FARMERS' REGISTER— FOREIGN AND NATIVE GRAPES. 



519 



From the Cultivator. 



SOILS SUITABLE AND UNSUITABLE FOR 

 WHEAT. 



I. H. J. inquires of us, in the Maine Farmer, 

 if the culture of wheat has not declined in the old 

 counties of this state, and the cause of this de- 

 clension. It has declined materially; and there 

 are several reasons for it. One cause is, that we 

 cannot compete in its culture with the great west, on 

 account of the latter growing double the crop, and 

 with less labor and expense in its production, than 

 we do. The west is emphatically a wheat soil, a 

 secondary formation, abounding in lime and ani- 

 mal matters, the specific food of that grain. Ours 

 is but partially a wheat soil, being principally 

 transition formation, and containing less, naturally 

 of the specific tbod of wheat. Another reason is, 

 that our lands have been injudiciously cropped 

 and impoverished. They have been made to car- 

 ry wheat too often. A better system of manage- 

 ment is obtaining among us, and the quality of 

 our wheat is rather improving with good farmers, 

 though the inducement tor raising it is lessened 

 by tl^e facilities of the west for competing with us 

 in this great staple. The vallies of the Hudson 

 and Mohawk, tbrmerly great wheat districts, do 

 not at present, we think, grow wheat enough for 

 the subsistence of their population, throwing out of 

 the calculation the cities of New York and Albany. 



I. H. J., who appears to be a practical farmer, 

 may render us a favor, and possibly the communi- 

 ty a service, by one or two experiments, no matter 

 upon how small a scale. AVe have intimated that 

 lime and animal matters are essential to the suc- 

 cessful growth of wheat — that they constitute its 

 specific Ibod. These, it is believed, do not natu- 

 rally abound in primitive formations, particularly 

 in old fields. We wish to have the correctness of 

 our opinions tested, and our request is, that they 

 may be artificially applied, separate and jointly, on 

 different parcels of ground, to be sown with 

 wheat, and that the result may be accurately 

 noted and published. Crushed bones would sup- 

 ply both materials ; or, if the lime is applied sepa- 

 rately, slaughter-house manure, the urine of ani- 

 mals, soap-boilers' waste, comb-makers' shavings, 

 fish, &c. would either of them su])ply the other 

 material. It is proper to caution against applying 

 any of these materials in excess — as a small 

 quantity will suffice, and the result will be more 

 satisfactory if the fertilizing materials are applied 

 to the crop which precedes the wheat. 



ON FOREIGN AND NATIVE GRAPES. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



3Iagnolia, near Richmond, Dec. 11, 1834. 



I regret that Avhen Avriting you my short note 

 of the"20th of September last, the Imrry of the 

 moment prevented me from expressing myself 

 more at large, respecting the Norton's Virginia 

 Seedling, and the Cunningham's grape, of the 

 county of Prince Edward. After the experimen- 

 tal culture of the grape for nearly twenty years, 

 (for I commenced it when a boy at school,) I con- 

 sider that I have at last arrived at the point so 

 much desired, (that is, the discovery of a grape, 

 or grapes, which afford abundant annual crops; and 

 to the culture of which we may lend ovr labor aitd 

 tare, with the certainty of proper return, for all ex- 



penditures. All grapes, introduced into notice, 

 either foreign or indigenous, except the two varie- 

 ties above named, are subject to rol, mildew, and 

 other casualties, in such a manner, that you can 

 never rely upon any other return than an occasion- 

 al small yield lor the table. At great expense I 

 have collected most of the varieties in a continuous 

 line, from Rome to the upper Rhine, and tiiese 

 have all been discarded as worthless; having left 

 me with an empty purse, as a requital, for many 

 years hard labor. Tlie house (in wliich I now 

 live) stands upon the site, once occupied by the Pied 

 Rouge, Malvoisie, Muscat de Froniignan Mam- 

 molo, Cariniolo, iVigrillo, Verdillo, §"C. ^-c. sent 

 to me from Havre, Leghorn, and the island of Ma- 

 deira. Foreign vines seem delijctive in strengtli 

 of leaf: tlie scalding suns, and innumerable tribes 

 of insects of this State, and other regions of our 

 country, destroy the foliage, so that during tlie 

 months of July and August, the fruit perishes 

 from inability to feed on the proper constituents for 

 completing their maturity. Examine, yourself, all 

 of our native vines, and remark the dense, and al- 

 most indestructible fibre of the leaves, and you 

 can readily conceive, that nature has so fashioned 

 them with a view to withstand tlie casualties 

 above mentioned. Look at the foreign vines, with 

 their delicate foliage, and think how illy they are 

 formed to resist tlic agency of burning suns, and 

 voracious insects. The vine from the banks of 

 the Douro, that variety from which the Port vvine 

 is fabricated, I am told throws out a large, tough 

 leaf, and will perhaps, from this circumstance, suit 

 our climate better than those hitherto introduced 

 fi-oni abroad. 



The Catawba grape, with proper care, produces 

 a wine of fine quality, having the lusciousness of 

 the Malmsey Madeira, combined with a smack of 

 the French Muscat. Wine of this fruit, one year 

 old, has been sold by me this winter, for three dol- 

 lars per gallon. I regret to say that in some lo- 

 calities it is subject to rot — never, however, to such 

 extent but that you have a tolerable return for 

 your expense in the cultivation. 



The Isabella is worthless, in every respect, save 

 one, (the making of tarts) used as you would the 

 young apricots and gooseberries. Whoever at- 

 tempts the fabrication of wine from this meager 

 berry, will meet with disappointment. For tlie 

 most part, it does not equal the common twenty 

 cent cask claret of commerce. It it also subject 

 to acquire acidity, bitterness, or a musty taste. 



Norton's Virginia Seedling, has never been 

 known to rot or mildew: neither is the wood at all 

 injured by the most severe winter, in any expo- 

 sure. The bloom for the last ten years, that is, 

 ever since its first bearing, has resisted the ravages 

 of spring frosts. The be>ries are so closely con- 

 gregated on some bunches, as to indent one ano- 

 ther; yet they all prove equally ripe at the same 

 period of time. So replete are they with the sac- 

 charine principle, that if a bunch at full maturity 

 be closely compressed in the hand, it will continue 

 to adhere even after the fingers are expanded; and 

 if a bunch is accidentally suffered to remain on 

 the vine after the first fi'osts of autumn, the ber- 

 ries become raisins, a circumstance I have never 

 known to take place with any other grape, indi- 

 genoui=' or exotic. I have a small cask of wine 

 made from the Seedling last }-ear. It is luscious 

 beyond any thing you can conceive. Some say 



