THE GENESEE FAR^fER. 



351 



good soil, and filled up about a foot above the level, 

 to allow for settling. 



Plant the vine about as deep as it stood in the 

 nursery, takiiiji; care to spread out the roots, and 

 carefully working the earth in among them. 



Great care is required in tukina; up the young 

 vine to save all the roots, as they .'^hould Jiever be 

 pruned. At the time of planting it should be cut 

 back to within six eyes, which, as soon as they start, 

 should all be rubbed olf but the two strongest, and 

 after these are fairly growing, rub ofl' the weakest, 

 leaving only one. 



The summer pruning consists simply in keeping off, 

 adl side shoots that may appear, and which tend to 

 check the growth of the main plant. 



The terminal bud should be pinched about Sep- 

 tember, to mature and strengthen it. 



SEcoxn Year — The shoot of last year may now 

 be cut back to four buds, and two canes trained up 

 this season. Summer pruning to be performed same 

 as last season, ami in September these canes are to 

 be stopped as before. 



Third Year. — The canes of last season's growth 

 are cut back at the winter pruning (which takes 

 place in December) to within two or three feet of 

 their base, and laid in on the bottom slat of the trel- 

 lis, for the frame work of the vine. 'J'he bud on the 

 ^d of each will produce a shoot to continue the 

 prolongment in a horizontal direction, and a bud on 

 the upper side of each, near the base of the horizon- 

 tal shoot, will produce a cane, to be trained to one 

 of the upright bars. All other shoots are rubbed 

 off. 



These canes are tied in as they require it, and the 

 gnmmer pruning continues the same as before. They 

 are stopped in September as before. 



Fourth Year. — At the winter pruning the canes 

 of last year's growth are cut back, the horizontal 

 cmes to two feet and the upright ones to four feet. 



The upright canes will continue their growth up- 

 wards, and the horizontal ones outward as before, 

 and this year two more shoots can be trained upright 

 for bearing wood next season. 



The vine produces fruit on spurs of the present 

 season's growth, which start from eyes on the upright 

 canes. From one to three bunches is sufficient to 

 ripen on one spur, and soon after the fruit is set the 

 Epur should be stopped and tied into the trellis, to 

 prevent breaking. 



This year several fruit spurs will be produced on 

 .the two canes of last season's growth, on each of 

 which two or three bunches of grapes may be ri- 

 pened. 



In this way the vine adds every year two new up- 

 right canes until the trellis is filled. The after man- 

 agement being to attend to summer pruning, or to cut 

 back all the spurs to the old wood at the winter 

 pruning, new ones of which are made every year. 



The trellis need not be made until the second 

 year, if preferred, by keeping the canes tied on to 

 poles. Many may think this plan of cultivating 

 grapes a very laborious and expensive one; but 

 there are none more satisfactory, as the fruit is of 

 superior size and flavor, and will come into full bear- 

 ing quicker than those allowed to ramble every- 

 where, and be pruned once in two or three years, 

 cutting them all to pieces at once, as often practiced. 

 Grapes for vineyard culture should be planted on 

 417) rich soil, which should have a thorough sub-soil- 



ing, libeial manuring, and southern aspect. The 

 vines should be planted abnul six feet apart, and 

 trained to j)osts from eight to ten feet high. 



The vines are planted as before recommended, and 

 for the lirst year or two should be cut back close, to 

 establish good strong plant.^, iind only one cane be 

 allowed to grow. Tho third year this cane can be 

 allowed to ripen some fruit, and a new shoot carried 

 up to bear next year. 



At the winter pruning the cane that bore is cut 

 away, and then a succession is kept up. As the 

 vines grow older, two or three bearing canes can be 

 taken from each plant. J. H. 13. 



Brighton, near Rochester, JY. Y. 



RAISING PEACHES IN MASSACHUSETIS. 



For the last few years, many cultivators of this 

 delicious fruit have been so discouraged in their at- 

 tempts at success, that they have rooted up their 

 trees, as cumberers of the earth. The primal diffi- 

 culty that they encountered seems to have been cold 

 ivealher — either as sudden freezing and thawing in 

 late fall, intense cold in the winter, or raw, blighting 

 east winds in the spring. Then are added borers, 

 the yellows, and perhups other discouragements. 



But as good peach.es can be raised in Massachu- 

 setts as in any other State or locality in the Union. 

 To the truth of this my own garden this year attests, 

 though not the first time, nor does it stand alone. 

 We may not raise them so early or so plentifully as 

 New Jersey, but the thing can be done, and it is an 

 important object. The great desideratum is high, 

 warm land, the better with a slope to the south or 

 west. Giving the trees good culture, the advantage 

 of such a'locality will readily be seen. But no po- 

 sition, hov.-ever favorable, will insure a good crop 

 every year, while there are seasons when the worst 

 pr si .ion will yield well. The advantage is compara- 

 tive. 



In regard to hoiv cold weather destroys the peach 

 crop, is a mooted and diflicult subject, a!mo.-t equal 

 to the potato rot. No theory seems to give general 

 satisfaction. During the winter of 1854-'.': 5, the 

 tbermometer sunk to more than 20 deg. below zero, 

 and the only peach blossoms I saw in the spring were 

 in my garden, three in number! All the buds on the 

 trees could be stripped off with the hand, or shaken 

 down with a slight jar. Yet, few or none of my 

 trees were killed. The last winter the thermometer 

 sunk equally as low, though the continued cold was 

 less. This summer my trees (on a western slope) 

 have done admirably, against my expectations, though 

 I discovered early that the buds were not loosened- 

 Why they were not destroyed is a problem. A va- 

 riety of circumstances which science may fail to dis- 

 criminate, was probably the cause. That ravines 

 take the colder and denser air, is pretty well known, 

 and perhaps their soil generally is not so favorable 

 for the ripening of wood as hill-tops, where the air 

 is more stirring, — both of which may account for 

 the conceded fact that elevatigns are more favorable 

 to the peach. 



After receiving a good position, there are evils to 

 encounter in peach raising, common to all localities 

 and climates — the borer and the yellows. To keep 

 off the former, I think whitewashing the lower part 

 of the trunk, even below the earth, is the best pre- 

 ventive — to be j^done, say in June. If the borer is 



