G6 



The Grape Culturlst. 



unusually unprofitable one in the cul- 

 ture of the grape in Northern Ohio, 

 and so it has in the crop of potatoes; 

 in the product of the apple orchard, 

 as well as the crop of Indian corn. 

 Yet Avho supposes the interest in po- 

 tato growing, or the planting of apple 

 orchards has ceased. What thought- 

 ful student of horticulture or agricul- 

 ture at this day imagines for a moment 

 that all has been learned that can be, 

 and therefore a society inaugurated 

 to develop knowledge in vegetable 

 phj'siology can have performed its 

 work. 



Grape growing, when the vines and 

 cultivation are left to themselves, may 

 sometimes produce profitable returns; 

 in fact, there are numerous records 

 of such cases of vines, void of care 

 or attention, giving good crops for one 

 or two years, but not for anj- length 

 of time, while the skill and aid of man 

 in watching, training and assisting 

 natui'e to accommodate herself to the 

 wants of man, has given productive 

 vinej'ards for centuries, and "so mote 

 it continue to be." 



From the best information I can 

 gather of the past season's grape crop 

 in the northern part of Ohio, the vine- 

 yards having care have returned from 

 Concord about S250 per acre nett, 

 from Delawares about §150, from 

 Catawbas about ^100. These are 

 averages. Some Concords have given 

 over $500, and some Delawares nearly 

 as much, while a few Catawbas have 

 given even more than that. The 

 whole matter maybe safely estimated 

 at $100 per acre net, of bearing 

 vineyards in good management. A 

 net result, far more remunerative 

 than any farm crop which could 



possibly be grown on the same 

 lands, and better than the average of 

 farm erops on the best of farm lands 

 under suj)erior management. Grape 

 grov?"ers are looking the subject over 

 carefully, studying the past, and rea- 

 soning therefrom for the future, and 

 so reasoning, are preparing to plant 

 more, as well as becoming earnest 

 enquirers as to the best modes of cul- 

 ture and training as applied to each 

 vine. I am well satisfied of this 

 interest, because my letter list, asking 

 my views of " what, is the best grape 

 and how to grow it" is larger than 

 ever befoi'e. 



1 have just returned from attend- 

 ing the New York State Grape Grow- 

 ers' meeting, held at Eochester, and 

 where the same faint-heartedness on 

 the part of some of the managers was 

 developed, as in the late Ohio State 

 Society. Managers seem to think 

 that if they caii get some prominently 

 notorious man to deliver an address, 

 and with his egotistical volubility, talk 

 that which practical men know is sheer 

 nonsense connected with their own 

 circumstances, soils, situations, and 

 practical results, that they are ad- 

 vancing the interests and developing 

 the objects of the society. Bah I A 

 radical change must come in the man- 

 agement, ere they have any great suc- 

 cess ; and one of the changes miLst be to 

 permit no man, be he the President, 

 Secretary', or other time-being officer 

 of the society, invited guests, or no- 

 torious lecturer, to occupy over ten 

 minutes of time in remarks upon any 

 subject. In the business order, re- 

 course must be had by systematic 

 questioning tobring out from practical 

 men, unaccustomed to speaking in 



