Hints to Contributors. — Native habits of our wild grapes. 



grape division. The first prefer our 

 Eastern and North Eastern exposures, 

 with their deeper and richer soil j the 

 second .the Southern and South Wes- 

 tern exposures, where the soil is 

 poorer, and more intermingled with 

 lime and decomposed stones. "We 

 have seen the Catawba look yellow, 

 and its leaves btirnt by the sun, in 

 aspects where the Herbemont, I^or- 

 tons Virginia, Cunningham, Eulan- 

 der (so called;) in short all those be- 

 longing to the Southern class of the 

 Aestivalis family, would stand the 

 severest droughts without flagging, 

 remain fresh and green, and bring 

 their fruit to a perfection which it 

 will not attain in deeper soils. 



But while this rule will apply gene- 

 i^ally, these are exceptions of both 

 classes. The Delaware, (in our opinion 

 undoubtedly an Aestivalis) the Cre- 

 veling, and the Alvey, all belonging to 

 the same class, will according to our 

 experience, do better either on the 

 bottoms of our rivers and their South- 

 ern side, or on the deep rich sandy loam 

 of our jSTorth Eastern or even Nor- 

 thern slopes. And we may add to 

 them the Cassady, undoubtedly a 

 Labrusca ; and some of Eogers H}"- 



brids, crosses between the Yinifera 

 and Labrusca. In summing up, we 

 find that all variteies liable to sun- 

 scald, should be planted on deep soil 

 or on a northerly slope, while those 

 ^^children of the sunny south'' with a 

 strong and vigorous growth, healthy 

 foliage, and small berries ; in short, 

 the southern division of the Aesti- 

 valis class, will do best, and furnish 

 the best wines, on Southern slopes, 

 with warm limestone soil. 



The soil should be loose and friable; 

 if not so naturally, it should be made 

 BO by deep plowing. Only in land 

 thus prepared, will the vines be able 

 to withstand the vicissitutes of our 

 changeable climate, and be healthy, 

 alike in wet as in dry seasons. 



This is Missouri experience. Will 

 not our readers from other States 

 give us theirs ? Let^us abandon the 

 search after a universal grape ; let us 

 find out what will suit each locality 

 and soil; and we will achieve more 

 for the success of grape culture than 

 can be done by all the Greely and 

 Longworth prizes, which, however 

 Avell may have been the intention of 

 the donors, will only serve to make 

 •^^confusion woi*se confounded." 



HINTS TO CONTEIBUTOES.— NATIVE HABITS OF OUE 

 WILD GEAPES. 



I most heartily congratulate the 

 friends of the grape. North, South, 

 East and West, that we are about to 

 realize the important advantages 

 which must needs result from the es- 

 tablishment, under the most favorable 

 auspices, of a periodical, to be devoted 



to the culture of the grape and the 

 manufacture of wine. 



I have, myself, long felt the want 

 of an organ for grape growers, which 

 should be limited to the encourage- 

 ment of these highly important and 

 growing interests ; and should be the 



