moifture may the better drain off, but if the ground 
Hopes too much, it is by no means proper for this pur- 
pofe but if, at a diftance from this place, there are 
larger hills, which defend it from the north and north- 
weft wind, it will be of great fervice, becaufe hereby 
the fun’s rays will be reflefted with a greater force, 
and the cold winds being kept off, will render the fi- 
tuation very warm. Add to this, a chalky furface ; 
which if thofe hills do abound with (as there are ma- 
ny fuch fituations in England,) it will ftill add to the 
heat of the place, by refiefting a greater quantity of 
the fun’s rays. 
The country about this fhould be open and hilly, for 
if it be much planted, or low and boggy, the air will 
eonftantly be filled with moift particles, occafioned 
by the plentiful perforation of the trees, or the ex- 
halations from the adjoining marfhes, whereby the 
fruit will be greatly prejudiced (as was before obferv- 
ed.) Thefe vineyards fhould always be open to the 
eaft, that the morning fun may come on them to dry 
off the moifture of the night early, which, by lying 
too long upon the Vines, greatly retards the ripening 
of their fruit, and renders it crude and ill tailed. And 
fince the fruit of Vines are rarely ever injured by 
cafterly winds, there will be no reafon to apprehend 
any danger from fuch a fituation, the fouth-weft, 
north- weft, and north winds being the moft injurious 
to vineyards in England (as indeed they are to moft 
other fruit,) fo that, if poffible, they fhould be fhel- 
tered therefrom. 
Having made choice of a foil and fituation proper for 
this purpofe, the next thing to be done is, to prepare 
it for planting. In doing of which the following me- 
thod fhould be obferved : in the fpring it fhould be 
ploughed as deep as the furface will admit, turning 
the fward into the bottom of , each furrow ; after this 
it fhould be well harrowed, to break the clods, and 
eleanfe it from the roots of noxious weeds, and it muft 
be often ploughed and harrowed for at leaft one year, 
to render the furface light ; and hereby it will be ren- 
dered fertile, by imbibing the nitrous particles of 
the air (efpecially if it be long expofed thereto be- 
fore it is planted-,) then in March the ground fhould 
be well ploughed again, and after having made the 
furface pretty even, the rows fhould be marked out 
from fouth-eaft to north-weft, at the diftance of ten 
feet from each other ; and thefe rows fhould be 
eroffed again at five or fix feet diftance, which will 
mark out the exadt places where each plant fhould 
be placed; fo that the Vines will be ten feet row from 
row, and five or fix feet afunder in the rows, nearer 
than which they ought never to be planted. And 
herein moft people who have planted vineyards have 
greatly erred, feme having allowed no more than 
five feet row from row, and the plants but three feet 
afunder in the rows ; and others, who think they 
have been full liberal in this article, have only plant- 
ed their Vines at fix feet diftance every way, but nei- 
ther of thefe have allowed a proper diftance to them, 
as I fhall {hew : for in the firft place, where the rows 
are placed too clofe, there will not be room for the 
fun and air to pafs in between them to dry up the 
moifture, which, being detained amongft the Vines, 
muft produce very ill effedts : and, fecondly, where 
the Vines are placed in exact fquares, fo near toge- 
ther as fix feet, there can be no room for the cur- 
rent of air to pafs between them, when their branches 
are extended on each fide, and fo confequently the 
damps in autumn will be entangled and detained 
amongft the Vines, to the great prejudice of their 
fruit -, for fince the autumns in England are often at- 
tended with rains, cold dews, or fogs, all proper care 
ihould be taken to remove every thing which may 
obftrudt the drying up the damps which arife from 
the ground. 
