Editors' Letter Box. 



241) 



to let 5'ou know how the grapes are 

 doing in this part of Egypt. The 

 grape vines have all made a large 

 growth of wood and leaves, and the 

 show of fruit was fine, but the rot has 

 come upon them, and they are more 

 than half used up. The rot first showed 

 itself in small black specks, and then it 

 came on like the blight. The whole side 

 of a bunch would turn red at the same 

 time, and some of the seeds started to 

 sprout, and then it came out in red 

 ridges, running horizontal around the 

 grape. They are drying up and falling 

 fast, but I think the worst is past. The 

 Concord suffered the most ; the Clinton 

 also is affected. That is something 

 new with me for the Clinton to rot. 

 In the Rebecca the rot seemed to show 

 itself in dark spots all over the grape 

 at the same time. I suppose there is 

 no remedy, so we must grin and bear it. 



E. A. Hegeman. 



[This has been one of the worst 

 seasons for grape diseases we have 

 seen, and if it is any comfort to have 

 companions in misfortune, you can lay 

 that "flattering unction to your soul." 

 There seems to be no end to the rain, 

 and we hear very distressing reports 

 from many parts of the country. The 

 second species of rot you describe (the 

 one you compare to blight) is new to 

 us. Will our friends let us know 

 whether they have observed anything 

 like it anywhere else? 



But few varieties have escaped en- 

 tirely this season. Among those which 

 have suffered least — Norton's Virginia, 

 Cynthiana and Goethe (Roger's No. 1) 

 — stand preeminent, and we are glad 

 to see our former opinion of their reli- 

 ability verified again.] — Ed. 



Bohemia Fruit Farm, July 10th, 1869. 



Messrs. Editors : — Would it not 

 add considerably to the interest as 

 well as the usefulness of The Grape 

 CuLTURiST, if several of its friends, 

 engaged in grape culture in different 

 sections of the country, Avould report 

 to you monthly the condition of their 

 vineyards and anything of interest 

 pertaining to them that may have 

 transpired. For myself I frequently 

 desire to know if the experience and 

 results that I undergo are shared in 

 by others. For instance, this month 

 has brought us considerable rot amonor 

 our Concords, while to the best of 

 our remembrance we did not have any 

 last year. Now it would afford us 

 considerable satisfaction to know if 

 the disease is prevalent in other vine- 

 yards this season, or if it is owing 

 with us to some defect of locality or 

 ti'catment. We find it both on bot- 

 tom lands and on the hill, although 

 most on the ranker vines in the lower 

 land. 



Again, we have seven rows of Diana 

 grapes which are badly infested with 

 the green leaf-rolling worm, while the 

 Clintons immediately adjacent, and 

 submitted to the same treatment, are 

 entirely free from this pest. Those 

 are both in ground that has consi- 

 derable litter on it, the middles hav- 

 ing been planted in strawberries. Our 

 Concords, which have been thoroughly 

 tilled and the ground kept clear, do 

 not afford any specimens of the worm, 

 and hence we come to the conclusion 

 that where the leaves of the vines 

 are as similar as the Concord and 

 Diana, the difference must be in the 

 cleanliness, and hence that perfect 



