80^ 



Tjie Grape Cultwist. 



season, and its leaves only showed the 

 eflects of it by a sickly pale yellow color 

 which they assumed, but which disap- 

 peared readily as soon as the weather 

 underwent a change for the better. My 

 Nortons have yielded me a satisfactory 

 crop of fruit ever}' 3ear since they at- 

 tained tlieir bearing age, but it has 

 never been so rich or abundant as my 

 friends in Hermann and other more 

 favored places can boast of. I am satis- 

 fied if I average 200 gallons of wine per 

 acre; and I will hardly realize that 

 much in the approacliing vintage. 



The Delaware has weathered the in- 

 clemency of the season very well ; it 

 has lost a few berries only ; and if the 

 bunches of grapes are not quite as large 

 and compact as they were last year, 

 still there is a sufficient number of tliem, 

 and the only objection to the vine is its 

 tendency to lose its foliage prematurely. 

 It has already dropped about two-thirds 

 of its leaves, but I hope it will ripen its 

 fruit to perfection. 



Ihe Taylor vines have made an im- 

 mense growth of wood, and if they keep 

 on growing at the same rate next and 

 the succeeding years, it will be dillicult 

 to subdue them to the rules of connnon 

 vineyard cultivation. The fruit has not 

 suffered more, perhaps not as much as 

 in other drj-er seasons ; and if Father 

 Miinch succeeds in raising a prolific 

 Taylor grape-vine, he will add another 

 laurel to his already richly and de- 

 servedly decorated brow. 



Ives, in their third year, show a few 

 bunches of fruit ; fruit and vines sound; 

 and if we can make a good article of 

 wine from the juice of this grape, it will 

 soon be popular with us. 



My Herberaonts were not protected 

 last winter, and all they can do this 



year is to grow bearing canes for next 

 year. 



Maxatawney promises well ; and if 

 it sustains its character we have a white- 

 grape of superior qualit}-. 



Diana, lona, Israella, Cassady, and 

 Creveling may be said to be failures 

 with me. 



My communication is already too- 

 lengthy, and will trespass too much 

 upon the space of your journal. At 

 some other leisure time I may give you 

 some of the conclusions and opinions 

 which I base upon, and form from, the 

 premises. Tiieo. Engelmann. 



[We think that the cause of disease, 

 among your Concords at least, may be 

 traced to the trenching of the soil, in- 

 verting it, and bringing the stiff clay on 

 top. Experience has shown us that the 

 Concord roots near the surface, and the 

 ground should be deeply stirred, but 

 not inverted. — Ed.] 



Bohemia Fruit Farm, Md., { 

 August 23, 1869. S 



Messrs. Editors : 



I hope that this letter will reach you 

 in time for your September issue, as I 

 have delayed it as long as possible in 

 order to report our Concord grapes in 

 market order. We have commenced 

 shipping, and have some very fine 

 bunches, many of them weighing ten 

 ounces by actual weight. We are the 

 more pleased with the result as all 

 through the West the cry is "rot," 

 while, although at one time apparently 

 threatening us, I do not suppose we j 

 ha.ve suffered to the extent of twenty- ' 

 five pounds in as many thousand. 



We had a visit last week from G. H. 

 Mittnecht, Esq., whom you know well, 

 and who has j^early seen the vineyards 

 of the West since they have been 



