Plinies Natural! Hiftoffe. 



A on theietreeSj the better grapes it bare, and yeelded more commendable mlie : and againe^ 

 the lower that thole trees were, the greater plentie followed both of the one and the other. By 

 which a man may lee how materialiitistoraifeVmesonhigh, and have grapes growing in die 

 top of trees. In which regard jchoife alfo is to bee made of trees for this purpbfe. And here firft 

 and formoft is prelented unto us the Elme : and yet 1 niuft except that kind of it which is called 

 Aiinia^by rcafon that it is overmuch charged with boughes and leavesjand cherewich too full of 

 iTiade.Next unto it may bee raunged the blacke Poplar^even for the fame caufepccaufe it is no? 

 leaved nor branched fo thicke. Many men there be that rcfufc not the Adi/he Fig yree^yca and 

 the OlivCjfo that it If and not over thicke with boughs jand make too much ilnade.As (or the fec- 

 ting .planting and ordering of chefe trees in gencrall,wee have fufficiently and to the jull treated 



B heretofore.but now for this fpeciali and peculiar ufe that they be put unco, this would be confi- 

 deredjThat Vines which ate to be wedded to thefe trees^muft in no wife feelc the edge of the cut- 

 ting hooke ^before they bee three yeares old fulL After which time^this regard ought to bee had,' 

 that every fccond branch or arms thereof is to be fpared; and likewifc each other yeare and no of- 

 tenet they are in this Wife to bee pruned rand by that they are fix yeares old, it is good time to 

 jdine them in mariage unto their husbands aforefaid. 



In PiemontjLumba'rdiCjand thofe parts of Italic beyond the rivcrPo,they ufe for this put- 



. pofc to plant their grounds vvrth thefe trees over and befidcs thofc bcforenamed, to witjthc Cor- 

 nelljthe Opiet or VVich-hazellthe Teil or Linden, the wild Afh Ornus, the Carpin Carme or 

 Horn-beamejand the Okc. About V cnicc and all that trad^the Wiilowcs ferve the turnc & none: 



Q cliejby rcafon that the whole foken ftandethfo much upon water. 



As-couching the ElmCjUamed in thefirlf placCjit \m\i\ be kept plainc and bare, and the great 

 water-boughs underneath fhred until! you come to the middeft ot the tree^or thereabout i and 

 thentherelloughicobeearraungcd anddigerted into good order, whereupon the Vine may 

 climbc as it were upon ftairesor ladder rounds : and lightly none of thele trees upward be above 

 tweniie foot highi Now in cafe it be a high ground upon an hill,and ariCjthcy arc permitted to 

 brauach and iliut out their armeSjWithin eight foot of the ground.Butin plaines and low moift 

 groundsjthey beg n not to forke before thej beare twelve foot. Howbeit jlet the place be whatic 

 vsilljthe flat of the tree from whence the boughs begin to devide,ought to regard the South iuDo 

 And thefaid branches immediatly from their projc6t muft rifefomewhat uprightin manner of 



D fingcrsjftanding forth fiom the palm of ones hand: among whichjthc fmall Iprigs muft eftfoons 

 be barbed (as ic were) md fnaven clcane off;for feare they doe not oVcrl"hade the Vine branches. 

 As couching ihc ipace or diftancc becweene one tree and another.the ordinarie proportion 

 is.thatafront and behind, in cafe the ground bceerable, it beaieforuefoot:butaflcinke_, oroa 

 the fidestwentie-MariCjif it be not well tilled and husbanded^lomuch will ferve every way^to mi^ 



, "twenciefoot and no more. Commonly every one of thefe trees maintaineth tenne Vines at the 

 foot thereof: and u bad husband he is who hath fewer reared ubout it than rhree.But by the way, 

 it is no good husbandrie to luffer a tree thus to bee coupled (as it were) in marriage to fo many 

 Vines, before that ic bee of fufficient ftrength to cntercaine them : for there is noti iing fo hurt- 

 fulf by reafon that the V ines will choke and kill them , fo quicke they bee of their growth^and fo 



E leadietp overcharge them. 



As for planting ofVine-fets to the root of trecsyicedfull it is to make therefore a ditch three 

 foot deep : and they ought to be diftant one from the other a full fooi^and fo much likewile trom 

 the tree.This donCjChere is no queftion there of the fmall twigs or llioots what to do with them? 

 neither is there any charge or expence required for digging and delving: for this isthemannet 

 of itjand this peculiar gift have thefe tree-rowes^That m the fame ground where they growjthe 

 lowing of corne is nothing hurtfull, nay,it is profitable and good for the Vines. Moi^overjthis 

 commodine and cafement commeth of their heightjthat they bee able to favcthemfclves : nei- 

 ther is there any fuch necd,as in other Vfneyards,to be at the coaff of walls^of mounds^paleSjOr 

 hedgcsjuc yet of deepe ditches or other fences, tokeepc off the violence or injuries of beaffs.Of 



F all other toiles before rchearfed, tiiere is no more required but to looke unto onely the getting 

 of quick-lecsjor couching fions : all the matter 1 fay lieth herein^and there is no moare to do. 



J3ut of couching fions and that kind of propagationjihere bee two devifes.Firft within pani- 

 ers or baskets upon the boughs of the tree, and chat is thebeft way,becaufe it isfafeff from the 

 daun gcr of cattell. The fecond is, to bend the Vine, or a branch chereofjclofe to the foot of hec 



ownc 



