52 



Tke Grape Culturist. 



EDITOK'S LETTER BOX. 



Were we to collect the many pleas- 

 ant tokens of ajipreciation^ and of 

 hearty cheer and good will the Grape 

 Culturist, as such, has received from 

 its readers, old and new, we could fill 

 several numbers Avith them. Eut how- 

 ever gratif)-ing they may be to our 

 personal feelings, as evidences that 

 our labors have not been in vain^ and 

 that the grape growers of the country 

 want a medium for the exchange of 

 their views, w^e think we can servo them 

 better by onl}^ publishing and answer- 

 ing questions which have a practical 

 bearing on grape culture, than by fill- 

 ing our Columns with compliments to 

 ourselves and our journal. Once for 

 all, we thank them sincerely, and, as 

 the Grape Culturist seems now to be 

 established on a safe and permanent 

 basis, we promise them that it shall 

 be our constant thought and endeavor 

 to make it worthj' of their patronage. 

 But to make it what it should be, we 

 need not alone their material aid, but 

 their contributions of experience to its 

 pages ; we want the thoughts and do- 

 ings of all our working, thinking vint- 

 ners, and vre hope they will send them. 

 It some of them are crude, we will put 

 them into shape. 



From our brethren of the horticul- 

 tural and agricultural press, we ask a 

 continuation of good will and courtesy. 

 We shall freely cull from their pages, 

 ifwe find items of interest, and ours 

 are equally at their service. — Editor.] 



Clauk's Xlkj»kiui;.s, January Kith, ISTo. 



George Husmann, Ksq : 

 Editor Grape Culturist — Is it cus- 



tomary with grape propagators to use 

 the wood cut from one year old grape 

 plants, for cuttings to propagate 

 plants from ? I am led to ask this 

 question from the fact that I observed, 

 in taking up a lot of vines struck last 

 year, that onl}- the larger wood has 

 taken. Further, I observed that we 

 bought a lot of grape wood cut from 

 one year old plants, from a man of 

 pretended grape experience, of our 

 county, andnearl}^ all of it failed ; and 

 I noticed that only the large wood has 

 taken. Now, some of this wood was 

 not over one-eighth of an inch in 

 diameter, and he had cut the Avood 

 into lengths of from one to one and a 

 halfinches. 



Further, I Avas in conversation with 

 a German grape groAver the other day 

 and Avas shoAving him a lot of Dela- 

 Avare Adnes struck last spring, (the 

 AA'Ood Avas taken from bearing vines in 

 this case) and they had made fine 

 growth, and I asked him if I could use 

 the Avood cut from these one 3'ear old 

 plants, and make good plants from 

 the Avood cut from them ? He said 

 that I could not; that they avouM not 

 make good plants. He said that grape 

 Avood, for striking, should be cut from 

 bearing vines. I have your Avork on 

 grapes and Avino ; also. Fullers'. I 

 have examined both, but could see 

 nothing said about the age of vines 

 from Avhich propagating wood should 

 be obtained. Please, for my benefit, 

 as also, perhaps, for others, answer the 

 aboA'o through your journal, the Grape 

 Culturist. It is true, if we have 

 been humbugged in the one year old 



