ON VINEYARDS* 



205 



England, by F. X. Vispiie, printed at Bath, I786, 

 the ingenious author informs the public, " That 

 in September, 1782, he hired a piece of ground 

 at Wimbledon ; that in March, 1783, he planted 

 it with Vines ; that his intention was then to train 

 the shoots of them (as he has since done at Chelsea) 

 upon the ground in their natural positions, like 

 the Vines of melons and cucumbers ; and that 

 he hopes to make good wine with well-ripened 

 grapes, almost every year." 



Mr. Vispre does not arrogantly assume the 

 invention of this method to himself, but very 

 candidly acknowledges that he pursued and prac- 

 tised it in consequence of the following hint from 

 that great and sagacious philosopher Lord Chan- 

 cellor Bacon : " The lowness of the fruit-boughs 

 makes the fruit greater, and causes it to ripen 

 better ; for we always see in apricots, peaches, and 

 mello-cottons upon a wall, the largest fruit is 

 towards the bottom ; and in France, the grapes 

 that make the wine, grow upon low Vines bound 

 to small stakes, while the raised Vines in arbours 

 make verjuice." 



He adds, " It is reported, that in some places 

 Vines are suffered to grow like herbs, spreading 

 upon the ground, and the grapes of these Vines 

 are very large ; it were proper to try whether 

 plants usually sustained by props, will not bear 

 large leaves and fruit, if laid along the ground, as 

 hops, ivy, woodbine," &c. 



This last citation, says Mr. Vispre, from the 



