STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 51 
-of intelligent care, success will be the rule, and failure the exception. 
Having decided to plant a vineyard, the first thought is to be bestowed upon 
soil and location. The grape vine will grow upon aimost any kind of soil but 
some soils are greatly to be preferred over others. A very sandy or gravelly 
-soil should be avoided because it does not contain enough potash lime and vege- 
table humuns to supply the vine and perfect the fruit, and is njuriously affected 
by extensive drouth; equally as bad a soil would be a deep, rich, damp, muck; 
such a soil would produce a rampant growth of soft, pithy, long jointed wood, 
which will be subject to kill back to the roots every hard winter, and if it did 
survive to produce fruit, the fruit would be of a very low grade ae either for 
wine or market, a little better than none, perhaps. 
As far as my experience and observation extends I am led to believe that a 
dry clay or sandy loam rich enough to produce a fair crop of corn and having a 
-subsoil that is not retentive of water is well adapted for the vineyard, and a soil 
that 1s composed largely of disintegrated lime and sand rock which is a marked 
feature of the alluvial terraces that everywhere abound among the bluffs that 
border the Mississippi River and its tributaries, is the very best, and the rocky 
clay loam upon the sides and tops of the blutts where grass and grain cannot be 
profitably grown is No. 1 for grapes. A stiff clay where well drained and deeply 
worked may be used if no better is at hand and except in very unfavorable 
seasons, will give satisfactory results. It is generally conceded here that success 
depends fully as much upon the locationas thesoil. Southern, southeastern and 
eastern aspects are considered to be the best in this climate as ensuring a longer 
season for the growth and a better temperature for ripening the fruit, but if our 
seasons were long enough, a few of the thin leafed varieties would do better up- 
on northern and northeastern exposures as they would be more exempt from 
mildew and leaf bight. It matters very little whether the surface of the soil is 
nearly level or a more or less steep hill-side, except in the expense of fitting the 
ground and the after cultivation, but where the hill-side is at hand I should 
choose it as being better adapted for grapes than any other crop that can be put 
upon it and more exempt from injury by frosts. 
; Preparation of the soil. 
It would, to say the least, be very unwise to plant upon our new wild soil un- 
till it has been subdued and properly prepared. Where the land is sufficiently 
level and free from stone to admit the cheapest and best method of preparing 
the soil is with a strong team and plow. If the ground has already been brok- 
en up, two and perhaps one deep plowing’ may : nswer, but where the location 
is virgin soil the sod should first be broken and given time for rotting and after- 
wards given two deep plowings; this requires that the preparation should begin 
at least one year before the planting. At the last plowing it is a good plan to 
lay the land off into narrow beds by backfurrowing, leaving deep open forrows 
between to carry off surplus water from heavy rains. 
Where too steep or rocky for using a team add plow, the soil is prepared with 
a mathook or spade. Where the mathook is used the laborer stands on the 
lower side of the ground and strikes into the bank above, hauling the loosened 
earth toward him, prying out, with pick or crobar, any stones that interfere, 
throwing them into piles upon the fresh dry ground below, to be carted off or 
used in the construction of terrace walls. In this manner, if proper care is used, 
