EilUors' Letter Box. 



277 



EDITORS' LETTER BOX. 



Kkytesville, Mo., August 17, 18Gi). 



Fkiend Husmann : 



I thought I would write j'OU a few 

 words concerning the grape crop here. 

 We had a hail storm in June that dam- 

 aged the crop about one-fourth, and a 

 heavy rain during the blossoming dam- 

 aged it some more. Mildew and rot 

 we have escaped almost entirel}^ So 

 far as my own vineyard is concerned, 

 I will not lose half a bushel by rot on 

 four acres in bearing ; in fact, there is 

 more rotten grapes on two Mary Ann 

 vines than all the balance of the vine- 

 yard. 



On two acres of Norton Virginia, I 

 have not seen a rotten berr3\ No 

 fault with the Delaware, except some 

 failure in foliage on a few neglected 

 vines. I will make two gallons of wine 

 to the vine from the Herbemonts. 



The foliage of Rogers' No. 4 (Wilder) 

 mildewed a little. No. 1 (Goethe) 

 and 19 (Merrimack) none at all. Con- 

 cords all that can be desired in fruit 

 and wood. By the way, I must say I 

 think that Gallized Concord wine is 

 the most healthy dail}^ drink we have 

 in America. I know of some remark- 

 able cures of chronic diarrha^a made 

 by drinking this wine, and in all cases 

 it has remarkably improved the appetite 

 and digestion, especially in persons 

 suffering with aciditj^ of the stomach 

 and indigestion. It may seem para- 

 doxical that an acid wine should cure 

 acidity of stomach, but such is the fact. 

 In the "summer complaint" of chil- 

 dren, the Virginia Seedling will '^ play 

 the doctors out." Perhaps you may 

 think I have wine to sell — I must say, 

 with tears in my e3^es, mine is all gone ! 



The only drawback we fear here in 

 grape raising is the birds ; but I go for 

 them from "earl}' morn till dewy eve." 

 The slain can be counted by hundreds. 

 I have treated my vineyard to some 

 extent on the no-cultivation plan, from 

 necessity, not from choice ; though I 

 succeeded in getting over it twice by 

 mowing it before plowing. Yet, not- 

 withstanding all this neglect, my Nor- 

 ton's have made an enormous growth, 

 and crossing each other's rows, they 

 entwine in fond embrace, and constitute 

 an impenetrable mass. 



G. M. Dewey, M. D. 



[We are glad to hear so good a re- 

 port from you, Doctor, the more so as 

 we know you to be both practical and 

 reliable. Strange that the Mary Ann 

 should rot with you ; we have never 

 seen it rot here or at Hermann, not 

 even this unfavorable season. 



We are well convinced of the health- 

 promoting qualities of Concord wine. 

 It has been our daily drink for years, 

 at about the rate of a bottle a day, and 

 as such we find it far superior to Ca- 

 tawba , as it seems to cool and invigor- 

 ate, while the Catawba alwa3's had the 

 contrary effect upon us. We do not 

 find it at all paradoxical that it should 

 cure acidity of stomach, as we are an 

 humble believer in houmeopathy and the 

 doctrine of " similia similibus." We 

 could cite some astonishing proofs of 

 the superiority of homa?opathic wine 

 making, and intend to do so some da}'. 

 Of the superior value of Norton's as a 

 medical wine we need not speak, as we 

 have asserted it fifteen ytars ago. But 

 such medical testimony as yours will 

 make '' assurance doubly sure " with 



