VINEYARD CULTURE IK FRANCE. 



53 



ent proportions as greatly to affect the chemical condition of the 

 sap, and consequently of the produce. It would scarcely be pos- 

 sible to meet with two plots of any extent where the soil is pre- 

 cisely the same, but it is found that, provided the situation and 

 climate are suitable, but few are utterly unfit for cultivation, pro- 

 vided the ground is well mixed with stones or gravel, the only 

 points which it is necessary to avoid being extreme tenacity or light- 

 ness. If the constituents of the soil are bound together by tena- 

 cious clay, which is easily beaten down by a shower, or, on the other 

 hand, hardened by drought, it is what is called in Trance " terre 

 battante." Such soil is also called cold, because the fruit arrives 

 slowly at maturity. A rich and deep soil is not generally thought 

 to be calculated for the vineyard, but rather for field culture. If, 

 however, the soil is light, but not sandy, as is the case with that 

 which produces the best Tokay, and if it effervesces violently 

 when treated with acids, even though it may approach the term 

 of extreme lightness, it may be considered an exception to the 

 general rule. The soil which is best calculated for corn is seldom 

 fit for the vineyard ; while, on the contrary, the admixture of 

 stones, and frequently the too great inclination, makes the best 

 vine-ground unfit for corn. It does not seem to matter greatly, 

 as far as fertility is concerned, whether the stones are quartzose, 

 calcareous, or ferruginous, though doubtless the peculiar nature 

 of the soil and its constituents may make a great difference in the 

 character of the produce. It is believed, for instance, that the 

 wines of the Cote-d'Or owe their beautiful ruby tint and sweet- 

 ness to the ferruginous nature of the soil, while some white clays 

 are equally famed for the white wines. In a few instances good 

 wine is obtained from sandy soils, but the produce is in general 

 small ; where, however, the texture is extremely coarse, as in land 

 which is called "graves sables " at Bordeaux, the vine succeeds 

 perfectly, and the produce is sometimes first-rate. 



It is not only a mistake to clear the ground entirely of stones, 

 though for various reasons it may be well to remove those which 

 are of such a size as to interfere with culture, but it is absolutely 

 necessary in some cases to introduce them, where they are not 

 already present. Even in some corn-land in our own country, 

 fertility is greatly impaired if the stones are entirely removed, as 

 they always retain a good deal of moisture, and the plants find it to 

 their interest to cling to them by their rootlets as a certain refuge 

 in time of drought. 



As regards site and aspect, neither a narrow valley nor an ex- 



