J 18 [StNATX. 



Culture of the Grape. 



Philadelphia^ 2d month, 16M, 1844. 

 To T. B. Wakeman, 



Corresponding Secretary American Institute, Kew-York. 



I leceived your communication of the 19th of 1st month, and regret 

 that unavoidable engagements have prevented me from answering it 

 sooner. 



You first request, " an account of my grape culture." I shall 

 answer by referring to Clement Hoare's Treatise on the Vine. The 

 system of culture, as there laid down, Ihold to be the best, and have 

 adopted it as ray guide in the management of my vines for severel 

 years past, at first with unusual success: but my success was of short 

 duration, for from some cause, just as my vines had arrived to an age 

 when they ought to have produced fruit, they would generally die 

 in the following winter, or bear one or two crops and then get sickly, 

 and finally die by piece-meal, or grow less and less, until nothing but 

 half dead stalks were left. 



Now for the cause. It is the worm at the root. I have long dif- 

 fered from the prevailing opinion that a hard winter or changeable 

 spring was the cause of the death of our grape vini-s, provided they 

 were in good health in the fall. But I was unable to see any other 

 well grounded cause until about four years ago. I had occasion to 

 move a young vine of the Sweet-water family, in the third year of 

 its age — and on digging it up, I found its roots had been attacked by 

 some insect or worm, whose depredations were similar to those of the 

 peach grub, except instead of being damaged a short distance beneath 

 the ground, it extended to the emi of the roots. This I thought ex- 

 plained the cause why our vines would not stand our winter, and 

 induced me immediately to examine some other and older ones which 

 had been in bearing, and some of which were dead, and others on the 

 road to death All had been attacked in the same manner, but to a 

 greater extent. In some, the bark of the roots was completely eaten 

 off, and left no channel for the sap to flow. This and other examina- 

 tions convinced me beyond a doubt, that the ravages of this enemy 

 is the cause in reality of the failure in cultivating this delicious fruit, 

 both foreign and native; for I have found it to attack our hardiest 

 native also, although if in favorable soil, being of more vigorous growth, 

 they seldom kill them entirely for some years. 



My opinion is, that unless we can discover a remedy or preventive, 

 in vain will be all our attempts at growing the vine. 



I am not so well satisfied as to the name and nature of this enemy. 

 My firm opinion is, that it is the centipede, or hundred-leg worm. 

 But as some gentlemen, eminent in horticulture, with whom I have 

 conversed, think otherwise, I am willing to have it further tested, 

 hoping that in time some one will have the good fortune to discover 

 not only the real and certain character of this formidable enemy, but 

 also the remedy that will prevent its ravages without injury to the 



