Chap. 3d.] 
CULTURE or THE VINE. 
505 
The nature, too, of the soil will afford some very useful 
suggestions. Where it is thin and hungry, even though the 
vine should display considerable vigour, it should be pruned 
down below the cross-piece and kept there, so that all the 
shoots may be put forth below it. The interval, however, be- 
tween the top of the vine and the cross-piece ought to be but 
very small ; so much so, indeed, as to leave it hopes, as it 
were, of reaching it, which, however, it must never be suffered 
to do ; for it should never be allowed to recline thereon and 
spread and run on at its ease. This mode of culture ought, in 
fact, to be so nicely managed, that the vine should show an 
inclination rather to grow in body than to run to wood. 
The main branch should have two or three buds left below 
the cross-piece that give promise of bearing wood, and it 
should be carefully trained along the rail, and drawn close 
to it in such a manner as to be supported by it, and not 
merely hang loosely from it. When this is done, it should 
be tightly fastened also with a binding three buds off, a 
method which will greatly contribute to check the too abun- 
dant growth of the wood, while stouter shoots will be thrown 
out below the ligature : it is absolutely forbidden, how- 
ever, to tie the extremity of the main branch. When all 
this is done, l^ature operates in the following way — the parts 
that are allowed to fall downward, or those which are held fast 
by the ligature, give out fruit, those at the bend of the branch 
more particularly. On the other hand, the portion that lies 
below the ligature throws out wood ; by reason, I suppose, of 
the interception of the vital vspirit and the marrow or pith, pre- 
viously mentioned the wood, too, that is grown under these 
circumstances will bear fruit in the following year. In this 
way there are two kinds of stock branches : the first of which, 
issuing from the solid stock, gives promise of wood only for 
this year, and is known as the leaf stock-branch f'' while that 
which grows beyond the mark made by the ligature is a fruit 
stock-branch.^^ There are other kinds, again, that shoot from 
the stock-branches when they are a year old, and these are in 
all cases fruit stock-branches. There is left, also, beneath the 
cross-piece a shoot that is known as the reserve^^ shoot, being 
always a young stock- branch, with not more than three buds 
upon it. This is intended to give out wood the next year, in 
26 In the present Chapter. 
28 Fructuarium. 
27 Pampinarium. 
29 Gustos. 
