550 



NEW ENGLAND EARJVIER. 



Dec. 



two bushels or more which many now use, 

 and the peck that will be spread over the same 

 ground." 



SEED WHEAT. 

 An anecdote is told of a former Emperor 

 of China, to the effect that walking by the 

 side of a wheat field, he saw a stalk of wheat 

 much larger and riper than the rest of the 

 field, and that he plucked it and saved the 

 grains to be sowed, and from it derived a va- 

 riety of wheat much earlier and more pro- 

 lific than the wheat in common use, and thus 

 conferred a great benefit upon his people. 

 When wheat is sown in drills, we can easily 

 pass through the field and cut into a bas- 

 ket the heads that are the plumpest and first 

 ripe, and beat out the grains for seed. In a 

 day's time a careful man might thus collect 

 several pecks of seed wheat, that would be as 

 much better than the average of the field as 

 the ears of corn that we select for seed are 

 better than the average corn of the corn crop 

 When we come to sow with the drill, only 

 about a peck to the acre, this will not be so 

 great a job as it would now seem, when we 

 sow two bu&hels to the acre. The next best 

 course would be probably to use the Sepa- 

 rator of Mr. Sanford Adams, or some other 

 Yankee invention, which will retain only the 

 largest and plumpest grains to be used for 

 seed, and let through all the small grains and 

 foul seeds. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 GKAPE-QROWINQ IN NEW ENQLANf?. 



To persons who are fond of growing fruit, 

 grape culture is very fascinating; and the 

 manner in which some persons who were 

 interebted in the sale of vines described 

 grapes, — their appearance, qualities, uses and 

 culture, — was so interesting, that like a well 

 written novel their recorded opinions and state- 

 ments could never be fully appreciated with- 

 out digesting them in away which often proves 

 that "reality is stranger than fiction," and far 

 more instructive. 



My articles on "Grape Fever" in the Far- 

 mer for March, 1857, were intended to help 

 those who at that time were in danger of catch- 

 ing the fever ; and had I not feared that, be- 

 ing myself a dealer in vines, I might be sus- 

 pected of having other motives, 1 should, at 

 your repeated request, have said more about 

 grape growing in New England. 



The years of drought, previous to the time 

 above mentioned, enabled experienced persons 



to ripen in our neighborhood some lona, Isra- 

 ella and other valuable varieties, which here- 

 about can never be ripened fit to eat except 

 in rare seasons and under unusually favorable 

 conditions, and then at a cost four times the 

 value of the fruit. Who, in the last three 

 years, has heard of our most experienced am- 

 ateurs ripening lona, Israella, Adirondack, 

 Rebecca and Allen's Hybiid ? Why is it, that 

 in the agricultural and horticultural papers we 

 now see so few advertisements of the above 

 named vines and many others, including most 

 of Rogers' Hybrids. 



The truth which experience teaches in re- 

 gard to out-door culture of the above named 

 varieties is, that when they can be ripened 

 they are, in the opinion of those we regard as 

 good judges, excellent in appearance and fla- 

 vor, but to ripen them at a cost that will give 

 a profit is the impossible thing I am writing 

 about. 



We have second-rate grapes which in suita- 

 ble soil and location, and under ordinary cul- 

 ture, will come to that condition of ripeness 

 which will make them preferable to the first- 

 rate ones for the table, if both are grown un- 

 der the same conditions in our State or in any 

 place north of Boston. I became so well sat- 

 isfied of this, that for two years past I have 

 been careful to say so to persons when en- 

 gaged in selling vines to them, and when con- 

 versing with visitors on the merits of each va- 

 riety they may have been interested in. Some 

 who could afford it, concluded to experiment 

 for themselves, and the result was that like 

 myself they concluded that wit when bought 

 by experience is often valuable ; others con- 

 tinue to experiment and complain in a way 

 that children sometimes will, when they are 

 repeatedly foiled in endeavoring to accom- 

 plish things which the laws of nature are op- 

 posed to. 



I wish not to discourage the growing of 

 grapes, improved varieties I mean. I wish all 

 men to share with me any luxury nature fur- 

 nishes for man's good, and as grapes when 

 fully ripe are pleasant to the taste and re- 

 freshing to the eater of them, all who cannot 

 afford to buy them, but who have a rod of 

 land on which the sun shines, should grow 

 them ; for on even such a small space I some- 

 times grow full one hundred pounds of IVui', 

 that most persons would relish and gi-eatly en- 

 joy the use of as refreshing food and drink. 



I am aware that many say grapes are an ex- 

 pensive and an uncertain crop to grow. 1 an- 

 swer, by no means is either correct in any 

 sense that may not be applied to otht r fruits. 

 The loss sustained in grape culture in the 

 northern States can be traced to inexperience, 

 or want of a broader experience, which would 

 have suggested a change of variety of vine 

 cultivated, instead of continuing to grow those 

 "run out;" just as our farmers change their 

 corn and other seeds ; so those who have failed 

 in the older grape-growing States should have 



