234 



REPORT ON THE 



are under the management of M. Brassis, jardinier en chef du 

 Pare et de la Treille du Roi, at Fontainebleau. Part of the wall 

 has an eastern aspect, and is about 20 feet high, forming the 

 wall of barracks. More recently built, a long extent, with a 

 south-east aspect, is 12 feet high. The whole length is 1400 

 metres, or 1531 yards — nearly 7 furlongs. 



Part of the wall, where highest, is occupied with vines planted 

 2\ feet apart ; but this was said to be too close. These were 

 trained with a single upright stem, with the bearing shoots 

 diverging from both sides — en palmette, as the mode is termed — 

 or like the leaf of a palm. The leafstalk and leaflets of the 

 Cycas revoluta afford an example of the manner in which the 

 bearing shoots are trained from the upright main stem ; or the 

 same may be represented by fish-bones. The bearing shoots 

 were not strong, but firm and well matured ; they were about 

 2 feet in length ; and at the winter pruning they are cut close to 

 the lowest eyes. The upright leading shoot is cut to three eyes 

 when the plants are young, but as they get older it is cut to 

 only two. 



Where the principle of the Thomery system, en cordon, has 

 been adopted, the plants are here 3 feet apart. Each plant, as at 

 Thomery, has only one horizontal branch to the right and ano- 

 ther to the left, forming the cordon ; but at Fontainebleau each 

 of these extends 6 feet ; at Thomery only 4 feet. The cordons 

 formed by the horizontal branches are about 2 feet apart. With 

 regard to the comparative merits of these two modes of training, 

 there was no decided opinion. The first, with the bearing 

 shoots diverging from an upright stem, is the more easily ma- 

 naged ; but, in this country, it is questionable whether the eyes 

 on the lower part of the stem would push sufficiently well ; for 

 in vineries it is sometimes necessary to bend down the upper 

 part of vines trained upright, in order to ensure the pushing of 

 the lower eyes. 



The soil where the vines have an eastern aspect is naturally 

 unfavourable, and rather wet ; in fact, it was so bad that it had 

 to be dug out to the depth of 2 or 3 feet, and replaced with 

 better soil, mixed with some leaf-mould. Manure occasionally 

 afforded, consists of a compost, of equal portions of horse-dung 

 and cow-dung, and turf-parings, in alternate layers, turned 

 several times over before being applied. Dung alone has been 

 tried, but the compost was found preferable — the quality of the 

 vines manured with it being much better than where dung only 

 was employed. Along the portion of wall facing the south-east 

 the soil is of a more favourable nature. 



The vines are tied to wooden trellis- work. The wall is fur- 

 nished with coping, projecting about a foot. Both here and at 



