Wi:W EWCJE.AMB FAMMER. 



Published by John B. Rdsselj,, at JVa. 52 JVorth Market Street, (at the Agricultural Ji'arehouse).— Thomas G. Fessenden, Editor. 



VOL. VII. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, MAY 8, 1829. 



No. 42. 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



FOR THK SEW ENCr.AND KARMEK. 



FOREIGN GRAPES IN THE OPEN 

 GROUND. 



Mr Editor — Without entering into the qites 

 tion, whether any native grape is to be compared 

 with the imported ones, upon which if I should 

 state my opinion frankly, I should be charged with 

 a want of patriotism, and after stating my own 

 conviction, tliat tlie native grapes of the South ex- 

 cepting the Isabella, will be found to be in com- 

 mon years as tender as the European ones, I think 

 I shall find all horticulturists agreeing with me in 

 the opinion, tljat, if we could ripen the European 

 grapes in the open air without walls or terraces it 

 would be a great desideratutn, and worth many 

 exertions and sacrifices. In 22 years, I have ob- 

 tained not more than 6 good crops of well ripened 

 fruit, on a dry and warm soil. 



Under the hope of attaining this desirable end, 

 I published a translation of the Thomery practice 

 of raising the hardy Chasselas bliinc, (Sweet 

 Water of our gardens as I believe.) The prac- 

 tice essentially consists in checking very severely 

 the growth of the grafie, and compelling it to hear 

 in a small compass. Permit me now to add an 

 English experiment founded on the same principle. 

 I have this year prepared ground to try this ex- 

 periment rigorously and strictly. Of its fate [ 

 shall give fair notice. The article I refer to is 

 published in Loudon's Gardener's Magazine, No. 

 1, page 43, and was written by R. A. Salisbury, 

 F- R. to. L. S. H. S., &r.c. To those who are ig- 

 norant of Mr Salisbury's pretensions, it will be 

 proper to say, that he is an eminent botanis:, and 

 cultivator, and one of the highest attainments. — 

 Premisitig that his situation was in one of the 

 most cold, unfavorable climates, and in a barren 

 soil, and that he has failed for years even in ripen- 

 ing the hardy Miller grape, in a ratio of more than 

 20 bunches in 2000, he proceeds to give the fol- 

 lowing history. "A Scots nobleman, who often 

 tisited the place, made the- following remarks, 

 ' When I was a young lad I remember eating ripe 

 grapes from a vine in the open air, in Stirling, 

 (north of Edinburgh) which was brought to ripen 

 half its fruit in cold summers, and a whole crop 

 in warmer ones, by the following treatment. On 

 the 20th of September prune the vine as you 

 would in December, taking off all the leaves and 

 grapes, ripe and unripe, and shortening the shoots 

 to 1, 2, or 3 eyes at most. In the following spring 

 it will push its buds a few days earlier tlian any 

 vines pruned in winter. Pursue the same system 

 annually, and in the course of seven years you will 

 be rewarded for your patience and expense with 

 half a ripe crop in most summers, and a whole 

 one in warm summers.' Mr Salisbury adds, this 

 plan was immediately adopted by him, and five 

 years afterwards some excellent wine was made 

 from the g.-^apes. 



Permit me to add, that though in Scotland it 

 required seven years, yet in Yorkshire it took but 

 fire, and it is highly probable that with us, suc- 

 ces.s would follow the next, or at farthest the thlril 

 year, because MUler's burgundy, which Mr Salis- 



bury could never ripen, invariably succeeds with 

 us. 



I have frequently expressed to my fellow culti- 

 vators the conviction of the hazard of leaving the 

 Isabella and other southern grapes exposed with- 

 out covering through the winter. The last win- 

 ter, though far from severe, (probably owing rath- 

 er to its mildness) has been fatal to foreign and 

 native grapes, even in Philadelphia, and to the 

 peach, and vine, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. 

 With me it has destroyed the. Cane Raspberry, 

 which had stood five winters of greater general 

 severity. Yet there are some anomalous facts, 

 while the peach has lost its fruit, and the Ameri- 

 can raspberry has perished, a delicate Chinese 

 Ailanthus has not been injured. 



Roxhury, April 28. A FARMER. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



ENGRAFTING GRAPE VINES. 



