Chap. 724. 
Herbs. 
1225 
OBSERVATIONS. 
IX. t. If you would make a Vineyard in our 
cold and moift Climate, chufe a wholefome, dry 
and warm peice of Ground, (helter’d with a Hill 
from the North-Weft, North, and North-Eaft 
Winds and open to the South-Eaft, South, and 
South-Weft Sun -, let the Earth be well dig’d 
deep, broken toll, and cleared from the Roots ot 
Weeds in Summer-time, before Michaelmas ■, then 
in fair open Weather in December , plant your 
Rooted Vines, of three or four Years old, in even 
ttrait Ranks, about 6 Feet afunder, very (hallow, 
yet fo that their Roots be covered ; and between 
every Rank of Vines, let there be a Path of 4 Feet 
broad, that you may eafily pals between the Ranks. 
X. 2. The firft Year after this Planting, do 
not prune them too much, but let a Stake clofe 
by each Root, of about 4 Feet high, to which 
foftly tye the ttrongeft Shoot, and let the other 
Branches fall down as they will ; and in April 
following, or beginning of May, juft as they bua 
forth Leaves, bow the tops of each Vine Arch-wile 
to the next Stake, and there tye it fo as it may not 
flip away ; and from this bowed Branch, will come 
out new Shoots, which will produce Grapes which 
will hang down to the Earth, and thofe will be the 
fweeteft which will be neareft the Ground. 
XI. 3. This is all which is to be done to them 
untill Pruning time, which is from the latter end ot 
January , till the latter end of February , and then you 
muft cut away this Branch which was tyed the lalt 
Year to the Stake, and Arched down, even as low 
as the loweft Eye, but one or two at the moll ; and 
then tye up another of the ftrongell Branches from 
the Stock, inlfead of the former. Pruning away all the 
other Branches within an Eye or two ot their bot- 
toms i for the fewer Branches you leave to the Root, 
the more Grapes you will have the Year following. 
XII. 4. The Ground in your Vineyard mult be 
digged up every Year, tho’ not deep, both between 
each Vine and alfo the Paths between each Rank •, 
and frelh Mould out of the Paths, is to be thrown 
to their Roots, and fo all laid fmooth again, and 
clear from Weeds every Spri ng ; the W eeds in Sum- 
mer mult be Howed up often s for the barer the 
Earth is kept, the better .will your Vines thrive, 
and the larger and better will be your Grapes ; but 
the Earth about the Vine-Roots muft not be Itirred 
in Summer, nor in their time of Bearing. 
XIII ; The Elder the Vineyard grows, the 
deeper it fliould be digg’d, and turn’d up yearly 
and fome very old rotten Dung or Allies Ihould 
then in February or March, yearly, or every other 
Year be mixt with the Natural Earth, but too 
much Dung, (efpecially if it be new) is not good, 
and Afhes are much better than Dung. The Elder 
vour Vines are, if they be Healthy and Sound, the 
larger and better Grapes will they bring forth ; 
bllL.when you find them to decay, you mult let 
young ones in their Head. n ,, 
1 XIV 6 . To increafe vour Stock, or flare ot 
Vines 'you muft either lay the new Branches in 
the Earth, or elfe plant Cuttings ; both ways they 
will be apt to take Root, and in a Year or two, 
will be ready to Tranfplant, and difpofe as you 
have occafion ; and whilft they ftand unremoved, 
thel'e new Plants muft be yearly Pruned at the fame 
time with the Stocks, viz. thro the whole Month 
of February, and after the fame manner. . 
XV. 7. And therefore to get new Roots either 
to Plant your Vineyard at firft, or to fupply the 
Stocks as they decay, you mutt take them from 
thofe produced by the former method of Layers or 
Cuttings, which were partly covered with Earth, 
that they might take Root in Winter, which in 
about two or three Years time will be well Rooted, 
fo as they may be removed : Or you may take 
Suckers from the old Vines or Stocks, which may 
anfwer the end full as well. 
XVI. 8. But if you will raife a Nurfery from 
the Cuttings of Vine Branches, let them be the 
Cuttings of that Years growth, which Plant in a 
Nurfery a-parr, of good rich Mould : any Cut- 
tings almott will grow, but the largeft and ttrongeft 
Branches of that Year afford the belt : Thefe Cut- 
tings muft be about a Foot, or Foot and half long, 
confiding of four or five Joints or Eyes at molt, 
whereof two muft be thruft into the Earth, and 
one or two left above Ground : Thefe Cuttings 
muft ftand in the Nurleries 2 or 5 Years to get 
good Roots, and then they may be Planted in the 
Vineyard. The Cuttings from Branches which bare 
well the fame Year, and were not much lhaded 
from the Sun are belt. 
XVII. 9. Vines profper beft in a dry, gravelly, 
or ftoney Earth Clay, or any ftifF or wet Soil, is 
difagreeable to their Nature, and a rich black over- 
dung’d Earth, will caufe them to fhoot too much 
into Wood, and to bear but few Grapes, and thofe 
commonly Morbide , that is flat, or ill thaped, and 
not well tafted. Generally all Vines affect an Eaft- 
eily and South Sun, but profper not upon a Weft 
or North Wall * and they ought to be defended 
with high Hills or Trees, from cold North-Weft, 
North, and North-Eaft Winds. 
XV 1 I 1 . 10. Every Winter the Earth about the 
Roots muft be opened, and fome good old well 
rotted Dung or Afhes muft be added to the Earth, 
and well mixed therewith, (as is before hinted) and 
fo applyed to the Roots of the Vines, which being 
Planted under good Walls, and well fpread, and 
Nailed thereto, will bear in moft Years good ftore 
of Grapes. The time of Pruning them, we have 
told you before, but fome begin that work at the 
latter end of December , for the new Shoots only 
bear Grapes •, therefore in Cutting of the Branches, 
an Eye or two muft be left to fhoot out new Branch- 
es again ^ for if you cut clofe to the old Wood, 
few or no Branches from thence will fucceed : So 
that in Cutting or Pruning of Vines, the Rules for 
Pruning other Fruit Trees muft not be followed ; 
for thofe are to be cut off clofe to a Bud j but Vines 
muft be cut about the middle, between two Buds. 
XIX. 11. A Fertil Soil is fitteft for fome 
Vines, viz. fuch as bring forth ftrong Bodied and 
fat Wines, which is every black Earth, that is nor 
very clofe nor clammy as F lorentinus fays : Colu- 
mella advifes to have regard to the kind or nature 
of the Vine, to plant it in a Soil agreeable to the 
Earth of. the Country where it was a Native. A 
poor and lean Vine may be Planted in a Fat and 
Fruitful Soil that is fo of its own Nature, but yet 
not too Fat. A ftrong and Fruitful Vine may be 
Planted in a leaner or more Steril Ground. A large 
and fpread ing Vine, may be Planted in a more clofe 
and compact Earth. A Vine of few Branches, may 
be Planted in a more loofe but Fruitful Soil. But 
fays Columella , the Vine delights not to grow in a 
Soil too much Dung’d, let the Dung be of what 
kind foever. But Mould mixed with fome Shavings 
of Horn, being dilpofed about the Roots, willcauie 
the Vine to become very Fruitful. 
XX. 12. A late trench Author fays, that tho 5 
fome are of Opinion that Vines fhould be Pruned 
in February , or earlier, yet he fays they are now 
ufually Pruned in March b and that if a Vine be 
7 R not 
