156 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



NOVEMBER 27, 1838. 



From the I'tijmouUi Memorial. 

 THE VINE. 

 I learn by my own observations and by news- 

 paper intelligence, tliat there bas been an unusual 

 deficiency in the production from the vine the past 

 season. It would be gratify ing, were some of our 

 skilful cultivators to make us acquainted with the 

 true cause why in some situations the fruit of the 

 vine answers every expectation and desire, while 

 in others there is a total disappointment. I am 

 indeed convinced that foreign grapes cannot be ad- 

 vantageously cultivated in open ground in our cli- 

 mate. This is greatly to be regretted, since the 

 Black Hamburg, Black Cape, Chasselas, Sweet 

 Water, &x. surpass all others in excellence and 

 beauty. These and numerous other luxuries, how- 

 ever, we cheerfully resign to our opulent brethren, 

 who can afford to bestow on them skilful culture 

 and glass-house protection, especially since they 

 are so well disposed to greet our horticultural 

 table with clusters of unrivalled size and richness 

 of quality. Nor do I believe that any length of 

 time will acclimate the foreigii vine to our region, 

 if I may judge from trials in some of our gardens 

 of more than 30 years standing, though it must be 

 admitted that they have not been under judicious 

 and skilful management. It has been observed 

 the past season, that the Sweet Water has 

 succeeded best when suffered to run on the 

 ground. In several instances clusters have been 

 found lying on the grouud concealed in the grass 

 and weeds that attained to perfect maturity and 

 ripeness, when those trained on trellises and fences 

 were entirely spoiled by mildew. In one instance, 

 8 or 10 vines of the Sweet Water have been culti- 

 vated without any interruption to their natural 

 course ; never pruned nor covered in winter, but 

 allowed to spread over the ground to any extent. 

 The last summer their produce was extraordinary, 

 great expectations were raised. The thick foliage en- 

 tirely secluded the fruit from the sun, air and dews; 

 but in the end this proved only a partial security, 

 full two thirds of the fruit were destroyed by the 

 mildew, but the residue were fine, well ripened 

 clusters. — In the same garden those trained on 

 trellisses, and had received much care and atten- 

 tion, produced none but poor blasted fruit. It 

 seems to be well ascertained that the Isabella is by 

 far the most sure and productive of any other va- 

 riety, and being a native requires no winter cover- 

 ing. The Catawba grape is also a native, and is 

 attaining to a high reputation as it becomes more 

 known ; the fruit is esteemed as preferable in de- 

 licious quality to the Isabella. For making wine 

 it is considered superior to any other grape yet 

 discovered. " This vine," says Mr. Kenrick, " is 

 very vigorous and hardy, requiring no protection, 

 and is a great and certain bearer." These two 

 varieties, being natives, are deserving of prefer- 

 ence to all others for cultivation in our gardens in 

 this place, and the fruit which they produce when 

 fully ripe is sufficiently delicious for any palate 

 that has not been pampered with more luxurious 

 dainties. It has been supposed that our native 

 grapes are not liable to the mildew, but the pres- 

 ent autumn has furnished many instances of the 

 Isabella being affected with that disease, but chief- 

 ly in situations where they are secluded from a 

 free circulation of air. In one instance the vine 

 has spread over a large building and ascended to 

 the eaves of the house; it has this season produced 

 thousands of clusters, all of which were blasted, 

 except a very few bunches near the eaves where 



the air could have free access to them. — There is 

 in a damp and confined situation a vine that has 

 never received the pruning knife, and has now 

 overspread an apple tree ; its produce has been 

 this season remarkably abundant, but all spoiled 

 by mildew, not a single grape fit to be eaten. 

 In an adjoining garden the vines on trellises and 

 pretty closely pruned, have yielded equally abun- 

 dantly, and the greater proportion of the fruit was 

 free from the disease. In regard to pruning, 1 

 cousider a judicious use of the priming knife in- 

 dispensably necessary, but too close pruning proves 

 injurious. — All superfluous branches should be cut 

 away, and the bearing shoots should be shortened 

 soon after the fruit is formed. We have in our 

 woods a variety of grapes indigenous to our soil, 

 and attempts are making to cultivate them in our 

 gardens, but hitherto without much success, which 

 is probably to be ascribed to the want of the prun- 

 ing knife. Full one half of the vines in our 

 woods are barren. I knew a vine that was trans- 

 ferred from its wild state into a garden, while in a 

 bearing condition, which flourished very luxuriant- 

 ly for more than 20 years without producing fruit, 

 never having been pruned ; it was at length cut 

 down and the stock engrafted with the Isabella, 

 which now produces very abundantly. It may be 

 doubted whether tranferring the old stocks from 

 our woods should be preferred to propagating the 

 vine by cuttings. A farmer had a number of the 

 native vines growing on bis farm which had al- 

 ways during bis memory been barren, but having 

 cut them down with his scythe, they became 

 abundantly productive the next year. 



