THE VINE 



Vine. Even in Roman times Vines were pruned ac- 

 cordintr to recotrnised rules, though tlie method of train- 

 ing tlie plant varied with the district. In Campania 

 the\ allowed it to climb up the Poplar trees. Winding 

 among the branches, in its luxuriant growth, it embraced 

 the tree lo^'inglv as it ascended to the summit. Not un- 

 I'recjuently did the vintager, when hired, stipulate with 

 his emplo_\-er, in addition to his pa\-, for a funeral pile 

 and a monument in rase lie should meet \\-ith a fatal 

 accident while gathering the grapes. A single Vine 

 would often completeh' cover a whole country house 

 with its clintrino- stems; and in Rome one could stroll in 

 the Colonnade of Livia shaded hv a miglity \'ine wlrich 

 yielded t\veh-e amplrorae of wine. In many districts of 

 Italy the \'ines were trained on poles ; in others tlie)- 

 were permitted to trail along the ground. A similar 

 diversity is seen in the modern Italian methods of culti- 

 vation, ''riere", says Plin^•, "the grape hangs with 

 purple bloom among the green leaves, or glows rose-red, 

 or droops in softest green. In one place the berries 

 are round, in another oval, here large, there small, here 

 hard and thick-skinned, there juicij' and thin-skinned". 

 Hunches of grapes were often hung on strings indoors 

 that the\- might keep the longer, and others were steeped 

 in sv\eet wine and thus soaked in their own juice. 



After the fall of Rome the culti\-ation of the Yine 

 declined in Italy. The grapes were gathered in a slo- 

 venl\ \vay, carelessly pressed, and the must was allow- 

 ed to lie too long on the lees,' so that the wine should 

 assume that dark colour which was then preferred. 



