0Q4 TRANSACTIONS OF THE NOnTHEftN 



season. 11ic leaves and friiii lield to thr \ ines in perfect health, till the 

 frost. 



I have a few Salern vines near my house, where the clay was thrown 

 out from the cellar, the roots of the vines were put down below the clav 

 on the natural soil, the surface has never been disturbed by cultivation 

 or otherwise, and is nearly as hard as brick, no water has penetrated it 

 down to the roots, and those vines have done the best of any I have of that 

 variety not grafted. I am trying the experiment of ridging up the 

 ground and mulching it to shed off the water, and keep down the weeds, 

 but it is more expensive than grafting on healthy growing vines such as 

 Clintons that cost but twenty dollars per thousand, the grafting of these 

 thirty dollars more, perhaps, making but fifty dollars, while choice 

 varieties of vines for planting at present prices cost over one hundred 

 dollars per thousand. 



1 am extending my vineyard by putting out C'linton roots on which 

 to graft such varieties as I wish to grow, thus saving half the first cost, 

 and securing strong healthy growing vines. I have tried Fuller's plan 

 of grafting in the fall, but they failed to grow as well as the grafts set in 

 July, and the expense of protecting them through the winter, precludes the 

 operation in the fall. 



I have over a thousand vines in my yard, at the house, on 

 which to try experiments and note the results more accurately than i 

 could in the vineyard. Two years ago, I put up a lot of the vines for 

 fruiting, of different varieties that were from twelve to fifteen feet in 

 length, trained them so as to have the vines lap over each other eighteen 

 inches apart, and allowed them to carry ail the fruit they would set 

 without thinning out a bunch. 



Clintons and Isabellas loaded so heavily with fruit that the vines 

 made scarcely any growth, but the fruit ripened up well; the next season, 

 they carried nearly the same amount of fruit from the spurs, ripened it 

 up w^ell and made a good growth of vine ; 1 conclude from this, that 

 the roots will expand and gain strength in proportion to the require- 

 ment of the vine above ground. 



Hartfords, Concords, Rogers four and tilteen did not set so much 

 fruit as to check the growth of vines. None of the vines so treated show 

 indications of being injured in the least, but appear capable of carrying 

 double the amount of fruit another year to the vines that have been 

 cropped off and treated in the ordinary way. The ground has all been 

 well manured. 



In putting up the vines in my vineyard two years ago, I discovered 

 that the canes shortened for fruiting were not starting into growth as 

 early as those left long for'laycring, therefore, I put up the long vines 

 for fruiting, and the result was, my grapes were all ripe and gathered 

 before any others come into market here. I tried the same experiment 

 last season, and the result was the same, enabling me to get a better 

 price for my grapes than those that came into market later in the season; 

 when the price became reduced, my grapes were sufficiently ripe to com- 



