THE CULTURE OF THE VINE AT THOMERY. 421 



higher walls are found to possess an advantage over the 

 lower ones. The plants are frequently raised in rough 

 baskets for convenience of removal and sale. Several of the 

 appliances here in use are sensible ones, which might be 

 found useful in other ways than that of vine culture. I 

 allude to the moveable scaffold to facilitate the labours of the 

 women who attend to the walls in summer (Fig. 235), the 

 shade to shield them from the sun (Fig. 236), and the frame 

 for conveying a number of small baskets laden with grapes 

 from the walls to the grape room (Fig. 237). 



Grafting is frequently performed, and chiefly to replace a 

 bad by a good variety, or to hasten the fructification of a new 

 one. The plant is cut down 

 to within nine or ten inches Fig. 241. 



of the soil, and with the 

 gouge (Fig. 240) an incision 

 is made on the smoothest side, 

 a corresponding cut being 

 made in a scion or in the 

 stem of a young plant, both 

 of which methods are shown 

 in Figs. 238 and 239. The 

 grafting is performed as soon 

 as the sap begins to move in 

 spring, and the grafts are tied 

 and covered with grafting wax, 

 as shown in Fig. 239. 



A particularly noticeable feature in the cultivation, is 

 that the young vines are as a rule planted at a considerable 

 distance from the wall — say a little more than three feet, 

 and the stem laid into the ground to near the base of 

 the wall. Sometimes the stem is allowed to rise some 

 distance from the wall, and in the following year when it 

 has grown a little it is again lowered and taken to the walk 

 This method is obviously pursued to secure a number of 

 vigorous roots spread over a large surface. Where the 

 ground is stony and poor it is probably a good plan. 



As regards the forcing of grapes at Thomery, I need 

 hardly say there is little to note of any importance to 



Small Pit used for Forcing the 

 Vine. 



