SOCIETY OF NORTHEEN ' ILLINOIS. 259 



and 1887 produced some of the finest grapes that were ever grown in 

 Northern Illinois. I visited Mr. Cotta's place in the fall of 1887, 

 and there saw some of the finest grapes that has ever been my 

 pleasure to behold. I refer to the Niagara, Moore's Early and 

 Worden. A few years previous I had seen just the reverse. 



I don't care how you cultivate in a wet, damp season, you will 

 not grow good grapes. We want the wet kept off our grapes as 

 much as possible if we wish them perfect. It never gets too dry in 

 our part of the country to grow good grapes, but often gets too wet. 

 The best plan to grow grapes is to drive a stake into each vineyard. 

 Have it about six feet above ground, large enough and strong enough 

 to hold the vine. Drive a nail or two, about five feet high, into each 

 post. Lap the vines around the post, and tie a string around vines 

 and post to hold them in position, and let it go until the fruit is set. 

 Then pinch off the end of each vine, three or four buds beyond the 

 last bunch of fruit, and let it go for that season, except that you cul- 

 tivate it with a horse and shovel plow each way, and keep down all 

 weeds and grass. By tying the vines up to stakes, the foliage forms 

 an almost complete umbrella, that will protect the fruit, in a 

 measure, from the rain and heavy dew. 



There is now in Northern Illinois, on trial, a seedling grape — 

 an out-door grape, — and, I think, the finest grape we have. It is 

 grown in Freeport, and surpasses the Delaware, Jeffries, Walter and, 

 in short, all the fine varieties that I have had the pleasure of tasting. 



I have previously grown forty-three varieties before we had rot 

 and blight among our grapes. 



DISCUSSIOX. 



Mr. Austin — We think the Crescent Seedling one of the best 

 strawberries we have for productiveness and hardiness, and I am 

 surprised it is not mentioned in the paper. I would like to inquire 

 if the grape rot is general over the northern part of Illinois ? 



Mr. Piper — So far as I have observed, it is. A heavy shower 

 followed by warm, sultry weather will set them to rotting. 



Mr. Periam — My experience has been that the method of train- 

 ing a grape vine to a stake is the right one, and that it is a good 

 thing to renew your vines. Grape rot cannot be called a contagious 

 disease. It always comes on in wet, hot, muggy weather. Sulphur 

 is a specific for mildew on grapes. The inclination of a grapevine 

 is to overgrow, and it should be kept well trimmed back. The 

 vines are so easily renewed that there need be no trouble result. I 

 think they should be pinched back to within about two buds of the 



