VINEYARDS. 39 



VINEYARDS. 



MIDDLESEX. 



From the Report of the Committee. 



The Committee visited four vineyards, two in Concord and 

 one in Lincoln, on the 4th day of October, and one in Cam- 

 bridgeport on the 5th. After much deliberation they decided 

 unanimously to award the premium of $20 to John B. Moore, 

 of Concord, for the best and most economical method of culti- 

 vating hardy grapes. The Committee gave the preference to 

 his grapes for fineness of flavor. They were satisfied that his 

 method of pruning, staking, tying and training his vines was 

 the best and most economical. The Committee viewed the 

 vineyard of Mr. Thomas F. Hunt with much pleasure, and 

 would unanimously recommend that a gratuity of $15 be paid 

 to him for his laudable efforts to promote grape culture in this 

 county, and for his able and interesting statement. It was a 

 very grave question to decide between the vineyards in Concord. 



The Committee next visited the vineyard of Mr. Henry Derby, 

 in Lincoln, where they saw some beautiful vines and clusters of 

 large berries. Mr. Derby is much devoted to grape culture, 

 and rapidly bringing his vineyard to a high state of improve- 

 ment. All the above grapes were the Concord variety, and are 

 well worth a visit for those wishing information on hardy grape 

 culture. 



The last vineyard visited by the Committee was that of 

 Messrs. Davis & Bates, in Cambridgeport. The season was so 

 far advanced that more than half the fruit had been removed, 

 so that it was not seen to advantage. The fruit in their vine- 

 yard came to maturity so early, the locality being a very warm 

 one, that they had commenced gathering it long before the 

 Committee's visit. They can show every variety of hardy grape, 

 and give every information of its season for ripening, in Massa- 

 chusetts. Their place is a perfect model for neatness and 

 economy of ground, for grape and pear culture in a city, and is 

 well worthy of being visited and imitated by every amateur, 

 especially those who have only a small garden. Their vines are 

 trained upon a trellis a foot from a fence ten feet high, which 

 incloses their whole grounds. 



