298 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



arc in tlic orchard amongst the trees and tliey have rotted so bad every 

 year that I did not save 25 per cent, and this year I know I saved 95 

 per cent from them but still I would not be sure because we had a very 

 fair season for grapes. I will try it every year, and would like for every- 

 body that has grapes to try it, and if it is a help it would be a blessing. 

 The cost is not much for the 300 vines. I use 8 pounds sulphate of 

 copper at I2i cents, $1 ; 20 pounds of fresh lime, 10 cents, that makes 

 $1.10, and 35 gallons of the mixture. A thousand vines would not 

 cost over $3. Put it on in time — say about the roth of May — I believe 

 in prevention — then every 'ten days on up to June 15th. By that time 

 the leaves are all well grown and perfect, then after that about twice a 

 month, unless the weather is sultry, thunder and rainstorms, frequent 

 flashes of lightning, and when the vines are dew-drenched in the morn- 

 ing, then I would put it on as soon as it dried off after a rain, even if it 

 had to be every second or third day. 



Another thing I would recommend for the prevention: Cut your 

 vines in the fall season, as you can commence about the middle of No- 

 vember. Then save your best cuttings, put them away in the sand in 

 the celler or bury them in the ground or plant them right off and mulch 

 them heavy, the way I do. Then go and rake your vineyard, clean off the 

 leaves and cuttings, remove from the vineyard and burn them up, so if 

 any Spores or Fungus are left on the ground from last summer, they 

 will be destroyed 



A few words about some new varieties, such as Niagara, heralded 

 like Niagara herself, as one of the wonders of the world, are no better 

 than the Cone rd. If the Concord does well in your locality, the Ni- 

 agara will too, or, vice versa; Early Victor will take a high position as a 

 popular and profitable early black grape. It ripens here July lOth to 

 15th. It resembles the Hartford, but unlike the Hartford, is a grape of 

 excellent quality, slight pulpiness, small seeds, free from foxiness, and 

 the berry does not fall from the cluster even when overripe. Geo W. 

 Campbell says : " I know of no black so well fitted to take the place 

 of all the foxy abominations (Hartford, Ives, Tolman, Early Champion, 

 Janesville), which have been tolerated on account of their earliness. It 

 is really a very good black grape, with a vine of the earliest and hardi- 

 est type of the Labrusca class" and the Empire State is one of the 

 strongest growers I have on my place, and one of the finest and sweet- 

 est ; bunches large, from six to ten inches long. I had grafts inserted 

 in two three-year old Concords, in the spring of 1887, and this year 

 one had 41 bunches, and the other had 34, and such beautiful color of 

 white with very high tinge of yellow^ but it only began to ripen in this 



