OCR Text |
Show tage, Gatherers, either Men or Women, fuch as have Skill enough todiftinguifh them ; and befides, if they had, it would be a Lofs of Time. Thofe Citizens who would have on their Eftates nothing bat Auvernat, ought to watch their Vignerons while they are planting, for they have the Trick of mixing the hard Samoreau and Gois, and other bad Kinds. And when a Citizen would make good Wine, he ought to examine whether the Grapes be come to their full Ripenefs, and he is obliged to leave the bad Grapesthat are not ripe, which the Vigneron, fome time after, does not fail to take for his own Drink, to meliorate it, or to make Wine or Rape: But to remedy this Inconvenience, a Citizen ought to Jook over his Vineyards fome Days before, to fee whether his Grapes are equally ripe, and to take Notice which are lefs than the others, and whichare not fo good, and he fhould cut thofe Vines down to the Surface of the Ground; and the following Year he fhould give Order to his Vigneron to fupply their Places by the Means of Layers or Cuttings. A Vineyard may be planted after two Manners, either upon the even Ground or in open Rows. In Planting upon the even Ground, when the Land has been levell’d and mark’d out, they make a Hole with a Spade to put in the Plant; but it ought neverthelefs to be fuppofed, that this Land has been prepared and well trenched. The Manner of Planting a Vineyard in open Rows is almoft the only one in Ufe in the Orleannois, andis, without Contradiction, the beft; in that it is certain, that in Planting in this Manner, the Earth has been open’d and remov’d even to the Bottom, which by Some Vignerons of the Citizens lay down the Shoots of the Plant, not according to the Breadth of the Ridge, as it ought to be, but the Lengthwife of the Row, that is to fay, all the Length of the Paths and I can’t fee the good Senfe of this Manner of Planting; I believe thofe that do it, do it more out of Malice than Ignorance. Alfo the Wound of the Cutting of the Plant fhouldbe Jaid down fide-wife to the Bottomofthe Trench. When the Plant is laid down, and they would cover it, the large Clods of dry Earth fhould not be put immediately upon the Sets, for the Heat will eafily penetrate through the Vacuities that it finds there, and drythe Plant, and hinder it from taking Root: Forthis Reafon great Care fhould be taken to put the fineft Earth, that has been moft ftirred, and is moift, and to prefs it down well with the Foot, tothe end that the Plant being preffed on all Sides, and planted on a foft, moift Earth, it may ftrike Root the more readily and furely then if it takes the Air at any Place where the Earth does not touch all the Buds or Eyes where it forms Roots. There muft alfo be one good Bud at the Superficies of the Earth, becaufe this is that by which the Vine muft put forth. For in the greateft Part of this VineyardPlot, the Cuftom is to planta Vineyard no other Way but by Ridges ; one Ridge is compos’d of two Rows, and when four of them are joined together, or only three of them, the Name of Ridge changes into that of Paillot, as may be feen at Olivet and St. Mefmin, and in the Places where the Vineyards are formed after this Manner. There are alfo found ancient P eight Rows, which gives Reafon to believe, that fometimes they planted upon the flat this Means will become better furnifhed, and Ground in thefe Sorts of Lands, that is to the Roots of the Vine will be capable of {preading themfelves. The beft Time to plant Cuttings which fay, had neither Paths nor Ridges. Utenfils of Iron, to make the Hole where have been bundled and buried in the Ground, is, when the Rind fwells, which may be they put the Cutting ofthe Plant, knownby a kind of Protuberance, which rifes round about the Wound, and alfo by the Buds being juft ready to open; andthat the Cuttings may not dry too much, they ought to be kept for fome Time in a Veffel full of Water, and not to be taken from thence, They commonly make ufe of twodifferent Spade or a large kind of Pick-axe. either a The firlt is the moft proper to make good Work, provided the Earth be wrought the whole Length and Breadth of the Ridge, and alfo the Depth that the Plant is laid, that is to fay, 4S far as che Hollowofthe Earth. rae When they make ufe ofthe fecond L tenfil, bad make to Defign it is commonly with a but as they are planted; for if the Heat Nork ; for the lazy Vignerons conte ‘ fhould fhrivel thofe that are planted, they will not fo readily take Root, and many of felyes in making a Hole to put the C the Plant in, without digging the rel them might die. wes For this Reafonit is better to plant a Vine- Ground. yard in a rainy, moift Seafon, or at leaft cloudy, than when it is too hot, or there is a But by this laft Way ofPlanting, it often happens, that the young Roots of the Pl finding nothing but a hard Earth, into too drying Wind. The beft Manner to lay down the Shoot of which they are not able to penetrate, 1t 1 a Plant, is to put the End that is to be impoffible that they fhould be able to extt! 1 placed into the Ground on the Side of the themfelves, as they would do, ina Land tha Ridge, to the end that it may be able has been expofed to the Air, Frofts, ©¢ b y to ftrike out Roots from all the Buds or the good Digging that has been given eee i Eyes on both Sides, and that it may have Nourifhment from the whole Breadth of the Ridge, on which the Earth ought to have been removed. Vi Vyi Years, and oftentimes the greateft Part of it dies: But this ought not to be furprizing, for this Land not having been turned topfy- the Hand un-earth the Cutting