Chap. X.
The ordering, curing, and propagating Vines of all sorts.
In most places of this countrie there is small care or paines taken about the ordering of Vines: it sufficeth for the most part with them that haue anie, to make a frame for it to spread vpon aboue a mans height, or to tacke it to a wall or window, &c. and so to let it hang downe with the branches and fruit, vntill the weight thereof, and the force of windes doe teare it downe oftentimes, and spoile the grapes: and this way doth somewhat resemble that course that the Vineyard keepers obserue in the hot countries of Syria, Spaine, and Italy, and in the farthest parts of France as I hear likewise: for in most of these hot countries they vse to plant an Oliue betweene two Vines, and let them runne thereupon. But manie of the other parts of France, &c. doe not suffer anie trees to growe among their Vines; and therefore they plant them thicke, and pruine them much and often, and keepe them lowe in comparison of the other way, fastening them to pearches or poles to hold them vp. And according to that fashion may haue aduentured to make Vineyards in England, not onely in these later daies, but in ancient times, as may wel witnesse the sundrie places in this Land, entituled by the name of Vineyards; and I haue read that manie Monasteries in this Kingdome hauing Vineyards, had as much wine made therefrom, as sufficed their conuents yeare by yeare: but long since they haue been destroyed, and the knowledge how to order a Vineyard is also vtterly perished with them. For although diuers, both Nobles and Gentlemen, haue in these later times endeauoured to plant and make Vineyards, and to that purpose haue caused French men, being skilfull in keeping and dressing of Vines, to be brought ouer to performe it, yet either their skill failed them, or their Vines were not good, or (the most likely) the soile was not fitting, for they could neuer make anie wine that was worth the drinking, being so small and heartlesse, that they soone gaue ouer their practice. And indeede the soile is a maine matter to bee chiefly considered to seate a Vineyard vpon: for euen in France and other hot countries, according to the nature of the soile, so is the rellish, strength, and durabilitie of the wine. Now although I think it a fruitlesse labour for any man to striue in these daies to make a good Vineyard in England, in regard not only of the want of knowledge, to make choise of the fitted ground for such Vines as you would plant thereupon but also of the true maner of ordering them in our country; but most chiefly & aboue all others, that our years in these times do not fal out to be so kindly and hot, to ripen the grapes, to make anie good wine as formerly they haue done; yet I thinke it not amisse, to giue you instructions how to order such Vines as you may nourse vp for the pleasure of the fruit, to eate the grapes being ripe, or to preserue and keepe them to bee eaten almost all the winter following: And this may be done without any great or extraordinarie paines. Some doe make a lowe wall, and plant their Vines against it, and keepe them much about the height thereof, not suffering them to rise much higher: but if the high bricke or stone wals of your Garden or Orchard haue buttresses thereat, or if you cause such to bee made, that they bee somewhat broade forwards, you may the more conueniently plant Vines of diuers sorts at them, and by sticking down a couple of good stakes at euery buttresse, of eight or ten foot high aboue ground, tacking a few lathes acrosse vpon those stakes, you may thereunto tye your Vines, & carry them theron at your pleasure: but you must be carefull to cut them euery year, but not too late, and so keepe them downe, and from farre spreading, that they neuer runne much beyond the frame which you set at the buttresses: as also in your cutting you neuer leaue too many ioynts, nor yet too few, but at the third or fourth ioint at the most cut them off. I doe aduise you to these frames made with stakes and lathes, for the better ripening of your grapes: for in the blooming time, if the branches of your vines bee too neare the wall, the reflection of the Sunne in the day time, and the colde in the night, doe oftentimes spoile a great deale of fruit, by piercing and withering the tender footstalkes of the grapes, before they are formed, whereas when the blossomes are past, and the fruit growing of some bignesse, then all the heate and reflection you can giue them is fit, and therefore cut away some of the branches with the leaues, to admit the more Sunne to ripen the fruit. For the diuers sorts of grapes I haue set them downe in the [Booke following], with briefe notes vpon euerie of them, whether white or blacke, small or great, early or late ripe; so that I neede not here make the same relation again. There doth happen some diseases to Vines sometimes, which that you may helpe, I thinke it conuenient to informe you what they are, and how to remedy them when you shall be troubled with any such. The first is a luxurious spreading of branches and but little or no fruit: for remedie whereof, cut the branches somewhat more neere then vsuall, and bare the roote, but take heed of wounding or hurting it, and in the hole put either some good old rotten stable dung of Horses, or else some Oxe blood new taken from the beasts, and that in the middle of Ianuarie or beginning of Februarie, which being well tempered and turned in with the earth, let it so abide, which no doubt, when the comfort of the blood or dung is well soaked to the bottome by the raines that fall thereon, will cause your Vine to fructifie againe. Another fault is, when a Vine doth not bring the fruit to ripenesse, but either it withereth before it be growne of any bignesse, or presently after the blooming: the place or the earth where such a Vine standeth, assuredly is too cold, and therefore if the fault bee not in the place, which cannot bee helped without remouing to a better, digge out a good quantity of that earth, and put into the place thereof some good fresh ground well heartned