6 



The Grape Culturist. 



means of disseminating, over our 

 whole countrj', the combined expe- 

 rience of every section, in the culti- 

 vation of the grape, and its conversion 

 into Tvine. 



Feeling a deep interest in the emi- 

 nent success of The Grajjc Culturist, 

 I hope I shall be pardoned for ex- 

 pressing, just here on the very thres- 

 hold of the enterprize, the hope that 

 the contributors to its columns Avill 

 become a fraternity in this interest — 

 that we will, frankl}^ and in good faith, 

 bring and offer at this general ex- 

 change, for the common benefit, what- 

 ever of information or experience 

 we may have gathered on our way- 

 side; and that Ave will do this at all 

 times, in a spirit that will redound 

 to the credit, uphold the dignity of, 

 and secure the greatest possible in- 

 fluence and usefulness, to its pages. 

 I trust that we shall all scrupulously 

 avoid offensive personalities, and even 

 distasteful sarcasm. 



The very end and aim of your 

 periodical, would seem to discoui/ago 

 the idea of rude means being em- 

 ployed in their attainment. Our care 

 should be to seek and give informa- 

 tion, on a subject so interesting, re- 

 fining and elevating as the culture of 

 the most delicious, and beautiful, and 

 useful of all fruits, in a manner that 

 will '^bless him that giveth, and him 

 that receiveth." So may it be ! 



I would not have ventured tliis 

 hint, Messrs. Editors, if I had not of 

 late years observed, in some of oun 

 valuable Agricultural and Horticul- 

 toral publications, the frequent in- 

 stances of violent departure, on the 

 part of correspondents and contri- 

 butors, from the common rules of 



courtesy - impairing at once the force 

 of their own articles, and the dignity, 

 and therefore the usefulness of the 

 periodicals. 



May I venture one more hint, and 

 I will vacate the chair of monitor. 



I deem it really a matter of more 

 importance than most writers seem 

 to consider it, that practices, and re- 

 sults, and even opinions upon practi- 

 cal subjects, should, when laid before 

 the public, have the sanction of a 

 name. It matters not that we shall 

 not generally recognize, nor be able 

 to identify the name. It is something 

 — it gives credence, and adds force 

 to any contribution, to find a veritable 

 name, and, therefore, a responsibility 

 attached to it. Let us then have 

 names affixed to all communications. 



!N"ow then, let us turn to the pi'acti- 

 cal task of laying the foundation of 

 what, I foresee, will become '^ere 

 many summers" a text book on Grape 

 Culture. And, as I am willing to en- 

 list as an humble co-laborer in erec- 

 ting the structure; and deem it al- 

 waj'S prudent to give our first atten- 

 tion to the foundation of any erection, 

 I beg to call attention to a few fun- 

 damental facts in grapeology (my 

 patent) that should be interesting to 

 all cultivators of the vine. As much 

 as we may plume ourselves upon the 

 extent to which Vve have educated 

 nature, and constrained her to aban- 

 don her rude way of doing things; 

 it may not be amiss to look back, now 

 and then, and acquaint ourselves with 

 her uncultivated habits. What then 

 do we find to be the native habits 

 and propensities of our different clas- 

 ses of wild grapes— Let us take the 

 Vitis Lahriisca — the familv of fo3' 



