Editors' Letter Box. 



315 



perfectly secured as to have the wires 

 interlaced from top to top of the 

 poles, which latter might be six or 

 seven feet high? The vines could also 

 run diagonally across, from top of one 

 pole to the other, thus forming a per- 

 fect support for the vines. One of 

 the chief advantages of the plan would 

 be, that no culture would be required, 

 the dense shade at once keeping the 

 ground mellow and preventing any 

 growth of grass or weeds, though the 

 height of arbor would not prevent 

 horse culture, if deemed ex^^edient. 



I think this is the plan adopted in 

 the South for the Scuppernong, and 

 we have accounts of the enormous 

 production of this variety. So that it 

 cannot bo objected that it may result 

 in %\vy fruitage, or injury to the vine. 



I think I shall try an acre on this 

 plan next year, unless you see decided 

 objections. A. E. Trabue. 



[We see several objections to the 

 arbor plan you propose. First, It 

 shuts out air and light, two important 

 requisites to success in grapes, and 

 without which our grapes can not at- 

 tain their full perfection. Second, 

 It brings the fruit out of your reach, 

 and you can not conveniently perforin 

 the necessary operations of pinching, 

 tying, etc. Third, It adds to the cost, 

 as you would need higher posts, more 

 wire, etc. 



If you do not think weeds could 

 grow under this dense shade, how can 

 you expect the grapes to remain 

 healthy? "We have long ago satisfied 

 ourselves that the finest grapes are 

 grown pretty well up on the trellis, 

 between two and four feet from the 

 ground, thus steering a middle course 

 between the old low system and arbor 

 training, the two extremes. — Ed.] 



OUR APOLOGY. 



We acknowledge the receipt of a 

 great many invitations to Fairs in 

 different counties of this and the neigh- 

 boring States, even our Eastern breth- 

 ren have sent us many tokens of regard 

 of that kind. We deeply regret that 

 we are unable to attend any of these 

 gatherings, but cannot get away from 

 here. We have been censured even for 

 neglecting a duty our friends seem to 

 think we owe to the public, and for not 

 exhibiting the fruits of our vineyards 

 here. They forget that this is but a 

 new Colony ; we have only a few va- 

 rieties bearing here, and as they are the 

 old varieties with which everybody is 

 familiar, we did not think it necessary 

 to do so. Everybody knows Concord, 



Norton's, and Herbemont, and although 

 we could exhibit such fruit of them as 

 is not shown every day, we preferred 

 to wait until next season, when we in- 

 tend to make such a show, if life and 

 health is spared, as will convince them 

 that we are not dead yet, nor negligent 

 of our favorite fruit, the grape. 



The crop of our old and tried favorites 

 is so abundant here, that it keeps us 

 busy almost night and day, to joj^ously 

 work it into wine, and we can hardly find 

 time to write and revise the MS. for 

 this number. This must plead our ex- 

 cuse with our friends for this seeming 

 neglect of them. We can assure them 

 that our heart is still as warm for the 

 good cause as ever, and that it would 

 have given us sincere pleasure to met 

 them all at their several gatherings. --Ed. 



