Vol. X.—Jio. 47. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



371 



Accoiiipaiijing this letter you Avill receive a de- 

 scription of the vines from which the cuttings are 

 taken, also the translation of a paper furnished at 

 my request by the Chevalier Laudolino, a scien- 

 tific agriculturist of this island. 



1 have duly noticed your remarks in relation to 

 "the roses wliich are cultivated on the shores of 

 the Dardanelles, and in the environs of Smyrna." 

 Expecting soon to sail on a cruise to the Levant 

 and the coast of Egypt, I shall endeavor, in com- 

 pliance with your request, to procure for the So- 

 ciety some of the most approved plants of that 

 beautiful shrub. 



Lieut. Slidell, who will probably visit Tunis 

 this suimner, has been requested by me to pro- 

 cure and forward to tke Society, some plants of 

 the rose and jessamine from that neighborhood. 



The Tunisians manufacture considerable quan- 

 tities of the extract of the rose and jessamine, the 

 soil of that part of Barbary being considered pe- 

 culiarly adapted to the cultivation of those plants. 

 I am, dear Sir, very respectfully. 



Your obedient servant, 



M. C. PERRY. 

 Ge.n. Deakeorn, Pres. Mass. Hort. Soc'y. 

 P. S. — Will you do me the favor to present my 

 respects to Mr Cook. 



Since writing the foregoing, I have received 

 and had packed in a box directed to your Society, 

 a few seeds froir. this island. They are of the 

 white cauliflower, the red broccoli, and a sort of 

 large red turnip highly esteemed by the Sicilians 

 and called by them the turnip-cabbage. You will 

 also find in the box three sorts of the flint wheat 

 of Sicily, considered the best kind for the manu- 

 facture of nidccaroni, the favorite food of the Ital- 

 ians. 



[The wheat was by a vote of the meeting sent 

 to Gorham Parsons, Esq.] 



DESCRIPTION OF GRAPE CnTTINGS FROM SICILY. 



Alhanllo. A small oval white grape, the bunch- 

 es are of a moderate size with a thin skin, and 

 when ripe nearly transparent ; esteemed the best 

 grape for eating and making wine in Sicily, but 

 very easily injured by tlie hot winds, and on that 

 account not so much planted as many other kinds. 



Corniola. A very large oval black grape, much 

 esteemed for eating, but not good for wine ; the 

 bunches very large and ratlier firm in the mouth 

 when eaten. 



Tokay. A small round black grape, excellent 

 to eat, and the very best of all the black grapes in 

 Sicily for wine, but soon injured by the hot winds ; 

 the bunches small, with a thin skin. 



Possolana. A moderate sized oval white grape, 

 firm in the mouth when eaten, excellent for the 

 dessert, and makes very fine wine, but does not 

 yield so much juice as any of the others ; owing 

 to its firmness it requires from eight to ten days 

 longer to ripen, than the other kinds ; the bunch- 

 es moderate size, with a thick skin. 



Occhio di Bovc, or Ox's Eye. A veiy large 

 round white grape, the berries very close in the 

 bunch, which cause them to press one another, and 

 ou that account as soon as ripe are subject to de- 

 cay, particularly if wet weather ; a fine looking 

 grape, excellent to eat, and makes fine wine, gives 

 out more juice than any of the others, and ripens 

 a week sooner ; the bunches very large, and skin 

 very thin. 



JVero Grosso. A very large round black grape, 



very fine for eating, and good fur wine ; the 

 bunches very large, and skin thin. 



Pollio. A very large oval black grape, good 

 for eating, but not for making wine; very late in 

 ripening, say five or six weeks after all the others, 

 and. as this vine is trained round very large and 

 high trees, from this cause it is still later in ripen- 

 ing, say another three weeks. Some of these trees 

 are as high as eighty feet and the vines run to the 

 very top, and descend again about tlurty feet, and 

 the quantity of fruit that some of these vines pro- 

 duce is quite astonishing. The bunches are very 

 large, some of them more than two feet ; very firm 

 in the mouth when eaten, with a thin skin. 1 

 know of no other grape in Sicily being trained 

 round trees, aud I have not the least doubt but the 

 fruit would be much finer if grown in the regular 

 way of Sicily, that is, on very low vines, say when 

 pruned late in December, about eighteen or twenty 

 inches high. This is the best time for pruning in 

 Sicily, and which on no account ought to be de 

 layed after January, for if left much later the vines 

 will bleed very much, which injures them con 

 siderably. The ground ought to be well dug, the 

 deeper the better, four or five times every year 

 If good wine is the object, never use any manure 

 after the two first years of planting, aud if the land 

 is very good use no manure at all. The soil 

 best adapted is a rich, Ijght, dry, and flinty soil. 

 The vine does not do well in a moist, thick, close 

 earth. On examination of some of the soil, it has 

 been found to contain in nine parts, five of flinty 

 earth, two and a half of clay, and one aud a half 

 calcareous earth. Always prune the vines so as 

 to leave only one or two eyes, at most, if you wish 

 to make good wine ; but if the grapes are to eat, 

 you may leave a great number more. Never 

 plant vines in ground subject to much moisture. 

