On the culture of the Grape Vine. 127 



the ninth or twelfth of the Fourth month (April) Oa 

 uncovering them, they have uniformly had a fresh, 

 healthy appearance, and I have discovered no bleeding 

 of the vines ; to prevent which, I consider the fall trim- 

 ming of importance, on account of the necessity of letting 

 them remain in the covered state to so late a period in 

 the season. If the vines should have attained a consi- 

 derable size, some care will be requisite in laying them 

 do\T n, that a tolerably regular curve be formed near the 

 bottom ; otherwise, the woody fibres may be so much 

 strained r»s to injure them ; but this is easily prevented, 

 by previously raising the earth round the foot of the vine, 

 to the height of one, two, or three feet, according to its 

 size. 



To the adoption of this practice of covering with 

 earth (as no greater degree of cold, can penetrate through 

 the covering, than 32 degrees of Fahrenheit,) I have attri- 

 buted some handsome crops obtained, of my white sweet- 

 water, and also some very fine bunches, this season, from 

 a young vine called the Montesquieu, which I consider 

 a remarkably fine grape, originally introduced from 

 France. 



I remain your friend, 



Isaac C. Joistes. 



Curators of the 

 PhiL Agric, Society, 



P. S. — It will be best, to insure the vines from bleed- 

 ing in the spring, to omit covering them for a week or 

 ten days, after trimming in the fall, in order that the 

 wounds occasioned by trimming may have time to dry, 

 and the pores in some measure become closed by ex- 

 posure to the atmosphere. I. C. J. 



[I have been in the practice of laying down in the fall, and 

 covering my grape vines, during at least thirty years. I some- 

 times trim them in the autumn ; but most commonly in the 



