And besides this, in the warm regions the wine is
naturally too strong, and the deeper the soil is worked the
lighter the wine will be.
But there is one thing in particular which should not be
overlooked, and it is that the land should be in a state of
fine sub-division. One American writer insists that the
ground before planting should be " as fine as bolted flour."
This expression serves very well to show the importance of
S. 1003. N
194 THE ART OF LIVING IN AUSTRALIA.
a thorough pulverisation of the soil ; and the best results
are certainly obtained where this is energetically carried
out.
THE GROWING OF THE GRAPE— LAYING OUT THE
VINEYARD.
The next thing in order is that of laying out the vineyard,
in which it will be desirable to consider what distance apart
the vines are to be planted. This matter of spacing the
vines is one about which there is still considerable dis-
agreement ; and the question as to whether they should be
planted near to one another, or far apart, is yet unsettled.
But the truth is no inflexible rule can be laid down, as the
climate, the soil, and the " cepage " all exercise a controlling
influence. It seems to be generally admitted that in the
warm districts the vines should be planted farther apart
than in the cooler regions.
In a hot climate the vigour of the plant is increased by
the great amount of light and heat which it receives. The
must will be too strong, therefore, and it is only by planting
the vines at a greater distance apart than usual, and also by
pruning very long, that the resulting wine will be rendered
sufficiently light in strength. In a cooler region, on the
other hand, where the vigour of the plant is less, the crop
on each vine must be reduced by short pruning, so as to
increase the percentage of glucose in the must and ensure a
good wine. And where the size of the plant is lessened by
this method of pruning, the vines must bo placed closer
together in order to make use of all the available soil.
This latter itself has also to be thought of in this matter of
spacing the vines. In a rich soil, where the vigour of the
plant is increased, the vines should be placed farther apart ;
in a poor soil, on the contrary, they should be planted closer
together.
AU8TB ALLAN WINE. 195
Mr. Frangois de Castella, formerly Expert to the Board of
Viticulture, the author of The Handbook on Viticulture for
Victoria^ and who is now the proprietor of the Tongala
vineyard, in an instructive article on viticulture in Victoria
lays down the following rules with regard to the spacing of
vines : — " Thei'e is for emh locality, ivith the same conditions of
soil and climate, a certain distance, ichich we may call the
optimum, at ichich vines will thrive best; if this distance be in-
creased they will not improve, and may even deteriorate. Unless
thi^be a distance which cannot conveniently be worked
by horse labour, it would evidently be a waste of land
to plant any wider, and would entail the use of unneces-
sary labour for its cultivation. It would be just as
foolish to plant vines any closer than this, as it would
give unnecessary pruning, disbudding, tying up, &c. —
that is, if the climate be such that grapes will ripen
satisfactorily.
Page 132
Presented as published in 1893. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
And besides this, in the warm regions the wine is naturally too strong, and the deeper the soil is worked the lighter the wine will be.
But there is one thing in particular which should not be overlooked, and it is that the land should be in a state of fine sub-division. One American writer insists that the ground before planting should be " as fine as bolted flour." This expression serves very well to show the importance of
S. 1003. N
a thorough pulverisation of the soil ; and the best results are certainly obtained where this is energetically carried out.
THE GROWING OF THE GRAPE— LAYING OUT THE VINEYARD.
The next thing in order is that of laying out the vineyard, in which it will be desirable to consider what distance apart the vines are to be planted. This matter of spacing the vines is one about which there is still considerable disagreement ; and the question as to whether they should be planted near to one another, or far apart, is yet unsettled. But the truth is no inflexible rule can be laid down, as the climate, the soil, and the " cepage " all exercise a controlling influence. It seems to be generally admitted that in the warm districts the vines should be planted farther apart than in the cooler regions.
In a hot climate the vigour of the plant is increased by the great amount of light and heat which it receives. The must will be too strong, therefore, and it is only by planting the vines at a greater distance apart than usual, and also by pruning very long, that the resulting wine will be rendered sufficiently light in strength. In a cooler region, on the other hand, where the vigour of the plant is less, the crop on each vine must be reduced by short pruning, so as to increase the percentage of glucose in the must and ensure a good wine. And where the size of the plant is lessened by this method of pruning, the vines must be placed closer together in order to make use of all the available soil. This latter itself has also to be thought of in this matter of spacing the vines. In a rich soil, where the vigour of the plant is increased, the vines should be placed farther apart ; in a poor soil, on the contrary, they should be planted closer together.
AUSTRE ALLAN WINE. 195
Mr. Frangois de Castella, formerly Expert to the Board of Viticulture, the author of The Handbook on Viticulture for Victoria^ and who is now the proprietor of the Tongala vineyard, in an instructive article on viticulture in Victoria lays down the following rules with regard to the spacing of vines : — "There is for each localityy, ivith the same conditions of soil and climate, a certain distance, ichich we may call the optimum, at ichich vines will thrive best; if this distance be increased they will not improve, and may even deteriorate. Unless this be a distance which cannot conveniently be worked by horse labour, it would evidently be a waste of land to plant any wider, and would entail the use of unnecessary labour for its cultivation. It would be just as foolish to plant vines any closer than this, as it would give unnecessary pruning, disbudding, tying up, &c. — that is, if the climate be such that grapes will ripen satisfactorily.