814 



The Grape Culturist. 



your paper, will find the inclosed, 

 which I cut out of a newspaper, inter- 

 esting. Yer}' respectfully yours, 



F. Hone. 

 [We would advise you to plow the 

 ground deeply this fall between the 

 rows, and loosen around the vines with 

 the karst, or pronged hoe. If you had 

 followed our advice about planting, 

 given in the Grape Culturist, "never 

 to plant or work the soil when wet," 

 this would not have happened. Put- 

 ting the subsoil on top was also a 

 mistake. Stir it deep, and thoroughly, 

 but do not invert the soil. If the soil 

 is thus exposed to the action of the 

 atmosphere during winter, it will be- 

 come mellow in spring, and by work- 

 ing it when dry you can bring it into 

 fair condition again. The article you 

 refer to will be published in another 

 number. — Ed,] 



Augusta, Mo., August 23d, 1809. 



Ifessrs. Editors : To my last week's 

 communication I would add, through 

 the Grape Culturist, the following 

 request : Let every vintner dig up a 

 couple of his vines that rotted most, 

 and report the condition of the roots. 

 In this way, I think, a sure result could 

 be found. If the soil, the roots, and 

 culture cause the disease, it can be 

 helped. If, as many seem to think, 

 the cause is in the atmosphere, then, 

 of course, there is no remedy ; iind, 

 sooner or later, every variety of grape 

 is liable to the disease. 



Eespectfully yours, 



Conrad Mallinckrodt. 



[We think you are mistaken in the 

 last conclusion you arrive at. We 

 have known the Norton for twenty 

 years now, and never saw it materially 



affected by the rot, which shows con- 

 clusively to us that thei'e are some 

 varieties capable of withstanding at- 

 mospheric influences, and perfectly 

 reliable. — Ed.] 



Geo. Husmann, Esq. : 



Sir: Enclosed you will find S2 for 

 one year's subscription to the Grape 

 Culturist. Please send me the back 

 numbers to January. 



Please inform me, through the col- 

 umns of the Grape Culturist, how to 

 use a "must scale," and what degree 

 of saccharine matter the "must" must 

 contain to make good wine. 



Yours truly, Addison Eby. 



[The must scale is very simple in its 

 use, and Oechsle's the most common 

 in use. Have your must at a tempera- 

 ture of 65°, and then insert the instru- 

 ment slowlj', with the weight on, when 

 it will show the degrees where even 

 with the surface of the fluid. We 

 genei'ally take the weight of normal 

 must, or the average in fair seasons, 

 for our guide with the different varie- 

 ties. Good Concord should be'nbout 

 75°, Catawba 80°, Norton's Yirginia 

 and Delaware 100°, Clinton 90°, and 

 80 on. The denser the must, the more 

 sugar it contains, and the less will the 

 scale sink into the fluid. — Ed.] 



Hannibal, Mo., Augu.st 20tli, 1869. 



Messrs. Editors : I would like to 

 know one thing: Why is it none of 

 our northern vineyardists have ever j 

 practiced the plan of training on * 

 arbors infield culture? The theory 

 would seem to be correct. We are 

 told to let the grapes ripen in the 

 shade, with the leaves exposed to the 

 sun ; and in Avhat way can this be so 



