V I T 
part of the fence almoft as thick as the bottom. But 
neither thefe, nor the boarded fences, need be made 
till the Vines are in full bearing, which will be the 
fourth or fifth year after planting, according to the 
progrefs they make •, during which time the (hoots 
may be fupported by any common (lakes, for if the 
fences are made before the Vines are planted, as is fre- 
quently pradlifed, they will be half decayed by the 
time the Vines are fit to bear, and before this time 
the fences are of no ufe to them. 
The forts of Grapes which are proper to plant againft 
thefe fences are. 
The Miller Grape. 
The Chaffelas White. 
The White Mufcadine. 
The SweetWater, and 
Le Cour Grape. 
Thefe, if well managed, will ripen very well, pro- 
vided the feafon is tolerably good, and will come in 
foon after thole of the walls ; fo that if they are taken 
care of, by hanging of mats before them, when the 
nights prove cold in autumn,' and are permitted to 
hang till Odtober, the fruit will prove very good. But 
where the Sweet Water Grape is planted againft thefe 
fences, they will require to be covered in the fpring, 
at the time when they are in flower, if there (hould 
be cold nights ■, otherwife the bunches will receive a 
blaft, which will deftroy the greateft part of the 
Grapes, fo that many times there will not be more 
than fix or eight good Grapes on each bunch ; and the 
others will be (mail ftarved fruit, hardly fo large as the 
fmalleft Peas. 
In planting of thefe Vines, either for open efpaliers, 
or the clofe fences, it (hould be performed in the 
fame manner as for walls the cuttings (hould be 
planted fix feet afunder *, and as thefe are only de- 
fignedfor the table, a fingle row of Vines of a mo- 
derate length will be fufficient to fupply a family, 
■where there are others againft walls to come before 
them. But where a perfon is inclinable to have more 
rows than one, they (hould be placed at lead twelve 
feet afunder, that they may equally enjoy the fun 
and air. 
As to the pruning and other mapagement of thefe 
Vines, that being the fame as for thole againft walls, 
I (hall not repeat it in this place, it being fully treat- 
ed of before, and to which I have nothing here to 
add. 
Having thus treated of the management of Vines 
againft walls and efpaliers, I come next to the cul- 
ture of fuch as are planted in vineyards ; but as the 
number of thofe in England is fmall, and the expe- 
rience of them not very great, I (hall firft fubjoin an 
account of their planting and managing their vine- 
yards in Italy and France, and then (hall add fome 
obfervations and experiments of my own upon this 
fubjedt. And firft I (hall infert a curious account of 
the method the Italians follow in planting their vine- 
yards, and making their wine, which I received from 
an ingenious correfpondent in that country, who has 
fome vineyards of his own, and hath been very exadt 
in his obfervations upon the different methods now 
pradtifed by the Italian in their vineyards, which is as 
follows. 
The method of managing their vineyards , and making their 
wines in Italy . 
i. As to the foil*, next to that of Chianti, which is 
in a manner all rocky, they prefer that of the hilly 
parts of this country, which has a warm ftony bot- 
tom, with a loamy fuperficies *, and- next t&that, fuch 
as has a lime (lone, or chalky bottom, with a rea- 
fonably deep furface of any good earth ; but in the 
plains, where the wines are nothing comparable to 
thofe on the hills and mountains, they are forced to 
content themfelves with any tolerably good fort of 
ground, that is neither fandy nor light to excefs *, nor 
too clayey or binding, though a pretty ftiff marl does 
well enough. 
V i T 
2. As to its expofure, they bhufe one that is clue 
fouth, or that inclines fo the weft, rather than to the 
eaft ; and in the plains, they are obliged to be con- 
tented, as will be here related, with a north one for 
part of their vineyards *, which they fence however, if 
not naturally covered with fome wood or adjacent 
hill, with either a good hedge, or a (lone wall, againft 
the northern blafts. 
3. The manner of preparing the ground for planting 
differs according to the fituation of it ; being perform- 
ed one way when on mountains, another when on 
more moderate hills, and a different in fome re(pedls s 
to that when on a plain or level. 
In thofe plains which are very mountainous and rocky, 
as alfo on hills, where the bottom of (lone is found 
near the fuperficies, and is hard, they with the help 
of proper inftruments, or elfe with gunpowder, make 
a trench of four feet and a half wide, drawing it from 
eaft to weft (and though it may be near, yet always 
fomewhat under the fummit or top of the mountain, 
to be covered from the north wind thereby $) and 
with part of the ftones which they raife out of the 
foundation, they make a dry wall, i. e. without mor- 
tar, juft below the trench *, about twelve feet below 
this they make a fecond trench in like manner, level- 
ling the ground between the trenches as well as they 
can, with mattocks, crows of iron, &c. and fo pro- 
ceed till they have finifhed the whole ground they in- 
tend to plant. 
The ufe of thefe little walls is, to keep the little earth 
there is from being waflied away by the impetuous 
rains, for the carrying off of which, they make pro- 
per channels at convenient places ; fo that the whole 
plantation at fome diftance, refembles a regular mag- 
nificent pair of (lairs. In which trenches, at about 
three feet diftance one from the other, they plant the 
cuttings of Vines fomewhat ((anting, about the depth 
of two and a half, or near three feet ; which being 
dreffed as hereafter related, and when they come to 
their bearing, being kept of an equal height, make a 
mod agreeable appearance. 
When the ground is hilly, but not very mountainous, 
they dig a trench about four feet and a half deep, and 
three and a half wide ; and then having thrown the 
earth to the northward, they make a fecond, with 
the earth whereof they fill the firft ; and fo on one 
under and clofe to the other, till they have finfthed 
the ground they would plant ; the lad ferving for a 
ditch to carry the water off, into which, at proper 
diftances, they alfo make little ditches to convey the 
water ; and having fo done, and thrown the earth 
taken out of the firft trench on the trenched ground, 
and levelled it fo as to give it an even proper decli- 
vity, they plant it with cuttings of Vines in quadran- 
gles, or other manner, at the diftance of about five 
feet and a half or more, as they think mod proper 
for their ground ; if ftony in the manner before re- 
lated, as pradlifed in the mountains but if not, then 
as they do it in the plains, as will Be hereafter de- 
fcribed. 
When the vineyard is to be made on a plain or an 
exadt level, having (laked the part out they defign for 
walks, and laid out the divifions they intend for Vines, 
their next care is, that each of them have a proper 
declivity, and that there be good drains to carry water 
off ; in order to which, they make the firft trench in 
the middle of the divifion, extending from eaft to weft, 
of the depth of four feet and a half, and near four 
feet in breadth, throwing the earth taken out of it 
northward ; then laying at the bottom ftones, brufh- 
wood, bones, or almoft any fort of rubbfth, to raife 
and drain it, they proceed to the fecond trench, with 
the earth of which they fill the firft, and fo on, till 
they have finiftied as far as the fecond divifion extends 
fouthward, laying at the bottom of every trench fuch 
rubbiftt as they can get ; and then removing the earth 
taken out of the firft trench over to the fouth fide al- 
ready trenched, they proceed in the fame manner on 
the north fide, as far as the divifion extends j when in 
the lad trench there will naturally remain a ditch (the 
fide 
I, * . 11 , ■ .. ' . 1 . ■ 1 
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