Page:A Treatise on the Culture of the Vine and, and the Art of Making Wine.pdf/137

 the time of vegetation, that in shunning dauger from these, the sap commences to circulate, and weeps from the wounds, to the great impoverishment of the plant. The autumn pruning, too, hastens the shooting of the wood the following year, and in late kinds, brings the fruit to an earlier maturity; and, as the interest of the cultivator is, to have all his kinds ripe at the same period, this may be so managed, as to be subservient in procuring a simultaneous ripeness among the varieties. It is, however, the most common practice, to defer the operation till spring; and, in all cases, it is most important, that the weather should be settled, and fine.

Various supports are used for vines, as their height may require, as the value of, their produce may make every thing important, which can contribute in any way to their improvement. In many places, where the ground is dry, supports are altogether dispensed with for low vines, though nature, by giving tendrils to the upper part of its branches, seems to indicate the dependence of the support. It is strongly recommended, to train the vines on a trellis; but in wine countries, in general, the wood is so expensive, that a trellis is seldom seen supporting any but vines of the highest stature, not supported by trees. The common practice, is to fix a pole be-