The Vineyard. 



131 



Eye straw cut in convenient lengths, 

 also the husks of corn, slit and soaked 

 in water, and the leaves of the Adams 

 Needle (Yucca filamentosa) are also 

 good. Of summer pruning, wo shall 

 treat in a separate article. 



As soon as weeds appear, after the 

 first plowing and hoeing, plow and 

 hoe again, but more shallow than the 

 first time, and always in dry weather. 

 Keep the ground well pulverized, 

 esjiecially in your new plantations, 

 around the young vines. They will 

 groAV much moi'o freely. 



Examine your grape grafts, and rub 

 off all suckers from the stock below, 

 as they will rob the gi-aft of the nour- 

 ishment properly belonging to it. But 

 take care that you do not move the 

 scion, or rub off the buds on them. 



Do not be impatient if the scions do 

 not start at once. They always start 

 later than the stock ; very often even, 

 the principal bud having started, it 

 drops off again, and the side bud or 

 dormant one (of which there are two 

 besides the principal one, on each well 

 developed joint — each bud in fact 

 being triple,) will start a week, or 

 even a month later. As long as the 

 scion is fresh and green, there is hope 

 that it will grow, and those starting 

 late will often make up b}^ rapid 

 growth for lost time. Keep them 

 well covered with saw dust or tan, so 

 as to shade them from the sun, and 

 keep them moist, while the j'oung 

 buds can easily penetrate it. 



Fill up around 3'our layers with 

 well pulverized soil, and as soon as 

 they have grown fifteen to eighteen 

 inches, pinch off the leading shoot. 

 The}'' will become more stock}', and 

 make better roots. 



Examine your cutting beds, and 

 keep them clean and mellow, plowing- 

 between the rows and loosening 

 around the cuttings with hoe and 

 weeding fork. Should the weather 

 threaten to become too dr}-, and you 

 can procure saw dust or spent tan for 

 mulching, it will be of great benefit to 

 them. If you can not procure these, 

 mulch with well pulverized earth, 

 drawing it up over them, but it Avill 

 not do to lot this bake and harden 

 into a crust. 



In vineyards planted this spring, 

 leave no more than one shoot to grow, 

 rubbing off all others; but on this 

 allow all the laterals to grow, as 

 that will make it more stocky. On 

 vines in their second 3'ear, if they 

 start strong and vigorously, 3'ou can 

 leave, on strong growing kinds, from 

 three to four shoots, as they should 

 have two to three bearing canes the 

 next 3'ear, and one spur as a i-eserve 

 near the ground. Look sharp after 

 all noxious insects, especially the 

 steel blue beetle, the different small 

 worms which make their nests in the 

 tips of the young shoots ; but protect 

 the lady bug, the Mantis and its eggs. 

 They are among the best friends you 

 have. 



Triu.of \V IKES at Hkrmaxn, Mo.— On 

 the 17th of May, a trial of wines will bo held 

 at Herniami. to wliicli the friends of good 

 wine are cordially invited. 



No premiums will be awarded, the gi-ape 

 o-rowers simply intending to compare then- 

 wines and discuss their merits. But those 

 who know the reputation of the Hermann 

 wines, will need no assurance that they will 

 find abundance of them, and of such quality 

 that the dutv of sampling them wdl become 

 •I nleasure."^ We hear that several new 

 seedlings will be exhibited as candidates 

 for public favor, togctlufr with the trici 

 veterans of manv a hard fought fiehl; and 

 trust that the admirers of the grape and its 

 products will need no further inducement 

 to be present. 



