Editors' Letter Box. 



345 



1ST, Dr. Hay made up a little club, 

 which will no doubt be doubled or 

 tripled at the end of the year. So, go 

 on with the good work, and be assured 

 "time brings roses." 



This season was too wet for almost 

 everything, and every kind of crop 

 has suffered except weeds, that look 

 better everywhere than I ever saw 

 them, in vineyards as well as in potato 

 patches. The vines that withstood 

 best were JSTorton's, Delaware, Con- 

 cord, Clinton, Herbcmont and Hart- 

 ford. Ives and Cunningham have 

 kept their foliage, look very hardy, 

 and promise well, but are too young 

 here to bear any fruit. 



In the September number you 

 speak of the health-promoting quali- 

 ties of the Concord wine. In that I 

 believe with you and Dr. Dewey. We 

 have an old rule in Germany : " In 

 habitual constipation of the bowe's 

 drink white wine; if the reverse is 

 the case, drink red wine." There is 

 nothing of the nature of "similia 

 similibus " in this, however. If one 

 bottle is about the rate for an homoeo- 

 path to consume per day, I would like 

 to know my quantum, for I am an 

 humble believer in '^contraria contra- 

 riis." 



I have tile-drained some three acres 

 of vineyard, but not long enough 

 to satisfy myself to go to more ex- 

 pense for the present. What is your 

 advice ? It is a heavy outlaj'. Will 

 it pay in the end ? The soil is a 

 heavy, stiff, tenacious clay. 



In pruning the graj)e vine, the rule 

 is, I believe, to wait until the vine has 

 dropped its leaves. Unfortunately, Ave 

 have in Warsaw mostly Catawba, and 

 those dropped their leaves long ago. 



The wood has ripened but very im- 

 perfectly in consequence. Would it 

 be advisable to cut away such shanks 

 as have to come off noio, and thus 

 throw the nutriment into the remain- 

 ing shoots to develop the fruit buds 

 and harden the wood more perfectly ? 

 At this time the stock pushes out 

 some callus- yet to close up the pores, 

 and thus protects itself from the wet 

 and decay, which it cannot do a few 

 weeks hence. I have done so this 

 fall, at any rate, and would like tO' 

 hear your opinion about it. 



Yours trul}', W. 



[We hardly know what to Htij about 

 draining, and think it would be best 

 not to plant on any soil that cannot 

 be kept sufficiently dry with surface 

 drainage. Deep stirring of the soil,. 

 not inverting, and careful surfiice drain- 

 ing, by furrows in each row, has been 

 our practice, and we have found it 

 sufficient. We think you can safely 

 jDrune away old arms in October. It 

 will certainly not hurt the vine. If 

 allopaths and homoeopaths both agree 

 in the health-promoting qualities of 

 wine, it is certainly a strong proof 

 for it. —Ed.] 



BrsiiBERG, Mo,, Sept. 18, 1869. 



George Husmann : 



Dear Sir : At the Horticultural 

 exhibition at the Skating Rink, on 

 September 8th-10th, we had the op- 

 portunity to admire a plate filled with 

 bunches of " Taylor," from Mr. Jas. 

 E. Starr, which Avere fine, compact, 

 evidently fruiting as perfect as could 

 be wished, and quite different from 

 our own and others we had seen. On 

 our inquiry whether Mr. Starr as- 

 cribed his success Avith this A^ariety to 