That voracious reptile, the .ga nkerwo rm, has 

 proved very destructive to many orchards in this 

 vicinity the last summer, notwithstanding the free 

 application of tar. Major S. Frazier, a skilful ag- 

 riculturist of Duxbury, has invented a composition 

 which proves a more effectual remedy against the 

 cankcrworm than any other which has been be- 

 fore known. It consists of soft soap, whale oil, 

 and common liquid varnish, in equal parts. This 

 is easily applied with a brush, and when repeated 

 occasionally as it becomes dry, proves very effect- 

 ual, and is not like tar injurious to trees. The 

 same composition would probably serve as a pro- 

 tection against the apple tree borer, if applied at the 

 proper season ; and also in protecting peach trees 

 from the attack of the fly that deposits her eggs in 

 the bark near the root, from which proceeds the 

 peach-tree worm. I have applied it to my young 

 peach trees the past sammer, and have no doubt of 

 its utility, as no insects will encounter the odor 

 and tenacity of this substance. In fact, the Fra- 

 zer compound is, in my opinion to be considered 

 a valuable acquisition to our remedies against the 

 annoyance of insects. Peach trees have not in 

 general succeeded well in this place ; the cold east 

 winds from our sea-board have a fatal effect on 

 the buds of spring. I have now adopted an ex- 

 pedient, which I hope will in some measure reme- 

 dy this evil. I have surrounded the trees near 



the root with a bed of sea-weed, which I conceive 

 will preserve the roots both from the effects of 

 excessive frost during winter, and the influence of 

 the vernal sun raising the sap into action too early 

 in the seasoty — The sea-weed will, I think, retard 

 the raising the sap, and of course the developc- 

 tnent of the buds several days later, and the tree 

 will besides derive beneficial effects from the alkali 

 with which the article is impregnated. 



James Thatcher. 



From Goodsell's Genesee Farmtr. 

 SILK. 

 We have a fine specimen of Sewing Silk, left nt 

 our office, which was manufactured by E. Stanley 

 of Ogilen, Monroe county. This silk, which is 

 pronounced by mechanics to be equal to the best 

 Italian, was produced by a second crop of worms, 

 which Mr. Stanley informed us was hatched unin- 

 tentionally. 



This gentleman ha\ing commenced the Cultiva- 

 tion of the Mulberry the last year from seed, pro- 

 cured some eggs from which he hatched a few 

 hundred worms, which be fed from his young 

 seedlings, rather as a matter of experiment than 

 for profit. — After the worms had formed the co- 

 coons, he selected as many as he wished for the 

 purpose of laying eggs for the coming year, and 

 the remainder on the cocoons he attempted with- 

 out any other apparatus than the common wheel 

 to manufacture into sewing silk, in which he suc- 

 ceeded beyond his expectation, and he declared to 

 us that the process was not as difficult for him as it 

 would have been to have spun cither flax or wool. 



The moths which hatched from the selected co- 

 coons, were allowed to deposit their eggs upon 

 paper, which he intended to keep until the next 

 year. — Not being aware of the necessity of putting 

 them immediately in a cool place, he soon observ- 

 ed that many of the eggs were batching out. He 

 commenced feeding the young worms, and says 

 that they were equally as healthy as his first. The 

 silk made from them was evidently of a finei 1 

 quality than that which was from the first crop. 

 By this accidental operation, Mr. Stanley has satis- 

 fied himself that two crops of worms may be 

 reared in this climate to advantage. He further 

 stated, that young seedling trees would, the year 

 after planting, support one worm each of the two 

 crops, or two worms for the season. If this is 

 correct, then the raising of silk may be commenced 

 in our country much sooner than has been antici- 

 pated, and the quantity need not be limited. One 

 pound of fresh Mulberry seed sown upon an acre 

 of ground would probably produce one hundred 

 and fifty thousand trees ; and if each tree would 

 support two worms the second year, it is reasona- 

 ble to suppose that they would support four the 

 third year, which would be at the rate of six hun- 

 dred thousand worms to the acre. This tells large, 

 but nevertheless we think it is possible. 



Mr. Stanley said, he found the business alto- 

 gether more simple than he expected, and that he 

 twisted his silk directly from the cocoons. He 

 thinks that sewing silk can be made in this coun- 

 try without having the prime cost exceed two dol- 

 lars per pound. — Should further experiments prove 

 Mr. Stanley's calculations correct, what a source 

 of wealth the silk business may be to this country. 

 Perhaps there is not a county of the same size 

 in the whole United States that exports as much 

 wheat as the county of Monroe, and even the 

 amount of this staple would become a mere trifle 

 compared with the amount of silk which might be 

 produced in this county without diminishing the 

 crop of wheat materially. 



The people of this section have long been in- 

 quiring for the best plant, ibr the purpose of form- 

 ing hedges, and we believe there is no one that 

 proves so fair, to be useful for that purpose, as the 

 White Mulberry, not taking into consideration 

 their value for feeding silk worms. Should they 

 be found to answer this double purpose, then it 

 would be an object, not only of individual profit 



