220 



The Grape Culturist. 



your readers. The ground was pre- 

 pared bj deep piowingand subsoiling, 

 as recommended by you. Then 

 thrown up in ridges eight feet apart, 

 on Avhich the vines were planted ; thus 

 making a surlace drain between ever}' 

 two rows. The vines are tied to 

 stakes at present, but I wish to adopt 

 the trailing chain culture next season, 

 similar to that described in Messrs. 

 Bush k Son's catalogue. You will un- 

 doubtedly confer a great favor upon 

 many of your readers, as well as upon 

 your humble servant, by giving a 

 full description and details of that 

 system of training. I think, for field 

 culture, it has many advantages over 

 any other sj'stem, besides being much 

 the cheapest, which you know is a 

 very great consideration with persons 

 of limited means. You have caused 

 the explosion of the idea of the ne- 

 cessity of trenching, thus saving a 

 i^.eedless expense ; now if you can 

 show a system of training disj)ensing 

 with the necessitj' of trellising, you 

 will do a great service to the grape 

 growing interests, and will confer a 

 great benefit upon a great number of 

 poor men. If desirable I will in my 

 nest give you the statistics of grape 

 growing in this count}', with the soil, 

 elevations, &c., &c. 



Yery truly yours, 



J. A. Vrooman. 

 [You Avill find the trailing chain 

 S3-stem fully described and discussed 

 in July, August, and September num- 

 bers Grape Culturist, 1869. AVe 

 think it entirely impracticable here, 

 and have given our reasons for think- 

 ing so in the article referred to. AVe 

 shall be glad to get the statistics. — 

 Editor.] 



THE GRAPE PROSPECT AT LQCKPORT, 

 NEW YORK. 



A few words will inform j-ou of our 

 present prospect for a crop of grapes 

 at this point. It never was better since 

 the first grapevine was planted. Nearly 

 all varieties are carrying a heavy load. 

 Some Delawares that overbore last 

 year, which was very wet, are not fruit- 

 ing so heavil}" as usual. Hartford is 

 bearing an enormous crop, and the 

 bunches are better than Concord this 

 year. Diana, lona, and Rogers' Hy- 

 brids all look finely. No mildew, no 

 rot. As I have before said, Wilder 

 must supersede the Concord as a mar- 

 ket variet}'. With us this year it is 

 immensely ahead. Salem is bearing a 

 fine crop ; some of the bunches will be 

 as lai'ge as ''the picture," which you 

 know has been considered a little ex- 

 travagant. I hear that the 30-acre vine- 

 3'arcl at Brocton is promising well. A 

 single Walter in the fine vineyard of jNIr. 

 Hoag is carrying a fine crop. He also 

 has some Marthas in bearing, but the 

 bunches seem to me small. I will send 

 a few brief notes later in the season. 



I. H. B. 



LocKroKT, N Y., -Tuly 12rh, 1870 



[Glad to hear so good a report. The 

 Martha bunch is not as large as the 

 Concord, but we have raised them to 

 weigh half a pound, of handsome shape 

 and compact, and the vine is very pro- 

 ductive. The bunches will get larger 

 as the vine is older. Hope yon will 

 have a good crop of everything, lona, 

 Salem, and Walter included. — Ed.] 



GRAPES IN TENNESSEE. 



Memphis. July 9, 1*70. 



Mr. G. Husmann : 



Bear Sir: — You ask for a report 