To Ihe Corresponiling Sec'y of ihe Mass Hort. Society, 



Sir — A few days past, in conversation with 

 Brig. Gen. Armistead, on the cultivation of 

 grapes, he mentioned his complete success in en- 

 graft ng the foreign Sweet Water Grape on the 

 native American stocks, ten years past. I thought 

 it very important, and requested a communication 

 in writing from him for the purpo.se of presenting 

 to your Society, which he has obligingly furnish- 

 ed me. A copy i? inclosed. It is now rather 

 late, still had I any natfve stocks, I should be in- 

 duced to adopt it — as with my own bad success 

 in the cultivation of foreign grapes, in open, airy, 

 ami fat grounds, 1 should expect better success. 

 With every good wish for the success of the 

 Society, I am your obedient servant, 



JOHN PRINCE. 

 Jamaica Plain, April 26, 1829. 



JoH.v Prince, Esq. — In answer to your note 

 requesting me to state the success from grafting 

 the Sweet Water grape on native stocks, I will 



briefly state that it resulted in complete success. 



The cause of the experiment originated in my fond- 

 ness for horticultural pursuits. 



Arriving at my native place in 1819, I found 

 our old family garden in a state of decay ; and in 

 the enclosure I found running several very lux- 

 uriant grape vines, while those of the former had 

 almost entirely disappeared. The Sweet Water 

 was the only imported grape we had, (and those 

 under the best culture when I knew them,) were 

 frequently failing. Seeing the far stretched vine 

 of our native soil clindjing and regaling in rich 

 uxnriance around the old paling of our garden, 

 determined me at once to make the experiment. 

 \fter searching for proper sli [is, I found as many 

 as I required. This was in the montb of March 

 in the year above stated, before any appearance of 

 the flow of the sap. I picked out four native 

 vines, and headed them down as low as the turf, 

 and after going through the common process of in- 

 serting the graft, I bound them with woollen yarn, 

 and covered them with proper grafting clay ; and 

 to make the process doubly sure, I cut large sods 

 and inclosed the grafts completely, and covered 

 them in this way about four inches, leaving two 



eyes exposed. The experiment proved the utility 

 of thus preserving them from sun and air, for 

 three out of four took, and on the head of the 

 largest vine, I put two grafts, both of which sur- 

 vived, which made it equal as if all had taken 



The result of the first year was, that the grafts av- 

 eraged a growth of from nine to twelve feet. The 



.second year they bore many bunches of grapes 



The third year my mother wrote me that they had 

 gathered upwards of two barrels from my four 

 vines. The succeeding years the neighborhood 

 was in part supplied, and from others following 

 the example, no failure of fine fruit I believe, 

 exists in that neighborhood. 



I communicated the result of my experiment to 



Major Adluh, near Washington city, and I believe 



he has ))rofited by it. The result was likewise 



communicated to Col Gratiot, of the Engineers, 



and was successfully jiroved, even to rearing to 



great perfection the Portugal grape, such as we 



receive in jars,on the common Fox grape growing 



in our swamps, the roots of which were taken up 



in the fall, and headed down, and planted along 



the trellis. In the month of March they were 



grafted, the result of which is a growth of a 



i grape never heretofore cultivated in our countiy, 



[ and as to flavor and size, superior to the import- 



I ed. 



The vines on which I made the experiment, 

 were our small Virginia blue grape, in size not 

 larger than a buck shot, growing in bunches, and 

 averaging from one hundred to one hundred and 

 fifty in each bunch, and diffeiing from the Fox 

 grape essentially. But I am of opinion that any 

 of our native grape stocks would answer equally 

 well. 1 am, dear sir, respectfully 



Your obedient servant, 



W. R. ARMISTEAD. 

 Jamaica Plain, April 29, 1829. 



P. S. The Portugal grape, raised by Col Gra- 

 tiot, was, I believe, laid down in winter, being 

 supposed to be of too delicate a nature, to stand 

 the climate of Virginia. They produce better, and 

 in no instance have I known the rot* to affect the 

 Sweet. Water grajje, engrafted on the native vine. 



W. R. A. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Mr Fessenden — By request of the Lyceum in 

 this place, I send you the fi)llowing questions, re- 

 questing you to give them an insertion in your pa- 

 per. 



What causes the circulation of sap ? We know 

 that heat affects it, hut how ? What makes it 

 flow earlier in one kind of trees than in anoth- 

 er ? 



Is there any lateral or oblique circulation, or is 

 it wholly perpendicular ? 



What becomes of the sap in winter .' Does it 

 retire to the roots or remain in the tree ? As it 

 appears that a greater jjortion of the carbon con- 

 tained in the sap is converted into the substance 

 of the tree, than of the other constituent princi- 

 ples, what becomes of the remaining oxygen and 

 hydrogen ? Are they all thrown ofl" by the leaves 

 or docs some portion of them return to the roots? 



* Blight, probably. 



