234 Vineyard Culture. 



more than farm-yard manure, have the drawback of 

 acting unfavorably on the quality of the wrine. For 

 this reason the employment of these manures must be 

 avoided in those vineyards v/here the quality of the 

 product is more an object than the quantity. 



Broken Bones, Fragments of Horns, Wool-Waste. — 

 These manures are likewise very rich in nitrogen, and 

 they possess the following advantages over farm-yard 

 manure : they are decomposed much more slowly ; 

 their effect, being far less sudden, lasts much longer; 

 they very gradually yield their elements to the roots of 

 the vine, and their action is prolonged over a period of 

 from five to eight years. 



Woolen rags are now very generally employed in 

 Languedoc. Their use begins to be adopted in the 

 South- West, also. We employ them ourselves, suc- 

 cessfully. 



Sea-Weeds. — The sea-weeds are employed as man- 

 ures in some vineyards near the ocean, especially in 

 I'Aunis. Although not so rich as farm-yard manure, 

 these substances have a decided, but temporary, effect. 

 They also impart a disagreeable flavor to the wine. 



Composts. — These generally consist of alternate layers 

 of dung and earth, piled up together. Some months 

 after their first preparation, the composts are thor- 

 oughly mixed, and again allowed to rest for one or two 

 months ; they are then mixed again, as they are used. 

 If the vineyard is situated on a dry and parched soil, 

 composts which are of an argilo-silicious character are 

 best ; if the soil be clayey, those made with calcareous 

 earths are preferred. To these composts are often 

 added leaves, weeds, sods, etc. This kind of manure, 



