394 



DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



I should be pleased to notice some of the very 

 interesting experiments, of which Mr. Allen gives 

 us the details ; but we have already extended our 

 rema,rks to a much greater length than I originally 

 intended, and I will conclude by expressing the 

 hope that the author may receive the reward to 

 which he is so richly entitled, of finding an exten- 

 sive demand for his work. Yours, A Nexv-Jef- 

 sey Stibscriber. .... 



Vineyard Profits. —In my letter, published 

 in the Patent Office Report, several errors occur, 

 of misprint, and one of my own mistakes, that re^ 

 quire correction, I have erroneously described 

 the Herbemont Grape. It has a light coloured 

 wood, with a blue tinge. The Lenoir description, 

 as there given by me, is the Herbemont; and the 

 description of the latter describes the Lenoir. 

 The Lenoir does not succeed here. The Herbe- 

 mont is hardy, and of great excellence, both for 

 the table and for wine.* It should have an open, 

 porous soil, where the water can sink freely, as it 

 is subject to rot. At my vineyards, in a stiff clay 

 subsoil, it rots badly. In my garden, it seldom 

 rots. I am made to speak of " Spanish Mansin- 

 vellawine." It should read, Manzanilla. I erred 

 in saying that the York Madeira was the same as 

 the Schuylkill Mu.'icadcll. It is a smaller, and, I 

 think, an inferior grape. 



By Mr. Weller's letter, in the Patent Office 

 Report, I discover that 200tO gallons of wine may, 

 in North Carolina, be made Irom an acre of the 

 Scuppernong Grape, and the wine sold for $i per 

 n-allon; S6000 clean profit, from a single acre of 

 vines ! We have never yet made more than 1000 

 gallons from an acre, and this is a rare occurrence ; 

 and the same would not yield over $1000. What 

 makes it more singular is, our wine is made from 

 the Catawba Grape, — the bunches often weighing 

 1 lb., and in one instance 24 oz. Yet the Scup- 

 pernonir is a sort with small bunches, generally 

 bearing from. 2 to 8 berries only. We find it in 

 great abundance on the Mis.sissippi, where it is 

 called the " Muscadine." 2000 gallons to the 

 acre, according to Mr. W., would appear to be 

 the average crop. It is true, the expense of cul- 

 tivation in North Carolina is great. " $1000 per 

 acre." Four times the average price of wine from 

 an acre with us. Again, where the Carolina 

 yield is 2000 gallons to the acre, the cost of the 

 suo-ar, indispensable in the manufacture, is $1000! 

 But this is a trifle, where the wine brings $8000! 

 The Scuppernong juice appears to be a singular 

 article. 



To make even a Hock wine, which we all know 

 is a dry, hard wine, you must [according to Mr. 

 W.,] put three pounds of sugar to the gallon of 

 juice! One-half of this sugar, to our poorest juice, 

 would be certain to give us a rich, sweet, ladies' 

 wine, resembling Sweet Malmsey. But flattering 

 as these prospects are, I would advise our vine- 



* The most delicious American wine we have yet tasted, 

 ■was a bottle of Herbemont, from Mr. Longworth. Ed. 



dressers to give a preference to California, or to 

 be content with our present stock of grapes, and 

 not introduce the Scuppernong into their vine 

 yards; as I am fearful the result would proVc the 

 truth of Mr. Weller's observations, that his is '•' a 

 theory on a large scale." One thing is certain ; 

 the Scuppernong grape and wine are not favorites 

 in the west. Respectfully, N. Longworth. 



[We have examined Mr. Well£r's letter in the 

 Report referred to, and agree with "our corres- 

 pondent, (who is by far the most experienced vine- 

 grower in America,) that Mr. W.'s views are ex- 

 travagant. " Tiiree pounds of sugar to a gallon," 

 M'ould make a cordial, not a dry wine, Ed.] 



Plantinc Orchards.— -Frte7)(i Downing: — 

 Though late in the season, we have just finished 

 preparing the ground and holes for a new a])pie 

 orchard, — the weather and ground being fine. 



The lot has been well manured, and planted 

 witii potatoes the two past seasons, and very 

 deeply ploughed* before " digging the holes." 

 These were dug from four to five feet square, and 

 two feet deep,— -throwing the surface soil sepa- 

 rately from the clayey subsoil. We then hauled 

 a full horse cart load, for each tree, of rich earth; 

 the gradual deposite of years from the action of 

 washing rains near our barnyard, and filled tlie 

 holes nearly full of this and the surface soil, mixed 

 preparatory to setting the trees,— thro vring aside 

 the subsoil entirely. Previously to filling in this 

 earth, we made the bottom of the holes the de- 

 pository of all the filth and trash we could find, — 

 night soil, the refuse animal matter of our annual 

 butchering house, old mortar, oyster shells, old 

 shoes, iron, &.c. &.C.; being glad of an opportu- 

 nity of burying them out of sight, with the hope, 

 also, that they would be in some degree servicea- 

 ble to the young trees. These we shall now 

 proceed to plant, if the weather continues open; 

 and if it should not, everything will be ready 

 for an early spring planting. 



I know it may be said, that this is matter of 

 little or no interest to the readers of your paper 

 generally; and I only allude to it, mainly, through 

 the selfish consideration of making it the occasion 

 of soliciting your opinion of the method pursued, 

 for the benefit of myself and other beginners in 

 fruit culture. I might add — the trees are some 

 of the first fruits of our nursery experience ; two 

 summers' growth — from seven to nine feet high — 

 equal, perhaps, for our purpose, to older and 

 larger ones ! 



But the main purpose of my writing was to 

 call attention to a more important matter, and to 

 ask for light upon the subject. 



In taking up trees this fall, I notice in a chance 

 one, that some of the roots will be full of excres- 

 cences, or warts, and covered with a minute white 

 woolly insect; and that some of them find lodge- 

 ment on the trunks of the trees, in the partly 



• A* "Sfp"* as could be ploughed without a subsoil plough. 



