CULTURE OF THE FOREIGN GRAPE. G3 



Mr. Wood replied to the Chairman that if it was certain the 

 house would be closed in a storm it might be safe to leave it open 

 at all other times, but one could only be sure this would be done 

 by attending to it himself. If help were directed to close the 

 house whenever the weather was cloudy they would do it, but if 

 left to their discretion, it would be very likely to go wrong. 



E. S. Rand, Jr., said that he had listened with great interest to 

 Mr. "Wood's paper, on a subject concerning which there had been a 

 great deal of ignorance. He believed the cause of winter killing 

 to be cold, dead air ; it is almost impossible to heat it. The sex- 

 tons of churches find it impossible to warm them, after they have 

 been closed nearly a week, without opening the windows freely. 

 There seems to be some peculiar property in confined air that 

 causes winter killing in houses. He had given directions to have 

 his grapery opened every sunny day, but not to let the air play 

 through when severely cold. 



P. Brown Hovey said his experience had been that there is no 

 certainty in keeping grape vines over winter but by covering with 

 soil. He would not have front ventilators. He had a house with 

 front lights two or three feet high, which were opened in summer, 

 and always had mildew there in spite of using the solution of lime 

 and sulphur which was recommended as an infallible preventive. 

 As the house grew old it settled, so that the front lights could not 

 be opened, and after that he had no mildew, and found that it was 

 caused by currents of air. He thought it begt to keep the house 

 dry and not to be always syringing, but would give plenty of air 

 at the top. 



Mr. Wood said that he did not open his front ventilators until 

 the fruit had begun to color. 



Mr. Wilder said that there was no danger of mildew after the 

 leaf and wood had attained nearly to maturity. 



Robert Watt said that he had been growing grape vines in this 

 country since 1844, and though he lost some by bleeding, he had 

 had none killed by cold until 1868. He had adopted the plan of 

 leaving the borders uncovered until after they were frozen. He 

 thought the winter killing was caused by the houses not being ven- 

 tilated. Thomas Barrows' house was not opened from December 

 to the end of March, and every vine was killed down to the sills. 

 Thomas Liversedge had one house all killed and half of another 

 owi ; neither of these houses was opened. Judge Reed's was 



