Editors' Letter Bo,r. 



215 



stool method has been tried in this 

 C'ountiy. We think, however, that it 

 would answer with the Delaware and 

 Alvej. 



For the information of our readers 

 who may not be acquainted with the 

 method referred to, we Avill describe 

 it here : The object is to form a bush 

 or low tree of the vine ; for this pur- 

 pose but one strong shoot is left to 

 each vine, and this is cut back, in 

 pruning, to a foot or eighteen inches, 

 sometimes two feet above the ground. 

 The lower laterals are all taken off, 

 and but two or three of the upper 

 ones left, which, at the next pruning, 

 ai-e cut to spurs of two eyes each. 

 The shoots which these produce are 

 cut back to spurs again, so that an 

 old vine, trained in this manner, pre- 

 sents the shape of a round-headed 

 tree or bush. In some districts they 

 receive one stake each, to which all 

 the shoots are tied by a band of 

 straw passed around them; in others, 

 especially in Mexico and California, 

 where this method is practiced a good 

 deal, they are allowed to hang down 

 loosely.] — Ed. 



Sedalia, Mo., May 24, 1869. 



]\iR. CtEORge Husmann : 



Dear Sir — You will recollect selling 

 to me grapevines last fall, and among 

 the lot was fifty Delawares. These I 

 planted in a piece of ground, in my 

 judgment best suited to their habits. 

 If these Delawares do well in the 

 future, I will fill up the piece of land 

 with them, and Avould like to do so 

 this fall. ISTow, what I wish to know 

 ■of you is this : Can you predict their 

 future success from this year's growth? 

 ■and if so, what do you found yoiir 



predictions upon ? This is a question 

 I would like to settle in advance, so 

 that I can prepare the ground in time. 

 Every one of the fifty Delawares was 

 growing fine on the 10th inst. Some 

 had leaves as large as a dollar at that 

 time. Most of the Herbemonts I 

 fear are winter killed; at least but few 

 showed an}' signs of animation, yet 

 they seem to have life in the roots. 

 Will these, do j'ou think, sprout from 

 this depth ? The Concords are about 

 all living, and some had grown six 

 inches. Nortons were all alive and 

 grew as fine as the Concords. Maxa- 

 tawney and Eogers living. 



I am very much pleased with your 

 Grape Culturist, and hope 3'ou will 

 have large success. 



Yours, trul}', J. B. McCIisk. 



[We cannot help you out of your 

 difliculty. We cannot tell the first 

 summer whether a variety of grapes 

 will do in a certain soil. If your soil 

 is porous and ver}" rich, and your vines 

 grow very vigorously without a sign 

 of disease on the leaf, you may rea- 

 sonably infer that they will succeed, 

 especially if they retain their leaves 

 fresh and green until frost. But it 

 will take three to four years to fully 

 settle the question of their adapta- 

 bility to your soil. The Herbemonts 

 will doubtless sprout from below. 

 You should have drawn the earth up 

 around your vines last fall, and they 

 would not have suffered.] — Ed. 



Abixgdox, Va.; .June 7, 1869. 



\Mr. George Husmann : 



Dear Sir — I am desirous of starting 

 a vineyard. I have but little experi- 

 ence in the culture of the Grape. 

 Knowing that you live near the 



