Editors' Letter Box. 



281 



Grape Culturist is appreciated b}- 

 3'0ii, and hope that none of our read- 

 , ei"8 will find it a poor investment, 

 ■ We think you place the Scuppcr- 

 nong about where it belongs. It 

 n\^j do for a first beginning in the 

 South, as 3'ou say it is a safe grape to 

 plant, but it would be folly indeed to 

 rest contented with it. Your sugges- 

 tion of over fermentation is a good 

 one. Please try it, and report your 

 experience. We should be pleased to 

 receive a sample of the wine thus 

 treated. — Ed.] 



Tower Place, Quincy, Aug. 15, ISGfl. 



Messrs. Husmann and Frings : 



Dear Sirs : My Delawares are 

 throwing out a fine crop of new 

 leaves. I am in hopes they will give 

 me a good lot of grapes j^et, as my 

 Catawbas have failed and Concords 

 dropping badly. I must depend upon 

 the Delaware to bring me back my 

 money that has been spent in culti- 

 vating the vineyard. The expense 

 of cultivation this season has cost me 

 from one-third to one-half more than 

 last year ; the weeds and grass (espe- 

 cially what we call joint grass) have 

 grown with amazing rapidit}'. My 

 wine made last fall is very good ; the 

 Delaware is pronounced b}' those who 

 call themselves judges as being very 

 fine. M}^ wine cellar has had a great 

 deal of water in it. I have a pump 

 that throws an 11 inch stream full. 

 Some da^'s the pump has been worked 

 six to seven hours; a well hole in the 

 cellar, 4.} by 7 feet, and 5 feet deep, 

 would be full, and the cellar floor 

 covered. The ventilation being good, 

 my cellar has not been as damp as one 

 would think ; casks have moulded 



some, which is the case, I believe, in 

 all cellars, if they are anyways cool. 

 The market here is poor for wine, the 

 Germans being the principal con- 

 sumers, and they thinking no wine 

 fit to drink unless it comes from the 

 Rhine, or at least the cask must be 

 marked as if it did, even if the soui- 

 stuff was made in Chicago out of 

 apples. I remain, etc., 



John L. Moore. 

 [It does not necessarily folloAV that 

 a cool celhir should also be damp and 

 mouldy. We have seen very cool 

 cellars entirely dry, and with as pm4 

 air as any room. Can you not cut a 

 drain from your cellar ? You must 

 make allowances for the prejudices of 

 people. They will not be overcome 

 in a day or in a single jGav. A great 

 revolution in the taste of the people 

 is slowly Avorking its way, and mean- 

 while we will tr}' and make our wines 

 so good that people are compelled to 

 di-ink them if thc}^ taste them once. 

 It is our constant aim to assist our 

 readers to do this by our own experi- 

 ence and that of others. Will they 

 all help us by giving it through our 

 columns ? — Ed.] 



Warsaw, Illinois, August 2, 1869. 



Mr. George Husmann : 



With all the vine3'ardists in this 

 neighborhood, the Catawba is almost a 

 total failure. Concord, Clinton, and 

 Delaware have mostly succeeded. We 

 hope to receive some good suggestions 

 and instructions from 3-our 20 years' 

 experience in grape culture, 



Very respectfully^ yours, 



Charles Hay. 



[We shall be glad to give all the 

 information we can. Let us hear from 

 3'ou again. — Ed.] 