 The vintage in Sicily begins about the first of Sep- 

 tember and terminates about the end of October, 

 according to the difTorent situations ; but the best 

 wines are made about the middle of September, a 

 little sooner or later, according to the season, 

 which, however, seldom varies above a tew days. 

 [The above was written by the British Consul 

 at Syracuse, at the request of Capt. Perry. He 

 has promised Capt. Perry to send to the Society at 

 Boston, a more full aud interesting description of 

 the mode of cultivating the vine in Sicily.] 



Description of the maimer of planting and culti- 

 vating the cuttings of the Muscat vine of Syracuse. 

 — These cuttings are taken in the moirth of Janu- 

 ary, from a vine that must be at least twelve 

 years old, and are cut off near the trunk. 



As these shoots are to be sent to America and 

 will arrive there in the spring or soon after, they 

 should, upon their arrival, be placed about three 

 feet deep in the grounil, in a northern exposure, 

 and transplanted in the autumn, to a situation ex- 

 posed to the south, in a soil nearly similar to that 

 of Sj'racuse, after the following manner: 



Should the shoots be numerous, the ground must 

 in the first place be well worked. The holes are 

 made with an iron bar of the thickness of fbur 

 thumbs, having a wooden handle. The shoots 

 are then inserted in the holes, the lower extremity 

 being first cut ofl" and the mud cleaned from the 

 shoot ; a little dry earth is then put into the hole 

 and rammed down ; a little water being added at 

 intervals, so that the dirt may adhere to and pro- 

 tect the buds or eyes, and help them to take root. 

 The part of the branch that remains out of the 



ground must be cut off, leaving only lour eyes 

 above ground, the two lower of wiiich must also 

 be removed. 



In the month of January, (while the moon is iu 

 the wane,) the vines are to be pruned ; the lower 

 shoot being entirely removed, and but one eye or 

 bud left on the upper shoot ; should, however, the 

 upper shoot be weak, then this must be taken ofT 

 and an eye or bu<l of the lower one left. These 

 oi)eratioiis are to be continued during five years ; 

 after which period two branches may be left, and 

 when the vine is stout, three but not more, which 

 are to be i)runed every year. 



Cultivation. — After the first rains of October, 

 form the earth in a square concave bill, about one 

 foot deep around the vine ; as the surface of the 

 concavity becomes hardened by rain, break it up 

 around the trunk of the vine with a small spade. 

 When the vine is pruned, which iimst be done 

 in January, it is to be supported with reeds, the 

 shoots being tied at their lower part. 



In Blarch, the earth is to be bioken up trans- 

 versely. 



In the mouth of April, the vine is cleared by 

 pulling off the lower leaves, which nuist be done 

 when the shoots are two feet long. 



In May, the vine must be pruned and the 

 ground broken up again in the opposite direction, 

 diagonally ; but before this is done, the young 

 branches should be twisted together and tied to 

 the supporting poles, in order that the trunks may 

 be kept upright aud more room given to ilic culti- 

 vator. 



In Jime, the shoots must be twisted together 

 again, bent upwards, and sustained at the height 

 of four feet from the ground, to prevent their 

 spreading about. 



After three years are elapsed, the vine begins to 

 bear a little grape. Pluck off the grape of the 

 first year as soon as it makes its ajjpearance, lo 

 prevent the waste of the sap needed by the mother 

 vine. 



In June, the ground must be again broken up 

 transversely and levelled. 



In August, when the vine is five years old, the 

 ripe grape is gathered, and a few days after, the 

 remainder. If the grapes happen to be dried by 

 the sun, place them in the great tub in small heaps, 

 leaving them there about two days ; should they 

 be fresh, they should be spread on mats aud ex- 

 posed to the sun until dry, taking tjie precaution 

 to cover them with other mats aud remove them 

 within the house at night. The grapes are tram- 

 pled in a large tub and afterwards pressed iu the 

 mill ; the juice expressed is put into small tubs, 

 and when one year old, may be bottled off. 



[The above is the translation of a paper furnish 

 ed at the request of Capt. Perry, by the Chevalier 

 Landolino, a considerable land-holder in Sicily.] 



Hemerocallis Ftava, Yellow day-lily. — This is a 

 very beautiful flower, perfectly hardy, of a bright 

 gold yellow, and of a delicious fragrance. The 

 flower is of the form of the common white lily. 



Rhododendron Ponticum. — Now in full bloom. 

 This is a most splendid shiub, either for the 

 garden or parlor, being sufficiently hardy for 

 either. The flowers are light ])urplc and cluster- 

 ed in large heads. The buds open successively, 

 so that the various stages from the commencement 

 to the full expansion of the flowers, exhibited by 

 the ditVercnt parts of the shrub, have a beautiful 

 eflect. — Jlmerican Farmer. 



