Editors' Letter Box. 



339 



Abingdox, Va., October 4, 1869. 



Friend Husmann : 



I take the liberty, to-day, to enclose 

 you three samples of grapes by ex- 

 press. Being totally unacquainted 

 with many of the grapes and their 

 character, I do not consider myself 

 judge of their quality. I have marked 

 them 1, 2, and 3. No. 1, amber, and 

 No. 2, black, are both seedlings. No. 

 3, the largest. I want to know what 

 it is. 



No. 2 is a seedling of the ^Estivalis 

 class, I think, gathered 10th of Sep- 

 tember, from a vine clambering all 

 over some shade trees -, never pruned, 

 or any kind of care taken of it. No 

 rot or mildew. Color black. 



No. 1, a seedling, selected by the 

 originator from a lot of seedlings of 

 Bland's Madeira and Catawba, he 

 thinks, many years ago. Has been 

 fruiting upon the wall of the house, 

 and a younger vine fruiting upon an 

 out-house neglected. Don't think it 

 has ever been known to rot or mil- 

 dew". Amber color. 



No. 3 rots here some, but perhaps 

 owing to the situation of the vino and 

 no care. 



Please do me the iavor of giving me 

 your oj^inion of the merits of the 

 grapes (judging from the imperfect 

 bunches, too long gathered, etc.), 

 whether they are worthy of propagat- 

 ing or not, their qualities, etc. 

 Eespectfully yours, 



Wm. B. Kelly. 



[The grapes 'arrived in a very di- 

 lapidated condition, being half rotten. 

 We can, therefore, not give a decided 

 opinion of their merits. No. 1, we 

 think, has no merit; we have abund- 

 ance of better varieties. No. 2 is a 



black grape with a great deal of color- 

 ing matter, very sweet, but little juice. 

 May be valuable for red wine. Please 

 describe the bunch. Those you sent 

 seemed very small. No. 3, as far as 

 we could judge of such imperfect spec- 

 imens, is Catawba. We would like 

 to give No. 2 a ti'ial, if 3'ou can spare 

 us a few grafts. — Ed.] 



Fredericksbuug, Va., September 15, 1869. 



Messrs. Editors: 



There is a growing interest in grape 

 culture, and Eastern Virginia is to be 

 the "Vineyard of America." So say 

 Knox, Wm. Saunders, and others. 

 Good authority. 



I have an experimental vineyard 

 now for the third year in fruit. Of 

 44 varieties (leading sorts), the Alvey 

 is pronounced the best, for both wine 

 and table, not excepting Delaware. 

 The Alvej^ is to be our leading grape, 

 as the Concoi'd is with you. I don't 

 know what Mr. Husmann will say to 

 this. I have vines of it planted in 

 1868, one of which, jiruned long, bore 

 1,500 to 2,000 perfect bunches this 

 season. 3Iust 98°. 



Yours respectfully, 



Wm. T. Hart. 



[Glad to hear so good a report of the 

 Alvey, which is certainly a fine grape, 

 and will make a fine wine where it 

 succeeds. If it does well with you, 

 plant it by all means, you cannot 

 plant a grape of finer quality. We 

 say that your yield on that Alvey 

 vine was enormous. We should not 

 have thought it possible, as it is here a 

 rather slow, short jointed grower. No 

 doubt climate and soil have brought 

 about this remarkable change. But 

 still, 1,500 to 2,000 bunches is too 



