304 



The Grape Culturist. 



Creveling mildewed badly ; fruit 

 mostly dropped; leaves slightly affected. 



Catawba is considered too late 

 here for a certain crop ; but few vines 

 set ; rotted considerably — I should 

 judge fully one-half of the fruit. 



Diana. Vine strong, vigorous grow- 

 er ; set plenty of fruit ; foliage all right ; 

 but few berries left by the rot. 



Delaware. This brave little grape 

 seems to bid defiance (with us) to the 

 weather; it loads itself with fruit and 

 holds it ; is a much stronger grower 

 than I supposed ; I set my vines 4 feet 

 in the row, which I think is too close 

 by 2 or 8 feet. No blight. 



Hartford Prolific. Vines and fruit 

 all right thus far. 



loNA. A fair grower ; set plenty of 

 fruit, but mildewed quite badly ; foliage 

 considerably affected by blight. 



IsRAELLA. Next to Allcn's Hybrid 

 the foliage is most affected by blight, of 

 my collection ; fruit cannot ripen. 



IvES. I have only two years trans- 

 planted vines ; vigorous ; perfectly free 

 from blight ; shall have but few bunches 

 of fruit. 



Isabella every one is acquainted 

 with ; where the vines were covered 

 they have a very fine crop. 



Merrimac (Rogers' No. 19). Foliage 

 badly affected ; hardly think any of the 

 fruit will mature. 



Norton's Virginia. Only one vine 

 set ; not yet fruited ; probably too late 

 to ripen here with certainty ; no blight 

 of foliage. 



Perkins. First set last spring ; made 

 good growth ; perfectly healthy in every 

 respect. 



Salem. I have only one and two 

 years transplanted ; good growers ; no 

 blight. 



My soil is what is called here heavy 

 oak openings, which is as much as to 

 say heavy sandy loam. 



I would like to inquire if iron-bound 

 oak casks which had contained high- 

 wines would do for wine? Also, 

 whether 3^ou think holes bored in trellis 

 stakes or wire staples best? Some say 

 one, some the other. No reasons given. 

 I have thus far used staples. 

 Truly yours, 



J. P. Parsas. 

 [Alcohol casks can be used for ferment- 

 ing young wines, and are then good for - 

 any kind of use. We think wire staples • 

 the most speedy and handiest for fast- 

 ening vines to trellis. — Ed.] 



Little Rock, Arkansas, ; 

 August 27, 1869. \ 



Geo. Husmann, Esq. : 



Dear Sir : This season has proved, 

 so far, splendid for our small grape 

 crop. I have cut some very fine speci- 

 mens of Concord the 20th da}^ of July. 

 They were, of course, not ripe enough 

 to make wine, but fine for market. I 

 have not noticed any rot, the bunches 

 being perfect, and every berry colored 

 equally. The Herbemont, Norton's 

 Virginia, Ives' Seedling and Cynthiana, 

 which I planted last fall, are all remark- 

 ably thrifty, the leaves fresh and green 

 up to this date, although exposed to 

 the full benefit of the sun ; thermome- 

 ter 136'' in the sun. ■ 



The native favorite of mine I spoke 

 of in my last, is completely loaded 

 down with fruit, every berry sound, i 

 and foliage fresh and green. I have 

 some very fine canes selected for you, 

 which I will forward next fall. I think 

 by hybridizing that grape with some of 

 the more refined classes of grapes, great 

 results could be obtained. 



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