138 



Ihe Grape Culturist. 



and had a chance to converse with in- 

 telligent grape-growers in Lorraine and 

 Champagne, besides having a limited 

 experience of m}' own in this country. 

 I find it is of great benefit to the grape- 

 vine to cut oft* roots to the depth of six 

 inches at the outside. I would not 

 advise any man to root-prune an old- 

 established vineyard, because, in that 

 case, the vines would have A'er}' little 

 roots left to live on. In the spring, when 

 the ground is moist, these surface roots 

 (which are the strongest of all on vines 

 that have never been root-pruned) will 

 start a very strong growth, and in the 

 middle of the summer these roots, being 

 in comparatively dry soil, don't do their 

 expected share towards keeping up such 

 growth ; the consequeuee is weakness 

 and disease in the leaf or fruit. Again, 

 in the fall, when the grapes are begin- 

 ning to color, these same roots, at every 

 shower, carry too much sap to the fruit, 

 and cause the berries to burst. Root- 

 pruning ought to be commenced in the 

 fall of the first season, and kept up 

 regularly every year, to cause the lower 

 roots to get stronger. 



This article is already too long. I 

 have never written any thing for inser- 

 tion in a paper, therefore you will excuse 

 my shortcomings ; but I believe, with 

 our poet, Boileau, in his Art poetique : 



Ce que I'on con9oit bien s'enonce clairement, 

 Et les mots, pour le dire, arriyent aisemcnt. 



Yours, trul}^, 



Charles Schaeffer. 



[Our experience is contrary to yours, 



and we think you can no more force the 



roots of the Concord, or any of those 



varieties which root near the surface 



naturally, to thrive and grow strong in 



the cold sub-soil, than a fish will thrive 



if you take him out of the water. Work 



the soil deep, and let the roots then go 

 where the}- please ; it is the most natural 

 and most beneficial process. If the 

 food they find there suits the roots, the}' 

 will go down after it. — Editor.] 



Ripley, Ohio, April 7, 1870. 



Geo. Hl'smann, Esq., Bluffton, Mo: 



Dear Sir : The Grape Culturist 

 interests father, who has been culti- 

 vating grapes for the last 20 years, 

 and myself ver}- much, and wo are 

 indeed glad that you have continued 

 the "Tvork. Be assured, it will finally 

 succeed. Although I would not dis- 

 courage the producing of health}', 

 robust varieties of grapes for the dif- 

 ferent latitudes and climates in which 

 they are cultivated, 3'et it seems to 

 me, that for the purpose of scientific 

 grape growing, we should direct our 

 attention more towards the discover}' 

 of the real causes and the histology 

 of th.e diseases which now ravage 

 among our grapes. I am fully con- 

 vinced that by attention and careful 

 microscopical and chemical experi- 

 ments, combined with a rational prac- 

 tice in the vineyard, very much could 

 be explained which is now a hidden 

 mystery. I expect to give this sub- 

 ject some attention the coming sum- 

 mer, and shall report to the Culturist 

 from time to time, if I find anything 

 worth noticing. Last summer I ob- 

 served that Concords which hung just 

 under an eaves trough and the cornice 

 of the house, were entirely healthy, 

 while grapes on the same vine but 

 away from the house, rotted very 

 much. Can you explain this phe- 

 nomena y 



Very respectfully yours, 



George Bambach. 



