HERMITAGE. 



109 



performed in the rudest possible manner. M. Machon 

 informed me that the vines require constant attention to 

 keep them in bearing, and whenever a vine is observed to 

 be weak, or to yield a poor crop, it is dug out, and its 

 place supplied by a provin from the strongest vine in its 

 neighbourhood. I saw this operation commenced and 

 completed. A vine which appeared weaker than the rest 

 was dug out, and a trench of about two or two and a half 

 feet deep, was opened up between it and the nearest vine 

 in the adjoining row. This vine bore three vigorous 

 shoots ; the stock was carefully bent down till it was laid 

 flat along the bottom of the trench ; a quantity of dung 

 was next put over it, and then some soil ; of the three 

 shoots, the least favourable from its inclination was cut 

 off, one of the two remaining was bent back to the original 

 position of the stock, and there fixed by the covering in 

 of the soil ; the other, in like manner, was bent in the 

 opposite direction to fill the place of the plant which was 

 dug out. It is evident that this is a very different process 

 from that of filling a vacant space by bending the shoot 

 of an adjoining vine into the ground till it issues at the 

 place where it is intended to grow, and afterwards, when 

 it has acquired sufficient strength, cutting off its connec- 

 tion with the original ; the stock actually became the root 

 of tvv'o distinct vines, and their connection is never de- 

 stroyed. This process had taken place with a considerable 

 portion of the vines this season, and a portion of them 

 are annually treated thus : — Into each trench was put 

 rather a large basket full of stable dung, mixed with soil. 

 On my expressing great surprise that dung should be 

 used at all in a vineyard of such reputation, as I had 

 always understood, that though it added to the quantity 

 of the wine, it injured its quality, and often gave it a bad 



