244 



The Grape Culiurist. 



manures, etc., a vine will grow as long 

 on our island in one year as with yoa 

 in three. On my fence is a black 

 Hamburg, grown from a cutting 

 planted in February, that I stopped at 

 eighteen feet, and has on it all its 

 laterals. On my grape arbor is a 

 Delaware planted this spring, one 

 year old root, which has three main 

 canes that will measure in all over 

 thirty feet, which I stopped with 

 three bunches of grapes well matured. 



I have on my grape arbor, 70 feet 

 long, 12 feet high, and 12 feet wide, a 

 vine (from one root) trained under the 

 ground and along each side, which 

 answers to the Herbemont, which 

 never fails, wet or dr}^, rain or shine ; 

 bunches from six to ten inches long ; 

 heavy shouldered, and tapering to a 

 sugar-loaf point ; grapes very small, 

 but delicious, but not suitable for a 

 market grape. Our greatest enemy 

 is a small yellow-breasted bird, which 

 will destroy a row of grapes on a 

 bunch in less time than I now state 

 the fact. This pest being so enor- 

 mous we must plant white grapes ; 

 this bird will not touch the Goethe or 

 Delaware. This fall, in a small wa}^, 

 I will test the varieties I think suita- 

 ble for our climate ; will open a viao- 

 3'ard ; shall order some from you, 

 which must be here by Nov. 20, 1870. 

 Will post you if anything offers. 

 Yours truly, 



N. K Johns. 



[Your letter is very interesting, as 

 it comes from a region so far off, and 

 we are glad to see that the Goethe 

 seems also to do well with you, If 

 you want white grapes you should 

 also try Martha and Maxatawney. 

 The bird you speak of, we suppose, 



is the Oriole, also a great nuisance 

 here, and as it is only here when 

 grapes are ripe, we have no mercy on 

 it, but kill it whenever we can. Let 

 us hear from you again. — Editor.] 



New Edindurgii, Ark., July 8tli, 1S70. 



Mr. George Husmann, Edr. : 



I have an acre in Scuppernongs, 

 and a hundred vines of other v^arie- 

 ties, consisting of Clinton, Concord, 

 Salem, lona, Norton's Virginia, Ives, 

 and Eumelan ; all young, and not yet 

 come into bearing. Of these last, 

 the most thrifty and promising are 

 Eumelan, Concord, and Ives, accord- 

 ing to order. The Eumulan seems 

 to endure our hot scorching sun bet- 

 ter than any of the others, and is 

 making the most vigorous and healthy 

 growth. Clinton, Salem, and lona 

 are subject to sun-scald in the loaf. 

 As to the Scuppernong, this is its 

 home. 



You seem to prize the Herbemont 

 alias Warrenton, It makes an ex- 

 cellent wine, but is liable to rot of a 

 wet year. My father had an acre of 

 it in Monroe county, Ga., thirty years 

 ago, and made annually several hun- 

 dred gallons of wine from it. It is 

 yet bearing, and doing well. He 

 trained his vines on the '' low souoho" 

 or stem system, and made better 

 grapes (though not so many) than on 

 trellis. 



I have another acre cleared for a 

 vineyard, which I intend planting 

 this fall, in Eumelan, Norton's Vir- 

 ginia, Cynthiaua, and Ives My read- 

 ing and little experience thus fui', in- 

 cline me to believe that these, together 

 with Herbemont, are the best wine- 

 grapes for the South. 