The fldlful vignerons abroad are alfo fenfible how 
much it contributes to the goodnefs of their Vines, 
to allow a large fpace between the rows and there- 
fore where the quality of the wine is more regarded 
than the quantity^ there they never plant their Vines 
at lefs than ten feet row from row, and feme allow 
twelve. It was an obfervation of Bellonius, almoft 
two hundred years fince, that in thofe iflands of the 
Archipelago, where the rows of Vines were placed 
at a great diftance, the wine was much preferable to 
thofe which were clofe planted ; and this he pofitive- 
ly affirms to be the cafe, in moft countries where he 
had travelled. Indeed we need not have recourfe to 
antiquity for the certainty of fuch fads, when we are 
daily convinced of this truth in all clofe plantations of 
any kind of fruit, where it is eonftantly obferved, that 
the fruits in fuch places are never fo well coloured, fo 
early ripe, nor near fo well flavoured, as thofe pro- 
duced on trees, where the air can freely circulate about 
them, and the rays of the fun have free accefs to the 
branches, whereby the juices are better prepared be- 
fore they enter the fruit. 
Having thus confidered the diftance which is rreceffary 
to be allowed to thefe plants, we come next to the 
planting ; but in order to this, the proper forts of 
Grapes ihould be judicioufly chofen-, and in this par- 
ticular we have egregioufly erred in England. All the 
vineyards at prefent planted here, are of the fweeteft 
and beft fort of Grapes for eating, which is contrary 
to the general practice of the vignerons abroad, who 
always obferve, that fuch Grapes never make good 
wine ; and therefore, from experience, make choice 
of thofe forts of Grapes, whofe juice, after ferment- 
ing, affords a noble rich liquor ; which Grapes are 
always obferved to be auftere, and not by any means 
palatable. This is alfo agreeable to the conftant prac- 
tice of our cyder-makers in England, ,who always ob- 
ferve, that the beft eating Apples make but poor cy- 
der ; whereas the more rough and auftere forts, after 
being preffed and fermented, afford a ftrong vinous 
liquor. And I believe it will be found true in all 
fruits, that where the natural heat of the fun ripens 
and prepares their juices, fo as to render them pala- 
table, whatever degree of heat thefe juices have more, 
either by fermentation, or from any other caufe, will 
render them weaker and lefs fpirituous. Of this we 
have many inftances in fruits ; for if we tranfplant 
any of our fumnier or autumn fruits, which ripen 
perfectly in England, without the affiftance of art, 
into a climate a few degrees warmer, thefe fruits will 
be meally and infipid ; lb likewile if we bake or ftew 
any of thefe fruits, they will be good for little, lofing 
all their fpirit and flavour by the additional heat of the 
fire ; and fuch fruits as are by no means eatable raw, 
are hereby rendered exquifite, which, if tranfplanted 
into a warmer climate, have, by the additional heat 
of the fun, been alfo altered fo as to exceed the moft 
delicious of our fruit in this country. 
From whence it is plain, that thofe Grapes which are 
agreeable to the palate for eating, are not proper for 
wine *, in making of which, their juices muft under- 
go a ftrong fermentation ; therefore fince we have in. 
England been only propagating the moft palatable 
Grapes for eating, and negledt’ the other forts, before 
we plant vineyards, we fhould take care to be pro- 
vided with the proper forts from abroad, which fhould 
be chofen according to the fort of wines intended ta 
be imitated though I believe the moft probable fort: 
to fucceed in England is the Auvernat, or true Bur- 
gundy Grape, (which is at prefent very rare to be- 
found in the Englifh vineyards, though it is a com- 
mon Grape in the gardens againft walls.) This fort of 
Grape is moft preferred 'in Burgundy, Champaign, 
Orleans, and moft of the other wine countries ii> 
France and I am informed, that it fucceeds very 
well in feveral places to the north of Paris, where 
proper care is taken of their management ; fo thas 
I fhould advife fuch perfons as would try die fuccefs- 
of vineyards in England, to procure cuttings of this 
Grape from thofe countries ; but herein fome perfon 
of integrity and judgment fhould be employed, to get 
them from fuch vineyards where no other forts of 
Grapes are cultivated which is very rare to find, unlefs 
fome particular vineyards of the citizens, who are 
very exadt to keep up the reputation of their wines, 
nothing. 
