Maintenance and Renewal. 251 



a dead or sickly vine by layering a healthy shoot from an ad- 

 jacent plant. In planting, the new-comer finds the whole of 

 the soil preoccupied by the roots of the other vines, which 

 ramify through it, in every direction, and therefore the newly- 

 planted vine has to struggle for existence, and seldom attains 

 to a vigorous growth among its fellows, even when aided by 

 the application of rich compost, or other good fertilizing 

 treatment ; and scattered through the vineyard, as such plants 

 necessarily are, they are apt to be overlooked. Whereas, the 

 layers, if made with vigorous and healthy shoots, have the 

 support of the parent-vine, to sustain them until they become 

 fully established ; nor need they be severed from this con- 

 nection until the second year, if there be reason to conclude 

 that they have not sooner, become sufficiently rooted. 



Old vine-stocks are often renewed by cutting them off just 

 beneath the surface, and allowing a sucker to take their place, 

 but it is better to have this provided during the previous sum- 

 mer, by leaving a ground-shoot on such a vine. A whole year 

 is thus gained, for these branches are not usually fertile until 

 two years old.] 



In the southern region, as a rule, they wait until the 

 whole of the vineyard has become exhausted, and then 

 the entire surface is renewed by means of a new plant- 

 ing, which is only done four or five years after the old 

 stocks have been pulled up. During this interval, 

 other crops are grown upon the soil. The old roots 

 decay, and the inferior layers of the soil regain their 

 richness, acquiring, by filtration, the nourishing elements 

 they had lost. 



This complete renewal, by planting, may also be ap- 

 plied with advantage to the vineyards of the North, 

 when they have been much neglected, and the greater 

 number of plants show signs of decay. 



