126 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



loam, resting on clay and lime rock, wliicli at various j)oints crops out at the 

 surface. Limestone is intermingled with the soil pretty freely. The ground on 

 which these nurseries stand has been thoroughly underdraiued with tile to a 

 depth ranging from four to six feet. With a soil like this and in this condition 

 none but healthy trees can be grown, unless the climate is too severe for some 

 varieties. The committee were pleased to find very few unhealthy trees upon 

 the whole 300 acres. It is a rule of this establishment to discard all trees not 

 sound to the core. The committee Avere assured that in no case is a sickly or 

 diseased tree sent to the patrons of this nursery, unless it escapes the careful 

 examination of the proprietors. The committee take pleasure in expressing 

 their belief that this honorable as well as prudent maxim is conscientiously 

 adhered to. The immense blocks of trees are in rows as straight as a line can 

 be drawn, are very uniform in size, stocky, w^ll rooted, and straight. 



On a portion of their grounds adjoining the depot of the Michigan Southern 

 railroad, these gentlemen have erected large and commodious buildings for the 

 reception of trees from the nurseries when dry, and for packing and boxing in 

 during stormy weather. In the basement of one of these buildings a large por- 

 tion is set apart as a place to heel trees in, to keep over winter. The other 

 building is of stone, 50x100 feet, and is devoted exclusively to this purpose. 



Peach trees which, if left in the ground all winter are often very seriously 

 injured by the cold, or which if heeled in the open ground are not wholly free 

 from injury, may be kept here as fresh as when taken up. Of course such trees 

 will suit the planter much better than if they had been exposed to winds, sun, 

 and storm all winter. Such keeping is a very good guarantee that they will 

 grow. 



The vineyard owned by Miss Henrietta Bruckner contains 1,000 Concord 

 vines, and besides, some Delawares, Crevelings, and Hartfords. The Hartfords 

 were gone, though we found a few dried and very sweet. The Crevelings were 

 surprisingly fine, and delighted us by their sweet and pleasant flavor and aroma 

 and their freedom from sour core. 



The Concords were heavily loaded, and the fruit was of excellent quality 

 and most thoroughly ripened. This vineyard receives very careful culture. 

 Level culture is the rule — no ridging up the vine-rows. The thrip is very 

 plentiful here, and some believe it injures the Delaware vine and fruit. From 

 between fifty and seventy-five vines of the Delaware in this vineyard, 433 

 pounds of fruit were gathered. In one corner of this vineyard a small block of 

 Marthas had been planted, but they had died out and out — not one left. The 

 cause could not be ascertained. To look at the Catawbas, Delawares, Concords, 

 and Crevelings growing most vigorously and loaded with fruit, one would say 

 that any vine would prosper here. The soil is the same clay loam, filled with 

 broken limestone ; surface nearly level. A short distance farther to the south- 

 east is the Kaisin Valley vineyard belonging to George W. Bruckner. It was 

 planted in 1869, and covers eight acres. Eoot pruning has been tried here as 

 an experiment, but with results not very well determined, though the system 

 is regarded by the owner with some favor. The method pursued is to take off 

 entire some of the upper roots — a practice which few fruit-growers would feel 

 safe in adopting. We forgot to mention that the vines in the vineyard belong- 

 ing to Henrietta Bruckner are trained to a wire trellis —large posts being placed 

 at the ends of the rows, the wires drawn horizontally and supported by smaller 

 posts. But in the vineyard here the vines are grown to stakes, which admits 

 free working both ways. Stakes are thought to be cheaper than trellis. Some 



