346 On the Vine. 
increase the crop, dung their Vines, but they thus sacrifice the quality to 
the quantity. The dung most favourable to the Vine, is that of pigeons 
or poultry : dung foetid, or too putrid, should be carefully rejected, as it 
has been proved by observation, that the wine often contracts from it, a 
very disagreeable taste. 
In the Isles of Rhe and Oleron, the Vines are manured with sea-weed ; 
but the wine thence acquires a bad quality, and retains the peculiar 
odour of the plants. Chasseron observes, that the same plants decom- 
posed into mould, manure the Vine with advantage, and increase the 
quantity without injuring its quality. Experience has also taught him, 
that the ashes of sea-weed form excellent manure for the Vine. This 
able agriculturalist is of opinion, that vegetable manure is not attended 
with the same inconvenience as animal manure ; but he thinks, and 
with justice, that the former cannot be used with advantage, except 
when employed in the state of mould. 
The method of cultivating Vines on poles or props, ought to be regu- 
ii.lated by the climate; — this method belongs to cold countries, where the 
Vine has need of the whole heat of the sun. By raising them, therefore, 
on poles placed perpendicularly in the ground, the earth being uncovered, 
receives all the activity of the sun's rays, and the whole surface of the plant 
is completely exposed to this action. Another advantage of cultivating 
on props, is, that it allows the Vines to be placed nearer to each other, and 
thus the produce is multiplied. But in warmer climates, the earth re- 
quires to be sheltered from the excessive heat of the sun ; and the grapes 
themselves have need of being protected from its scorching rays; and to 
accomplish this, the Vines are suffered to creep on the ground ; they 
then, every-where form a covering sufficiently thick and close, to defend 
the earth and a great part of the grapes, from the direct action of the sun. 
But when the increase of tlie grapes has attained its maximum, and 
nothing is necessary but to bring them to maturity, the cultivators collect 
in bundles the' different branches of the Vine, uncover the grapes, and 
by these means facilitate the maturation. In this case, the same eflect is 
produced as by propping ; but recourse is had to this method only when 
the grapes are too abundant, or when the Vines grow in a soil too fat or 
humid. In some countries, the Vine is stripped of its leaves, which 
produces nearly the same effect ; in others, the pedicle of the grape is 
twisted, to hasten the maturity, by checking the vegetation. The ancients 
according to Pliny, prepared their sweet wines in this manner. 
The method of pruning the Vine has also a great influence on the 
nature of the wine. The greater the number of branches left to one 
V^ine, the more abundant the grapes, but the worse the quality cf the 
wine. 
We may consider the quality of the soil as the work of Nature ; all 
the art consists in stirring it, and turning it .several times, at favourable 
