THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 179 



and leaves, but less fruit ; the barren does not admit the 

 roots to be so luxuriant, neither do they enter the eartli 

 so deep, by which means they spread more towards tlie 

 surface, and so give the tender fibrous roots the benefit of 

 receiving the natural sweet and gentle showers, devv-s, 

 &c., which imparts a pregnancy to this plant, and do re- 

 ceive the cherishing warmth of the sun, and is more impreg- 

 nated with the volatile salts, which is drunk by tlie delicate 

 pores and apertures of the latent roots, whilst those 

 buried deeper are deprived of that benefit, and grow 

 only fertile in watery and insipid leaves without fruit, 

 and produces long and unbearing branches, whose joints 

 admit of no produce ; whereas the other will produce 

 fruitful joints, being very short, like to a joint of a man's 

 finger, which are the bearing branches. Now when you 

 plant your vineyard, let it be east and west, for the other 

 position, north and south, is not so good. 



" When you plant, dig your trench near a foot deep, 

 and about a yard asunder, for the more ease of going be- 

 tween them to do the necessary work that is required in 

 the several seasons of the year ; then set your plants, — 

 let them be about a cubit long, having three or four eyes 

 of the young wood on them ; then plant them in the bot- 

 tom of the trench, a little sloping ; when done, cover 

 them three or four inches with the mould; then level 

 your ridges, that your sets may just appear above the 

 surface ; plant your sets something more than two feet 

 from each other ; after this, strew some of the manure 

 along the ridges, not too thick, which, will preserve them. 

 Keep them weeded and hoed ; when they begin to shoot, 

 then set your props, of what wood you please, of about 



