AMONG THE ORCHARDS AND VINEYARDS. 141 



THE BRUCKXER YINETARDS. 



The first Tineyard examined was that of Henrietta Bruckner, a young^ 

 maiden, and bequeathed by her lather, the late Christopher Bruckner. A 

 goodly inheritance from a wise father, and most sacredly appreciated by a duti- 

 ful child. It was christened In her honor, and named the " Henrietta Vine- 

 yard.'' It contains two acres, and was planted in 18G8. In this and the one 

 adjoining, owned by her brother, the limestone crops out so near the surface 

 as to make it difiBcult to cultivate. The surface was literally strewn with, 

 fragments of the rock broken loose by the plow, and some spots were noticed 

 so destitute of any soil whatever that it seemed impossible for anything to 

 root or grow at all, and yet the most luxurious vines and the finest fruit were 

 found on many of these spots. One thousand of the vines in this Henrietta 

 vineyard are Concords, the balance Delawares ; and to this little vineyard be- 

 longs the credit of producing the largest and most even clusters of the Con- 

 cords anywhere found in our journeyings, and the Delawares equal to thebest^ 

 Adjoining this was the one entered by George W. Bruckner in the same class, 

 No. 23. This vineyard contained more of a variety, and was a sort of trial 

 plat, but as usual the Concord predominated. Very fine Norton's Virginia,. 

 Ives, several of the hybrids, the lona, which is very poor in these Monroe 

 vineyards. The Hartford Prolific is in perfection here. We found the vines still 

 loaded, although a mouth after ripening, with the berries clinging to the stem 

 and partially dried, resembling fine layer raisins, and very sweet to the taste. 

 A few vines of the Creveling were found with fine clusters, which was pro- 

 nounced by all present the finest eating grape yet tested. The Concords on. 

 these two vineyards were all contracted to the Monroe Wine Co. at four cents 

 per pound. The average picking up to that time was slightly more thau ten 

 pounds per vine. On inquiry as to how near should the Concord be planted, 

 Bruckner says not less than 8x8 feet, — any nearer would be a decided injury. 

 Here I might mention we found only one vineyard planted nearer. They were 

 Concords, and planted 4x4 feet, — a perfect failure, and the only one in this 

 region. 



Adjoining these vineyards of the Bruckners was one of twelve acres belong- 

 ing to the Detroit Wine Co., and others still added to these until the entire 

 block contained upwards of forty acres, like one solid vinery, which it was in 

 fact, no fences intervening to mark the boundary of each vineyard. Standing 

 on a slight eminence, the debris of an abandoned lime kiln on the margin of 

 the Henrietta vineyard, there were visible, at no greater distance perhaps than 

 eighty rods from our standing point, vines from which, at that time, were 

 hanging not less thau one hundred and fifty tons of this most luscious fruit. 



The "Raisin Valley" vineyard of G. W. Bruckner contains eight acres, and 

 was next visited. It difiers from the others in the vicinity only in respect to 

 soil. A sandy ridge passes through the center of it. Here the vines were less 

 luxuriant and appeared to have suffered greatly from the drouth, the quantity 

 per vine measurably less, and the bunches inferior in size. 



Our next move was to Snake Island vineyard, also owned by G. W. Bruck- 

 ner. This and several other islands are situated in the bay at the mouth of 

 the river Eaisin ; it is distant from the main land about a mile, and was reached 

 by our party in row boats. These islands are small, of only a few acres in ex- 

 tent. The soil, like the main land, is black alluvial, and scarcely above the 

 surrounding waters. The trellised vines appeared from the distance of half a 



