s EDITOK'8 TABLE. 



fjiniilj of ITybrids, have fruited in the open air this year, and withstood the severe cold of 

 last MMiiter uni)rotocted. The mildew has been more extensive this year than usual, and 

 tlio excessive rains have not only delayed the ripening of out-door grapes, but injured tlicir 

 flavor. Respectfully youi-s, John Fisk Allen. 



W. Brocksbank, of Hudson, N. Y., forwards us a box of the Rebecca Grape, and says : — 



" The vine is an accidental seedling, which originated in the garden of Mr. G. M. Pcake, 

 of Hudson, N. Y., whether from the seed of native or foreign grape, is not known, altliough 

 its aroma and other characteristics indicate it to be of native origin. It is perfectly hardy, 

 enduring our severest winters, in any exposure, without injury. 



" The original vine has fruited for the last five years ; one, three years old, from a layer, 

 has now upon it at least a hundred good-sized bunches of fruit. It is a good bearer and 

 thrifty grower, extending its shoots from fifteen to twenty feet in one season, with good 

 cultivation. Fruit ripens a week or ten days earlier than the Isabella." 



A correspondent who has seen the " Rebecca" vines, says : " From the foliage, I entertain 

 no doubt of its native origin." Another assures us that it was considered, at the Pomolo- 

 gical Convention, the best native grape yet brought into notice. A third " looks for quite 

 &fuTor about this grape," and suggests "planting it alongside a Chasselas of Fontainbleu, 

 and dusting the blossoms together, hoping to raise a seedling which will combine the hardi- 

 ness of the one with the excellent flavor and fine bunches of the other." Really, this grape 

 is, in our oi)inion, a great success. We are not informed whether Mr. B. is prepared to take 

 orders for vines, but trust that he is, and that ho will be fully rewarded for his discovery of 

 such a delicious and compactly bunched, white, hardy grape. " Allen's Hybrid" and the 

 "Rebecca," are destined to be great favorites, and to supersede some of our present best 

 table grapes. 



Grape- Vines ACAry. — We have recorded the success of Mr. Glendinning, in taking the 

 prizes from the best English grape growers by grapes from his small house and limited 

 border. Several writers have taken up the topic and now assert that the proper theory is 

 that vines root in the subsoil, and obtain sufficient nourishment there ; numerous instances 

 are given of carelessness in making preparations for roots where success was very remark- 

 able. In one case, a gentleman made a hole with a pickaxe, and a little soil was i^ut in to 

 cover the roots ; nothing more was done when the celebrated vines which produced four 

 crops in two years were planted. What say the advocates for whole oxen now ? Good, 

 fibrous loam, and roots deep in the soil, beyond the ordinary atmospheric changes, is now 

 the theory ! 



VixETAKDS SUCCEED iJT India, at Ghuzni, a table-land in India, 8,000 feet above the 

 sea, the climate resembling that of Canada, the air dry, summers short and extremely 

 hot, the thermometer indicating sometimes 1120 in a tent. Tliis part of Aflfghanistan is 

 celebrated for its vineyards — indeed, grapes are said to be the staple of the country. The 

 system of cultivation pursued may give a valuable hint to our country, as the only one by 

 which in a cold climate and with limited means the cultivator could hope to see his vines 

 ripen, both fruit and wood. 



The site of the vineyard is selected, if possible, on the slope of a hill with a southern 

 aspect. The ground is then dug in trenches (running north and south) at intervals of about 

 twelve feet, and from three to four feet deep, the soil excavated being deposited between 

 the trenches, thus forming intermediate mounds, the whole finally resembling somewhat a 

 gigantic celery bed. All the stones that have been dug out (and, if necessary, others are 

 collected for the same purpose), are then driven into the sides of the trenches and mounds. 



