average, 

 $12 per acre, annually. We, therefore, earnestly ad- 

 vise the adoption of this new method. 



[The trellis, in different forms, has been considerably em- 

 ployed in this country. Some of the early vineyards were 

 supplied by the German vine-dressers with a very cheap 

 wooden trellis, consisting of poles tied, or nailed, to stakes — 