with dung, and some sand mixed therewith (but not salt or salt water, as some doe aduise, nor yet vrine as others would haue) and this will hearten and strengthen your Vine to beare out the fruit vnto maturitie. When the leaues of a Vine in the end of Summer or in Autumne, vntimely doe turne either yellow or red, it is a great signe the earth is too hot and drie; you must therefore in stead of dung and sand, as in the former defect is said, put in some fresh loame or short clay, well mixed together with some of the earth, and so let them abide, that the frosts may mellow them. And lastly, a Vine sometimes beareth some store of grapes, but they are too many for it to bring to ripenesse; you shall therefore helpe such a Vine (which no doubt is of some excellent kinde, for they are most vsually subiect to this fault) by nipping away the blossomes from the branches, and leauing but one or two bunches at the most vpon a branch, vntill the Vine be growne older, and thereby stronger, and by this meane inured to beare out all the grapes to ripenesse. These be all the diseases I know doe happen to Vines: for the bleeding of a Vine it seldome happeneth of it selfe, but commeth either by cutting it vntimely, that is, too late in the yeare, (for after Ianuarie, if you will be well aduised, cut not any Vine) or by some casuall or wilfull breaking of an arme or a branch. This bleeding in some is vnto death, in others it stayeth after a certaine space of it selfe: To helpe this inconuenience, some haue seared the place where it bleedeth with an hot iron, which in many haue done but a little good; others haue bound the barke close with packe-thred to stay it; and some haue tied ouer the place, being first dried as well as may bee, a plaister made with waxe rossen and turpentine while it is warme. Now for the propagating of them: You must take the fairest and goalest shot branches of one yeares growth, and cut them off with a peece of the old wood vnto it, and these being put into the ground before the end of Ianuarie at the furthest, will shoote forth, and take roote, and so become Vines of the same kinde from whence you tooke them. This is the most speedy way to haue increase: for the laying downe of branches to take roote, doth not yeelde such store so plentifully, nor doe suckers rise from the rootes so aboundantly; yet both these waies doe yeelde Vines that being taken from the old stockes will become young plants, fit to bee disposed of as any shall thinke meete.
Chap. XI.
The way to order and preserue grapes, fit to be eaten almost all the Winter long, and sometimes vnto the Spring.
Although it bee common and vsuall in the parts beyond the Sea to dry their grapes in the Sunne, thereby to preserue them all the year, as the Raisins of the Sunne are, which cannot bee done in our Countrie for the want of sufficient heate thereof at that time: or otherwise to scald them in hot water (as I heare) and afterwards to dry them, and so keepe them all the yeare, as our Malaga Raisins are prepared that are packed vp into Frayles: yet I doe intend to shew you some other waies to preserue the grapes of our Countrie fresh, that they may be eaten in the winter both before and after Christmas with as much delight and pleasure almost, as when they were new gathered. One way is, when you haue gathered your grapes you intend to keepe, which must be in a dry time, and that all the shrunke, dried, or euill grapes in euery bunch be picked away, and hauing prouided a vessell to hold them, be it of wood or stone which you will, and a sufficient quantitie of faire and cleane drie sand; make stratum super stratum of your grapes and the sand, that is, a lay of sand in the bottome first, and a lay of grapes vpon them, and a lay or strowing againe of sand vpon those grapes, so that the sand may couer euery lay of grapes a fingers breadth in thicknesse, which being done one vpon another vntill the vessell be full, and a lay of sand vppermost, let the vessell be stopped close, and set by vntill you please to spend them, being kept in some drie place and in no sellar: let them bee washed cleane in faire water to take away the sand from so many you will spend at a time. Another way is (which Camerarius setteth downe he was informed the Turkes vse to keepe grapes all the winter vnto the next summer) to take so much meale of Mustard seede, as will serue to strow vpon grapes, vntill they haue filled their vessels, thereon afterwards they poure new wine before it hath boiled, to fill vp their vessels therwith, and being stopped vp close, they keepe them a certaine time, and selling them with their liquour to them that will vse them, they doe wash the seedes or meale from them when they vse them. Another way is, that hauing gathered the fairest ripe grapes, they are to be cast vpon threds or strings that are fastened at both ends to the side walls of a chamber, neere vnto the seeling thereof, that no one bunch touch another, which will bee so kept a great while, yet the chamber must be well defended from the frosts, and cold windes that pierce in at the windowes, lest they perish the sooner: and some will dippe the ends of the branches they hang vp first in molten pitch, thinking by searing vp the ends to keepe the bunches the better; but I doe not see any great likelihood therein. Your chamber or closet you appoint out for this purpose must also bee kept somewhat warme, but especially in the more cold and frostie time of the yeare, lest it spoile all your cost and paines, and frustrate you of all your hopes: but although the frosts should pierce and spoile some of the grapes on a bunch, yet if you be carefull to keepe the place warme, the fewer will be spoiled. And thus haue I shewed you the best directions to order this Orchard rightly, and all the waies I know are vsed in our Countrie to keep grapes good anie long time after the gathering, in regard wee haue not that comfort of a hotter Sun to preserue them by its heate.
The fruits themselues shall follow euerie one in their order; the lower shrubbes or bushes first, and the greater afterwards.