unto the firft good Bud, that it may be expos’d to the Alr, turvy, nor expos’d to the Air and to the Rains, which furnifh the Salts neceffary to Bud be not cleared of the Earth, the Cutting Vi Vi the Ridge has been dug with the Spade Me whole Length. ; ‘ This ill manner of Planting with the Pi axe retards a Vineyard from four t0 Vegetation, it is impoffible it fhould fucceed, efpecially when it has not beenoften and plentifully dunged. Although the Ridges are ordinarily com- and may put forth the more eafily ; for if the may rot therein ; anda great Failure will be avoided in ufing this Precaution. Secondly, To water the Plants, and that feveral times, when the Heat is violent and continual. The firft time when they are but of two Rows, neverthelefs there planted, and when the Ground appears dry, ought to be planted a third about the Middle of each Ridge, according to the Proportion of the Planting; and if one has not Plants and the Seafon difpos’d to be windy; the enough to finifh entirely this third Row, the Pints of Water, and this fhould be poured equally upon every Part ofthe Plant. pos’d fame Year that the Plantation is made, it may be done the Year following. It is very neceflary to have this third Row, for it ferves to fill thofe Places where the Plants are wanting in the Rows. When one has a Defign to plant a Vineyard under great Trees, or in Places more fubject than the others, to the Frofts of the Spring, or to Blighting, €c. he muft, in thofe Lands proper for Auz ts, put the black Formente, fecond eight Daysafter: in cafe that the Heat continues, one may give to each Plant three The firft time the Plant is watered, it is good to do it when it is not above half covered with Earth, to the Bud, that that Part whichis loweft may be frefh and moift, that it may take Root the moreeafily. Thefe Plants fhould not be watered with any but Rain-water, whichis the moft natural to all Plants; but if that is not to be had, that of Ponds, Ditches, and Marfhes becaufe they will better refift the Accidents that often happen to a V and will fhould be ufed ; but if inftead of this Water there be ufed that which runs into a Pit from produce more Fruit 5 and w little Wood is left, its Fruit will ripen as well as the 4uvernat, of whatfoever kind it be. It is true, the black Forme has little of a Dunghil, the good Quality of the fine Wines, and for this Reafon it ought to be planted apart, and not to mingle it with the duv t3 for it. is better to have Regard to the Quality than to the Quantity ofthe Wine. Among the White Vines one may plant the white Auvernat of the Low Cou 5 this Plant produces Wine fufficiently good, providedic be fet in a Land agreeable toit. It will be proper for thofe who have many it will have a very good Effect, for that is well furnifhed with Salts, and confequently very proper for Vegetation. It is true, it will be difficult to have enough of this for a large Extent of Ground, but it fhould always be ufed where it can be had. The Excellence of this Water will foon appear, by the Strength with which the Plant that has been watered with it will put forth. The moft proper time to water, is in the Evening, towards the fetting of the Sun, and the Day following in the Morning, you may lay fome Mulch upon the Ground: This will Acres of Vineyards to improve, to have one hinder the Earth from chapping, and the Part of young, and one Part old; becaufe if Heat from penetrating toofar into the Earth, one Year prove contrary to the one, it may where the Plant has been planted; for it will be favourable to the other ; and then neither have more Need of Frefhnefs and Humidity, will the Vigneron be fo hurried in the Seafon than of Heat and Drinefs, efpecially ’till fuch time as it has taken. Root, which may be of Pruning them, nor will the Mafter be fo embarrafs’d when he gathers his Vintage ; for known by its budding out. if his Vines were all youngorall old, he will be oblie’d to gather them both at the fame Time, if they have been planted in a Place where the Soil is of the fame Nature. Some look uponthis as an unneceflary Precaution, as to the Watering the Plants; but yet I amof Opinion, that there ought to be a Diftinétion made betweenfrefh, moift Lands, Ofthe Care To do this fo that the Plants may fucceed, it is not fufficient that the Plant be well chofen, the id well prepared where it is to be planted, and the moft convenient Time taken for Planting it, but there are ftill manythings to be obferved. In the firf# Place, the Plant ought to be pruned eight or ten Days before it begins to put forth, becaufe then the Buds being pretty large, it is eafy to diftinguifh the Good from the Bad ; which ought always to be done in fuch manner, that one good one may be at the Superficies of the Ground ; and when it is found that that which has been left doth not put forth in its Time, you muft foftly with where Watering may not be neceflary 5 but it muft be ufed to thofe which are dry and burning, efpecially when the Planting is done in the Spring, and fometimes fo late, that the Drought furprizes the Plants before they have taken Root. Itis true, Planting is ordinarily performed before Winter, in fuch Lands. Thirdly, When the Plant begins to put forth, and the Heat is not too violent, you fhould give it fome labouring, efpecially foon after Rain. In order to give them this Labour as it fhould be, there muft never be fuffer’d among thefe Plants any Legumes; particularly Great Gourds, Peas, Beans, Tur- nips, Leeks, and efpecially Cabbages, which will infeét and impoverifh the beft Lands ina little time. Of |