61 
[Rule.—To find the number of plants required to set an acre, 
multiply the two distances in feet at which the trees stand apart 
and divide 43560—the number of square feet in an aere—by the 
product; the quotient will be the number of plants required.] 
A certain diversity of opinion exists regarding the best distance 
to plant vines and fruit-trees. In this case, as in many others, ex- 
treme views in the matter are to be avoided, and a medium course 
should be adopted. 
If we consider vines, we must bear in mind that under the 
Australian climate, where the sum of the sun’s heat is always suffi- 
cient for the complete ripening of grapes, the question of orienta- 
tion is not so important as under cooler climates, and the direction 
to be given to the lines will be to a greater extent influenced by the 
shape of the field, the intensity of the hot winds if in the interior, 
or the sea breezes if in the coastal region. In places, also, where 
hailstorms sometimes occur and follow certain winds which gener- 
ally come from the same quarter, the edge of the lines should be 
pointed towards the direction the wind blows, and not the flank, if 
it ean be avoided. 
Lines laid along the longer axis of the field rather than in the 
direction of its shorter width also save a considerable amount of 
time and exertion on the teams, which have less turning to do. 
If the vineyard is to be planted on a slope with a very marked 
incline, the lines and ploughings should follow the contour of the 
slope and be laid at right angle to its fall, so as to prevent in some 
measure the soil being washed down the incline during heavy down- 
pours of rain. 
Whatever disposition is given to the vineyard, the land should 
be exclusively planted in vines, and no other crop or trees put in. 
In hot and dry districts where a thick growth of foliage would 
rob the ground of a considerable amount of its store of moisture, 
wide planting is generally resorted to, while in the cooler and 
moister districts, where it is desirable to promote the evaporation 
from the ground of as much moisture as possible, and besides 
encourage the growth of the roots nearer to the surface, close 
planting is the evstom. 
Tf one takes France as an example, one notices a striking 
difference between the Champagne district, where there are as 
many as 16,000 to 18,000 vines to the acre, while the number de- 
ereases the farther South one goes, being 10,000 to 12,000 in 
Burgundy, 4,000 to 5,000 in the Hermitage, 2,000 in the Herault, 
and 1,000 in Algeria. 
