103 



and figured in the Agricultural Report for 1861. and was in use in the garden of the 

 Department for many years, with the best results. This board- covered trellis was 

 substituted by a T-shaped trellis, the flat top being wired, and the vines allowed to 

 cover it with a dense mass of foliage. This arrangement was found to be quite as 

 effectual in protecting from mildew and rot as the more solid but more expensive 

 cover of boards. In this case the more robust growing varieties of grapes were 

 planted at intervals of 30 feet, and trained exclusively on top of the trellis. So far 

 as economy is concerned this plan has an advantage over all others, inasmuch as the 

 vines used for protection also yield their crop of fruit. 



Even on the ordinary wired trellis exemption from rot has been observed when 

 the summer growth has been allowed to accumulate on the top wire, and the ends of 

 long shoots and laterals allowed to hang down like a screen over the plants. To 

 secure this heavy top growth summer pruning will be abandoned, which is perhaps 

 an advantage to the crop. Summer pruning, when done at all, is usually overdone, 

 and is but little practiced by the most successful grape-growers. 



LICORICE. 



P. W. J., Accomack County, Virginia. I would be greatly indebted if you will let 

 me know what you think about the culture of licorice in this county. Our winters 

 are not quite so severe as at Washington, District of Columbia, and my soil is some- 

 what sandy. I am anxious to learn something about its cultivation, and whether 

 the crop would be a profitable one to raise. 



Answer. So far as regards the cold of winter the licorice will not be injured, but 

 its profitable culture may be considered as doubtful. 



To produce good licorice roots the soil must be rich, and it must be deeply worked, 

 at least to a depth of 2 feet. It is very essential to have a deep soil to allow the 

 downward growth of the roots, which increases their commercial value and enables 

 the plant to withstand hot, dry summers, for if the plants are weakened or checked 

 in luxuriance they are liable to the attacks of the red spider, which destroys the 

 foliage. 



The plants are propagated by the slender side roots, which are removed in trim- 

 ming the saleable portions. They are set in the prepared soil by making a perpen- 

 dicular hole with a sharp pointed stick or dibble and inserting the root slip so ttat 

 it will be covered entirely, exactly as horseradish sets are planted. 



Frequent hoeing will be necessary during the summer, not only to destroy weeds, 

 but to maintain growth, and the deeper the culture, without hurting the roots, the 

 better the plants. 



As winter approaches the tops will become yellow, and after growth is completed 

 they can be cleaned off and the plants covered with manure. 



At the end of the third summer's growth, if the plants have done well, the roots 

 will be large enough for market. The process of digging out and harvesting the 

 roots is perhaps the most tedious operation with the crop. They run from 2 to more 

 feet in depth and can only be secured safely by the use of the spadfy so that the 

 whole root may be secured without breakage. 



The marketable portions are trimmed of all side roots, washed, dried, and tied in 

 bundles for sale. 



The labor and cost of manure for thorough preparation of the ground from 2 to 3 

 feet in depth, the planting and cultivation for 3 or 4 years in producing one crop, 

 and the cost of harvesting the roots leads to the opinion that its profitable culture is 

 doubtful, at least while the price of the article remains as at present. 



PRUNING GRAPES. 



. F. M. D., Steuben County, New York. There seems to be a diversity of opinion as 

 to the best time to prune the grapevine. Some prune in the fall and others any time 

 during the winter or spring. Many growers think there is no particular time better 



