V I T 
V I T 
V IT 
95J 
Ith the learned. It is generally supposed, 
hd with much reason, that no instrument 
layed with the bow was knovvu to the an- 
fents. 
I VIOI.ONCELLO, a bass viol, containing 
bur strings, the lowest of which is tuned to 
louble C. The strings are in fifths, conse- 
[uently the pitch of that next the gravest is 
Jj gamut ; that of the next, D on the third 
Sue in the bass; and that of the upper string, 
d on the fifth line. 
[The violoncello was called the violono till 
;he introduction of the double-bass, which 
Assumed that name. 
I VIPER. See Coluber. 
I YIRCETA, a genus of plants of the pen- 
tandria monogynia class and order. The 
calyx is five-notched; corolla funnel-form ; 
itigma two-parted; capsule one-celled, many- 
seeded. There are two species, annuals of 
Guiana. 
VIRGO, in astronomy, one of the signs or 
constellations of the zodiac, and the sixth ac- 
cording to order. 
VISCERA. See Anatomy. 
ViSCUM, a genus of plants of the class 
dioecia, order tetrandria, and in the natural 
system arranged under the 48tli order, ag- 
gregatae. The male calyx is quadripartite ; 
the anthers adhere to the calyx ; the female 
calyx consists of four leaves; there is no 
style; the stigma is obtuse; there is no co- 
rolla; the fruit is a berry with one seed. 
There are 12 species, only one of which is a 
native of Britain, viz. the album, or common 
misseltoe. It is a shrub growing on the bark 
of several trees. The leaves are conjugate 
and elliptical ; the stem forked; the flowers 
whitish in the ala of the leaves. This plant 
w as reckoned sacred among the druids. 
VISION. See Optics. 
VISITATION, in law, an act of juris- 
diction whereby a superior, or proper officer, 
visits some corporation, college, church, or 
other public ot private house, to see that 
the laws anti regulations thereof are duly ob- 
served. 
Among us, visitation is that office per- 
! formed by the bishop in every diocese once 
\ in three years, or by the archdeacon every 
; year, by visiting the churches and their 
rectors throughout the whole diocese, &c. 
The bishop’s commissary also holds a court 
of visitation, to winch lie may' cite all church- 
wardens and sidesmen ; and to whom he ex- 
hibits his article, and makes inquiry by 
them. 
VISMEA, a genus of the dodecandria 
trigynia class and order ot plants. The calyx 
is live-leaved, iiferior; the corolla five-pe- 
talled ; stigmas five ; nect. tw r o or three- 
celled. T here is one species, a native of the 
Canaries. 
VITEX, the chaste-tree, a genus of the 
didynamia angkspermia class ot plants, with 
I a monopetalous ringent, and bilabiated 
flower, each lip ff which is trifid ; the fruit is 
a quadrilocular, globose berry, containing 
four seeds. There are 1 4 species. 
VITIS, a gems of the class pentandria, 
and order morogynia; and in the natural 
system arranged under the 46th order, pec- 
toracea?. The petals cohere at the top, and 
are withered; tie fruit is a berry with five 
| seeds. There ae 12 species; the most im- 
portant of which is the vinifera, or common 
Vol. II. 
vine, which has naked, lobed, sinuated leaves. 
There are a great many varieties ; but a re- 
cital of their names w ould be tiresome with- 
out being useful. All the sorts are propagated 
either from lay ers or cuttings ; the former of 
wdiich methods is greatly practised in Eng- 
land, but the latter is much preferable. 
In choosing the cuttings, you should always 
take such shoots of the last year’s growth as 
are strong and well ripened ; these should be 
cut from the old vine, just below the place 
where they were produced, taking a knot or 
piece of the two years’ wood to each, which 
should be pruned smooth ; then you should 
cut off the upper part of the shoots, so as to 
leave the cutting about 16 inches long. When 
the piece or knot of old wood is cut at both 
ends, near the young shoot, the cutting will 
resemble a little mallet; whence Columella 
gives the title of malleolus to the vine-cuttings. 
In making the cuttings after this manner, 
there can be but one taken from each shoot ; 
but most persons cut them into lengths of 
about a foot, and plant them all. 
