Editors' Letter Box. 



185 



course.) The Flowers grape will make 

 a red wine. It is of the Muscadine 

 species, by some said to be a seedling of 

 the Scnppernong, bj^ others not 



Locality, 33 deg-. 10 min. north lati- 

 tude; vineyard faces to the E. S. E.; 

 sloping hillside; soil sandy, with clay 

 basis ; moderately fertile ; needs under- 

 diaining. The portion I set out this 

 winter, four acres, is fresh, still having 

 part of the brush and logs in the squares 

 of the vines, which are set 30 by 30 feet. 

 On the north and east stand high forest 

 trees, nearly half of which are pine, the 

 balance oak, hickory, black gum, sweet 

 gum, etc. A great many Muscadine 

 vines growing wild all over it. The 

 vines I set out in this fresh, rough 

 ground were set in holes one foot deep, 

 three wide, filled with top soil. Around 

 those where the soil is anyway thin, I 

 had from two to five bushels of well 

 rotted top soil thrown. Nearly every 

 vine is putting out. The Flowers the 

 earliest. 



The nearest body of water is the 

 Washita river, twelve miles east; chan- 

 nel about two hundred and fifty yards 

 wide; and its bottom, which overflows 

 during winter and spring, five to ten 

 miles. It may have a very slight influ- 

 ence on the temperature during spring 

 time of the overflow, but none in the 

 fall. 



I have kept no meteorological journal, 

 and can give you no data on that point 

 otherwise than that our rains partake, to 

 a greater or less extent, of the tropical, 

 with annual drouth during July or 

 August, sometimes both. 



This last winter was extremely mild. 

 Ko snow fell here, nor w^as there ice 

 exceeding half an inch. Winter before 

 last, snow fell eight inches deep ; ice one 

 to one and a halt inches thick. A\^e had a 

 frost and slight freeze the loth of this 

 month, which bit early vegetation; and 

 although it did not kill fruit, it injured it 



so that it is falling off now considerably. 



There are two Scuppcrnong vineyards 

 in this county (Union) bearing; tiie 

 larger is owned by M. A. Holl)rook, 

 twelve miles from here. He has about 

 seven acres bearing. During the war he 

 neglected his old vines, and his young 

 ones have just begun fairly to bear. I 

 think he made five hundred gallons last 

 year (expects to make a great deal more 

 next), and has sold most of it, the low- 

 est at $3 50 per gallon by the barrel. 

 Sold about $400 worth of rooted layers. 



Having stated all the facts which I 

 think can have any bearing on what I 

 have to propose, I will come to the 

 paints. 



1. I want you to send me a man with 

 a small family, honest, "industrious and 

 sensible (don't want any other kind), to 

 assist me in preparing and cultivating 

 my vineyard. It wants underdraining, 

 cleaning off, and the soil thoroughly 

 worked; the vines staked and trained 

 this year, next the more thrifty ones 

 need scaffolding. (I speak of the Scup- 

 pernong.) The year after all will want 

 scaflblding. 



I propose, as the Scuppernong vines 

 are thirty feet each way, to experiment 

 with the bunch grape, trying all kinds of 

 American grapes in the middle, until 

 the extension of the vines and scaffold- 

 ing shall occupy the ground ; also expe- 

 rimenting with seedling Scuppornongs. 



I will furnish everything recjuired 

 about the vineyard, except he must get 

 out and haul timber, and give such a 

 man $250 per annum for the first two 

 years, and after that share the profits. I 

 furnish neat small box house, land for 

 o-arden, he feed and clothe himself and 

 family. Out of the first year's wages I 

 will advance, if necessary, enough to 

 pay expenses of getting here, and pro- 

 visions. This partnership, or lease, to 

 extend seven years, with privilege, if 

 agreeable, of extending the same. He 



