REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON GARDENS. 321 



ripening. And above all things we must have good drainage, 

 and avoid having the vines near stagnant water. While the vine 

 grows, and in an ordinarily wet season ripens its crop on very 

 light, sandy land, yet the fruit produced has not as good a flavor 

 for the table, and does not make as good a wine as when grown on 

 heavier soil ; but Ave must avoid too heavy soil, or we shall retard 

 the ripening. 



My location, Pearl Hill, is situated two miles north of the city of 

 Fitchburg ; the hill at its base is about three and a half miles long- 

 by one and a half wide. Leaving the city by the way of North 

 street, when you are scarcely out of its smoke the hill looms up 

 before you. On a gentle southeast slope, protected on the north 

 and west by a ledge of rocks, rising one hundred and fifty feet 

 above it, the vineyard where I have spent the greater part of my 

 time for tiie past twenty years is located. The soil, we find a 

 good loam, with a hardpan bottom. The ledge is constantly 

 decomposing, and is brought by the storms and melting snows 

 down the steep hillside to this field, and we think adds no little to 

 the fertility of the land. Having selected the spot, let us now 

 prepare the land. I would prefer a good sod, after the grass has 

 been cut ; let it be plowed not less than six or more than eight 

 inches deep ; then see to it that it is harrowed until it is all cut to 

 pieces ; during the fall, winter, or early spring, apply twenty cart 

 loads of cow manure to the acre. As soon as the land is dry 

 enough to work in the spring start the harrow again, and when 

 your field is in good condition to plant to corn it is all right to 

 plant to grapes. But first let us mark it out. We must have 

 decided before this what method we wish to follow, and how far 

 apart we wish the rows and vines, for the viticulturist cannot 

 change his method of training ever}'^ season, but he must adopt 

 some system and follow it for a number of years, until he is con- 

 vinced that it is the one best adapted to his wants ; or if, on the 

 other hand, it should not prove satisfactory to him, he must 

 gradually change to some other system, and he must ever be 

 lodliing out for next year's growth of wood, and the proper ripen- 

 ing of the same, for on the proper development of this depends 

 mainly the success of the next year's crop. And often in the 

 trimming of a vine he must look ahead three years, in order to 

 make a cane grow from the right place on the old vine, thereby 

 again proving the necessity of the close attention of the vine 