When the cuttings are thus prepared, if 
they are not then planted, they should be 
placed with their lower part in the ground in 
a dry soil, laying some litter upon their upper 
parts to prevent them from drying. In this 
situation they may remain till the beginning 
of April (which is the best time for planting 
them) ; when you should take them out, and 
wash them from the filth they have contract- 
ed ; and if you find them very dry, you 
should let them stand with their lower parts 
in the water six or eight hours, which will dis- 
tend their vessels, and dispose them for taking 
root. If the ground is strong and inclined to 
wet, you should open a trench where the 
cuttings are to be planted, which should be 
filled with lime-rubbish, the better to drain 
off the moisture ; then raise the borders with 
fresh light earth about two feet thick, so that 
it may be at least a foot above the level of the 
ground ; then you should open the holes at 
about six feet distance from each other, put- 
ting one good strong cutting into each hole, 
which should be laid a little sloping, that their 
tops may incline to the w'all ; but it must be 
put in so deep, that the uppermost eye may 
be level with the surface of the ground ; for 
when any part of the cutting is left above 
ground, most of the buds attempt to shoot, 
so that the strength of the cuttings is divided 
to nourish so many shoots, which must con- 
sequently be weaker than if only one of them 
grew ; whereas, by burying the whole cut- 
ting in the ground, the sap is all employed 
on one single shoot, which consequently will 
be much stronger; besides, the sun and air 
are apt to dry that part of the cutting which 
remains above ground, and so often prevent 
the buds from shooting. 
Having placed the cutting in the ground, 
fill up the hole gently, pressing down the 
earth with your foot close about it, and raise 
a little hill just upon the top of the cutting, to 
cover the upper eye quite over, which will 
prevent it trom drying. Nothing more is 
necessary than to keep the ground clear from 
weeds until the cuttings begin to shoot ; at 
which time you should look over them care- 
fully, to rub off any small shoots, if such are 
produced, fastening tire first main shoot to 
the wall, which should be constantly trained 
up, as it is extended in length, to prevent its 
breaking or hanging down. You must con- 
tinue to look over these once in about three 
weeks during the summer season, constantly 
rubbing off all lateral shoots which are pro- 
duced ; and be sure to keep the ground clear 
from weeds, which, if suffered to grow, will 
exhaust the goodness of the soil, and starve 
the cuttings. The Michaelmas following, if 
your cuttings have produced strong shoots, 
you should prune them down to two eyes. In 
the spring, after the cold weather is past, you 
must gently dig up the borders to loosen the 
earth ; but y ou must be very careful, in 
doing this, not to injure the roots ot your 
vines ; you should also raise the earth up to 
the stems of the plants, so as to cover the old 
wood but not so deep as to cover either ot 
the eyes of the last year’s wood. After this 
| they will require no farther care until they 
begin to shoot ; when you should rub oil all 
; weak dangling shoots, leaving no more than 
; the two produced from the two eyes of the 
I last year’s wood, which should be fastened to 
| the wall. From this time till the vines have 
| done shooting, you should look them over 
: once in three weeks or a month, to rub off all 
lateral shoots as they are produced, and to 
fasten the main shoots to the wall as they arte 
extended in length ; about the middle or 
latter end of July, it will be proper to nip off 
tire tops of these two shoots, which will 
strengthen the lower eyes. During the sum- 
| mer season you must constantly keep the 
I ' ground clear from weeds, nor should you per- 
mit any sort of plants to grow near the vines, 
which would not only rob them of nourish- 
ment, but shade the lower parts of the shoots, 
and prevent their ripening, which will not 
only cause their wood to be spongy and luxu- 
riant, but render it less fruitful. 
As soon as the leaves b e g> 11 t° drop ia 
autumn, you should prune these young vines 
again, leaving three buds to each of the 
shoots, provided they are strong, otherwise 
it is better to shorten them down to two eyes, 
if they are good ; for it is a very wrong prac- 
tice to leave much wood upon young vines, 
or to leave their shoots too long, which great- 
ly weakens the roots ; then you should fasten 
them to the wall, spreading them out hori- 
zontal each way, that there may be room to 
train the new shoots the following summer, 
and - in the spring the borders must be digged 
as before. 
The uses of the fruit of the vine for making 
wine, &c. are well known. The vine was in- 
troduced by tire Romans into Britain, and 
appears formerly to have been very common. 
From the name of vineyard yet adhering to 
the ruinous sites of our castles and monas- 
teries, there seem to have been few in the 
country but what had a vineyard belonging 
to them. The county of Gloucester is par- 
ticularly commended by Malmsbury, in the 
twelfth century, as excelling all the rest of 
the kingdom in the number and goodness of 
its vineyards. In the earlier periods of our 
history, the isle of Ely was expressly deno- 
minated the Isle of Vines by tire Normans. 
Vineyards are frequently noticed in the de- 
scriptive accounts of doomsday; and those 
of England are even mentioned by Bede, as 
early as the commencement of the eighth 
century. 
Doomsday exhibits to us a particular proof 
that wine was made in England during the 
period preceding the Conquest ; and after the 
Conquest, the bishop of Ely appears to bare 
