The Grape ChUturist. 



Mechanical Association, where all the 

 premiums offered for wines generally 

 amounted to about S50 annually, while 

 they give $1500 for the best blooded 

 stallion ; and where the Isabella wine 

 is put upon the premium list year after 

 year, although ever}" one at all con- 

 versant with grape growing knows 

 that it is entirely unworthy of culture 

 in this vState. The editors of such 

 journals, not being practical grape 

 growers themselves, publish any and 

 every thing sent to them, good or bad, 

 practicable or impracticable, and thus 

 sometimes do their readers more harm 

 than good, although they may have the 

 best intentions. What the grape grow- 

 ers of the country need, is not so much 

 an immense amount of writing upon 

 the subject — -for we have a superabun- 

 dance of that already — but a careful 

 selection and compilation of the most 

 practical experience, an exchange of 

 ideas of practical working men, re- 

 vised and sifted impartially and liber- 

 ally, with a fair show for everybody, 



by a practical grape grower and wine 

 maker, who will at the same time 

 chastise all humbuggers (of whom we 

 have not a few among us, more is the 

 pity) with a scourge of iron, AVe 

 will try and supply that need, and to 

 do it well, we ask the help and sup- 

 port of our readers. Send in your 

 contributions from all parts of the 

 country, exchange your views, and 

 we will give you ours in return, thus 

 making the Grape Culturist a wel- 

 come visitor at the fireside of every 

 gi-apo grower. To our brethren of 

 the press we return thanks for cour- 

 tesies received, Avhich they will find 

 us willing to return at all times. 



"We send the Grape Culturist to 

 all its old readers again, as we feel 

 sure that we shall not lose any of 

 them, and hope they will foward their 

 subscriptions promptly, with addi- 

 tional names from their friends. 



George Husmann. 



Bhijfton, Jamiaru '■'>, 1S70. 



JAXUARY 



work for the month 



Many vintners consider this a month 

 of rest, and spend their time behind 

 the stove, or still worse, in lounging 

 about the country store or bar-room, 

 allowing their precious time, of which 

 not an hour should be lost, to slip by. 

 It is generally this class who complain 

 about being crowded with work, and 

 not able to get through, in spring or 

 summer. There is abundance of 

 w^ork even in January-. 



Ground for new plantations may be 

 grabbed and cleared, in fair weather; 

 if they were not able to prune all 

 their vines in the fall, this may be 

 continued, and cuttings made of the 

 trimmings. For modus operandi, 

 see article on Pruning the A^ine, in 

 November number. Vol. I. Do not 

 allow your grape-wood for cuttings to 

 become dry. It may be bundled up 

 in the vineyard, taken home, buried in 



