45 



ler to sow nothing and dig the ground frequently; and the crops 

 repay the labour with usury. 



There are many weeds which trouble Vineyards and which should 

 be kept down as much as possible ; the few that are turned in by 

 ploughing or digging enrich the soil. Of these the marygold, aristo- 

 lochia, vervain, mercury and briar are accused of imparting a bad 

 flavour to the wine. It is to be presumed that these accusations are 

 exaggerated. 



Of all the means employed or proposed to give additional vigour 

 to the Vine, there is none more effectual than that intimate ming- 

 ling and shifting of the soil produced by frequent and well directed 

 tillage. This incorporation increases the quantity of salts already in 

 the soil, and like a leaven, excites a fermentation in them which leads 

 to fresh combinations, and gives a new impulse to vegetation. 



