Editors' Letter JBox. 



017 "7 



too, that the prices jou mention are 

 too high to sell wines and grapes in 

 large quantities; although we also 

 think that Catawba will not pay very 

 well even at that price. We must 

 look to Concord, Goethe and Martha 

 for cheap wines. — Ed.] 



Fbedericksbukg, Va., November 17, 1SG9. 



Messrs. Editors : 



Please correct error of some ten 

 years in the age of my favorite Alvey 

 vine, noticed in your number for this 

 month. 



The yield of" 1,600 to 2,000" bunch- 

 es is " enormous" for mature old age 

 — ''monstrous," your readers exclaim, 

 for a " two year old," as the types 

 have it. 



This vine was planted in 1858, not 

 1868, as I am made to say, perhaps by 

 a slip of the pen. 



I may add that it left far behind 

 Herbemont, Clinton, Elsenburg, and 

 others, planted at same time, (all on 

 arbors) as to growth of matured wood, 

 quality and quantity of fruit, and ex- 

 emption from diseases that the grape 

 is heir to. Yours truly, 



Wm. T. Hart. 



[We cheerfully correct the mistake^ 

 but cannot help irregularities if our 

 correspondents will not try to write 

 their statements legible. Your letters 

 has it '68, as we can prove by manu- 

 script, and we confess it is a "big 

 thing" even for an eleven years old 

 vine. Sometimes the printers make 

 queer errors, and they are occasionally 

 overlooked. Thus, in friend Miller's 

 communication, they call the Goethe 

 Eogers' 10, which is just nine too 

 much. We owe our readers and cor- 

 respondents apologies for occasional 

 ei'rors, but hope they will console 



themselves with the old adage that 

 " mistakes will happen, even in the 

 best regulated families." — Ed.] 



Baltimore, Md., October 25, 1869. 



Editors Grape Cultdrist: 



Dear Sirs: The following figures 

 were the result of measuring the must 

 of different grapes at different times, 

 of this season's crop, in my vineyard, 

 showing the correctness of your re- 

 mark, that the Ives was only rela- 

 tivel}^ the sweetest grape at an, early 

 peiuod of the season. The must was 

 filtered, and either by cooling off or 

 by warming up, brought to a temper- 

 ature of 54" Fahrenheit, and every 

 test repeated : 



Sept. 9— Hartford 71° Oechsle. 



Concord 76° " 



Ives 81° " 



Sept. 14 — Hartford ( a great many 

 dried berries) 80° Oechsle. 



Concord 79° " 



Sept. 21— Concord 80° " 



25— Concord 82 i° " 



25— Rog'sNo.4&1..82° " 

 29— Ives,from 82° to 83° " 



Oct. 14— Norton's 110° " 



Thus, while the Ives increased but 

 very little after September 9, the Con- 

 cords gained every day in weight, 

 and Avould probably have shown a 

 further increase, had they been left 

 longer on the vines. The Perkins, 

 after getting ripe, was as foxy as pos- 

 sible. 



Your Grape Culturist should be 

 on ever}^ vintner's table, and no 

 doubt will be. To make it known, is 

 to recommend it. 



Yours respectfully, 



Chas. T. Schmidt. 

 [Much obliged for your interesting 



