V I T 
Fide of which fome very curious people wall with a 
dry wall) to carry Off the water, whence they take 
care tb make proper drains to carry it away. 
This being done, they proceed to level this piece of 
ground, giving each fide thereof its proper declivity ; 
fo that it fomewhat refembles a roof that is not fteep, 
or as they here term it, a mule’s back, bearing the 
following figure ; and this they do to preferve the 
Vines they plant the longer, and to make them ren- 
der better wines, whilft thofe that are planted on the 
flat, and on the borders of ditches, where they are 
fupported by a fort of Poplar-trees, and ferve for the 
divifion of the Corn fields ; though the Vines grow to 
a great thicknefs, and produce much fruit, yet they 
render a wine that is good for little, and the Vines 
will not laft above thirty-five or forty years ; whereas 
what is fo planted, being tolerably well looked after, 
hold good for one hundred and forty, or one hundred 
and fifty, and in Chianti they will laft above three 
hundred years, they there accounting thofe of one 
hundred years old as young Vines. 
N. B. To defray in good part the charge of this expenfive 
culture , thofe in the plains , the very fir ft year , fow a hole 
of Melons between Vine and Vine , which they make about 
ten inches diameter, and a foot deep , filling about three 
fourths of it with good macerated dung , and the reft with 
fine good earth {of which that left by land floods is efteem- 
ed the beft,) in which they put about fifteen or twen- 
ty feeds ; which being come up , before they put out the 
domeftic leaf they nip the tops of all but two , or at moft 
three , of the Jlrongeft plants , which they leave to bear 
fruit , and order accordingly. After which they plant 
Cauliflowers , or Broccoli of Cauliflowers ; and this they 
alfo do in the hills fo trenched ; but in the mountains Melons 
do not well in the trenches but Beet-root is often produced, 
and Cauliflowers. 
4. The ground being fo ordered, where the vineyard 
is a plain, or on the hills, they proceed to mark it out 
with lines according to the diftances they would plant 
at, endeavouring to do it in rows about three feet 
Vine from Vine, and about four or four and a half, 
from row to row but for the moft part in a quadran- 
gular manner, at the diftance of about four feet one 
from the other, drawing lines lengthways and athwart; 
in the crofs they plant the cut of a Vine in the fol- 
lowing manner : 
Having an iron crow of an inch or more diameter a 
little pointed at the end, they therewith make a hole 
diretftly down about three feet and a half deep ; then 
being provided with an inftrument they call a crucci- 
olo, having a handle of wood like that of a large au- 
gur, and the body of iron four feet long, and more than 
half an inch in diameter, at the end of which there is 
a nich fomething like a half moon, making this figure, 
t— * I r — 1 
A A 
they, after twilling the end of the cutting, put it 
therein, and force it down to the bottom of the hole, 
where they then leave it, and afterwards fill up the 
vacancy with fine fifted earth or fand, obferving to 
tread the earth clofe to the plants, which otherwife 
(unlefs it be ftiff land) is often inclinable to be loofe 
and dry, efpecially if rain does not foon follow their 
planting ; and it is incredible how many Vines three 
perfons can in this manner plant in one day, viz. up- 
wards of two thoufand. 
As the cuttings are of a good length, there generally 
remain about two feet or more of them above the 
ground when planted, and fometimes more. When, 
V I T 
as it fequently happens, they find the earth fhalldW, 
fo that in the trenching they arrive at prime rock, or 
a cold bleaky clay, at the depth of about three feet; 
and therefore they trench riot lower, they plant the 
depth of two feet and a quarter, or two and a half, 
fhallower tMfi which they never plant, and even then, 
if the bottom be clay, they will do but little ; and if 
rocky, are apt to fuffer in the fdmnier by dry hot 
weather, (though if once they ftrike their roots in the 
rock, they do well enough,) and yield thfe beft wine 
that is made in the plains ; which however, though 
planted with the fame fort of Vines as thofe of the 
•mountains, and even of cuttings brought from thence, 
never produce near fo good wines as thofe that grow 
there, notwithftanding thb Grapes ripen three weeks, 
if not a month fooner. 
N. B. This tillage and plantation is performed at any 
time between November and March , in dry, but not frofty 
weather \ fince then the frozen earth in working , being 
naturally thrown into the bottom of the trench, where the 
Vines are to make their principal roots , it retains fuch a 
frigidity , that they will thrive but badly in it ; which 
will be the cafe alfo , if the ground be laboured tdb wet ; 
wherefore this trenching , or thorough tillage, is generally 
performed in February , after the feverity of the frefls is 
over , and may be planted at any time between that and 
April \ whilft, as for the cuttings, they are obferved to 
do beft when planted as foon as cut off in the dr effing ; but 
if that conveniency is not to be had , they may be brought 
from any reafonable diftance, their cut ends only being tied 
up, and covered from the air with Mofts, Jlraw, or the 
like ; or if from a greater , with fome earth about them, 
and may be kept, burying their cut ends in the ground , 
till fuch time as they can be ufed ; but juft before this is 
done, it is proper to put them in water for twelve hours 
or more, fince that will influence them to ftrike root the 
better. 
It is not of much importance that the cuttings be from the 
beft fort of Grapes tho 5 that is beft, if eafily to be had, but 
may be from any Vines in the neighbourhood that thrive 
well ; for afterwards , when they come to their bearing , 
you may with little trouble, ingraft them with cuttings 
from Vines of the forts you deftre, and thefe will bear fome 
fruit the very year they are ingrafted, and, moft abundantly 
the next ; beftdes that, the feet- of the Vine or flock will 
receive benefit by this operation. 
5. The plantation having been made in the manner 
before related, the firft culture of it is performed dif- 
ferent ways, which may be termed the old, and the 
modern. 
According to the old way, above a month after the 
planting, when they begin to Ihoot, they cut off the 
tops of the plants juft above the fecond eye that is 
above the ground, and fo let them remain, and (hoot 
out at pleafure ; only after the Melons, &c. (which, 
as is faid before, are planted or raifed in the vacan- 
cies) are gathered, they dig and fow, at proper dif- 
tances, the ground with Beans, Kidney-Beans, Tur- 
neps, Beets, or the like ; and let the Vines Ihoot and 
grow at liberty till the third year, (that is, when they 
have been planted three years complete •,) then open- 
ing the earth about each plant in March, or towards 
the beginning of April, to the depth of about a foot, 
they, with their hand, clear away the fuperficial roots, 
and then throw in two handfuls of good half confumed 
ftieeps dung, or elfe of Lupines that have been par- 
boiled ; after which with a ftiarp inftrument, (either 
a bill or a ftrong pruning knife) and a fteady hand, 
they cut off the head of the plant juft below theloweft 
Ihoot, which is fometimes a finger or two tinder 
ground,^rubbing the part cut over with fome of the 
contiguous earth ; and then, upon its lhooting, take 
the principal Ihoot (gently cleaning away the reft,) 
and fix it with a green Bulrufti to a fmall ftick, to 
keep it when tender from being broken by the winds, 
and fo let it remain till the next dreffing feafon ; when 
having pruned it, leaving but one eye, they put a 
ftick that is fomething more fubftantial, of between 
three or four feet long, to fupport it from time to 
time, tying the Ihoot to it till the month of July, be- 
1 fore 
