They break them at two years old, and they last to thirty.
The corn-lands here rent for about fifteen livres the arpent. They are
now planting, pruning, and sticking their vines. When a new vineyard
is made, they plant the vines in gutters about four feet apart. As the
vines advance, they lay them down. They put out new shoots, and fill
all the intermediate space, till all trace of order is lost. They have
ultimately about one foot square to each vine. They begin to yield good
profit at five or six years old, and last one hundred, or one hundred
and fifty years. A vigneron at Volnay carried me into his vineyard,
which was of about ten arpents. He told me, that some years it produced
him sixty pieces of wine, and some not more than three pieces. The
latter is the most advantageous produce, because the wine is better in
quality, and higher in price, in proportion as less is made; and the
expenses, at the same time, diminish in the same proportion. Whereas,
when much is made, the expenses are increased, while the quality and
price become less. In very plentiful years, they often give one half the
wine for casks to contain the other half.
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