4) 
138 Vineyards and Wines of Champagne in France. [March 1, 
ground, the virie plant becomes over- 
whelmed with roots, which at last ferm a 
solid cake, and absorb all the juicesfrom 
the ground: the vine being thus incapa- 
ble of shooting, the evil ought to be in- 
stantly remedied. 
IX. What Kind of Grapes are best 
adapted for White Wine ? 
Black and white grapes are planted in- 
discriminately in the same vineyard: and 
this is perhaps wrong; for the term of 
maturity is not the same with both kinds 
of grape. The reason assigned for this 
_ practice is, that wine made from black 
grapes alone would be too vinous, and 
would become muddy (sujet @ tacher } in 
hot seasons; while wine made from white 
grapes would be too soft: the latter kind 
of grapes would be too soft, as containing 
more mucilage (muqueur ). 
X. Is the Black Grape preferable to the 
White ?—Siute the Cause of this Supe- 
riorily. Lh 
‘There is not much variety in the grapes 
ef Champagne. 
_ The black are generally preferred tothe 
white crapes for several reasons: in the 
first place, the black grapes resist much 
better the rainsand frost so common about 
vintage time. Secondly, because there is 
more vinosity and fmeness in the black 
grape, and it gives more of what is called 
body to the wine: the white on the con- 
trary is too mucilaginous, renders the 
wine soft, and exposesit to become yellow, 
or to thicken. 
There are whole cantons, however, such 
asChouilly, Cramant, Avise, Bisseuil, &c. 
«where there are but very few black vrapes, 
and yet their wine is im hivh estimation. 
XI. Which of the Exposures is most sub- 
ject tothe Hoarfrosis of Spring? 
The effects of frostare only to be feared 
at sunrise: the eastern exposures are con- 
sequently most apt to suffer, although it 
has been ascertained that vine-plants 
freeze in €very exposure. 
Thus, all the preservative methods hi- 
therto indicated, stich as famigations, or 
poles armed with long branches of foliage 
capabie of being agitated by the air, are 
mere reveries of the umacination: they 
have been employed indeed in sinall en- 
closures; but they never preserved a sitr- 
gle cluster of grapes, andare incapable of 
being applied to a large vineyard. 
XU, At what Period is the Vine te be 
pruned 2 . 
About the end of February or beginning ° 
of fiareh, the mest essential operatien 
niet be performed, namely, that of cut- 
ume the plant.» When it is very stroag, 
two bronches or stumps-galy are left, 
XHI. How many Eyes are left in the 
. Plant ? 
Three eyes upon each branch: when 
the vine is weak, one branch only is cut 
off, , ES 
XIV. At what Height from the Ground 
is the Plunt pruned ? : 
When the plant is young and the rind 
is not marked with old prunings, the 
plant is cut at the height of three os four 
inches : the vine-dressers cut higher, be- 
cause they frequen:ly cultivate three 
branches, and leave four eyes. 
XV. Yo whut Height is the Vine allowed 
 torise 2 
Not higher than a foot and a half,—to 
avoid dilating the sap too much. ; 
XVI. At whet Season does the Arst Ope- 
ration in the Vineyards commence 2 
After liaving pruned the vine, the first - 
operation is that of hoeing: this con-- 
sists in digging up the earth around 
the plants, so as to uncover their roots 
for a moment, and detach the earth 
from them which may have become clot- 
ted; the hee being always inserted intothe 
earth about a fovt from the glant. 
At the end of March, or beginning of | 
April, when the thaws have soitened the 
ground, the hoeing commences. 
XVII. What is the Period af Planting by 
Slips or Cuttirgs ? 
This kind of planting is performed ab 
the time when the vine fs plauted. 
XVUIL. In what Manner is this Kind of 
Planting managed ? 
In pruning, the vine-dresser reserves, 1M 
the barest and most sterile places, cer- 
tain slips, upon which be leaves only twe.. 
or three stalks, according to the strength - 
of the slip: the hole or furrow being made, — 
the slip is gently mclined, by dizengagme » 
the roots, and hy means of a pair of tongs 
the stalks are held while placing in the 
furrow, at from four to six inches distance 
from each other: the slip being thus fixed: 
at the depth of a toot or thereabout, a 
hand-basketfull of manure is thrown atthe 
root of the slip; the hole is then filled up — 
with natural earth @: a loose manner, *n 
order to adinit of the two or three stalks 
sending out their shoots without being — 
bruised. 
MIX. How muny Gperations are there to 
‘be performed between the Pruning and 
the ¥intuge Season ? 
The prunings ¥eing over, as the same 
vines are not pruned every year, and even 
in those which have- been: pruned the 
earth has not been thoroughly stirred, the 
vines are trimmed at the beginning of 
May: this trimming is called labourage am 
bourgeon, | 
