Grape Culture. 



237 



make cleaner wood and more healthy 

 fruit than they did five years ago. The 

 man who discovers some plan to relieve 

 the Catawba of rot will be a greater 

 benefactor than he who discovers a half 

 dozen new varieties to bleed the public 

 for a season, and then to be discarded. 

 Have a hundred or two Catawbas " an' 

 3'ou love me, Hal." It belongs to a 

 class with which, especially for eating 

 we can not afford to dispense. It is 

 thought the Goethe may supply its 

 place, but it is scarcely so good in fla- 

 vor. It is certainly a most healthy and 

 vigorous vine, and very prolific. It is 

 reported to make an excellent wine. 

 For three 3-ears it has fruited with me, 

 and never shown disease. One 3'ear it 

 suffered, I thought, more than any 

 other, from the grape curculio ; but 

 that may have been accidental. Go 

 prett}' heavily on Goethe. The Dela- 

 ware is a universal favorite. It is the 

 one grape which every one praises. 

 You may notice in the reports from the 

 different States, published in the Agri- 

 cultural Department report for 1858, 

 that the Delaware ranks first in almost 

 every State. Wherever it will succeed 

 it is looked upon as the acme and high- 

 est perfection of grape yet attained. 

 The fruit and wine sell higher than 

 any other. It is not so profitable, how- 

 ever, generally, because the vine is a 

 feeble grower, and succeeds only in some 

 localities. In view of this I have taken 

 great interest in testing the Delaware 

 in o^rkansas. Knowing its importance, 

 in case we can grow it, I have planted 

 vines, and induced my neighbors to do 

 likewise. The report is favorable from 

 all, and accords with my own experi- 

 ence. The vines grow vigorously, do 

 not shed their leaves, do not seem in- 



fested with insects, have shown no mil- 

 dew, and in two years fruiting not a 

 single berry has rotted. This is cer- 

 tainly very promising, and induces the 

 hope that this invaluable vine will find 

 its congenial home with us. Plant 

 some Delaware by all means. 



On the whole, I feel some disappoint- 

 ment with the Herbemont, although I 

 have not tried it long enough to justify 

 any doubt of a grape so unanimously 

 esteemed. I have two trellises of it, 

 the length of an acre, side by side with 

 trellises of Norton's Virginia, and it 

 does not show well in contrast, although 

 a much more exquisite fruit when ripe. 

 It mildews and rots partially, and is the 

 especial favorite of all the birds of the 

 air. Certainly, it is the most prolific 

 variety I know, and stands the winter's 

 cold and the frost snaps of spring re- 

 markably. This year I have a fair crop 

 of it, and will tell you of its wine next 

 summer. Meanwhile, I advise you to 

 plant just a few Herbemont vines — say 

 fifty. 



There are a great many fine grapes 

 for eating of which I would have a 

 few of the most noted; say Martha, 

 Maxatawne}', Salem, Cassady, Diana, 

 Isabella, Lenoir, and such others in 

 the catalogues of the nurseries, whose 

 descriptions, always to be taken cum 

 grano, may strike your fancy. It 

 would be well also to try a few 

 foreign varieties. Some of them 

 may suit our climate and soil. I have 

 a piece of ground set for trials, in 

 which I have about forty varieties. 

 For the vineyard, I intend, myself, 

 in the future, to plant Cynthiana, 

 Norton's Virginia, Goethe and Dela- 

 ware; I already have sufficient of Ca- 

 tawba and Concord — if not, I woidld 



