Editor's Letter Box. 



255 



in arbox" of <' Scuppernong " Grape. 

 There is no rot or blight so far this 

 year, I reckon there is about a 

 quarter of a million of Catawba &c., 

 and the question is what shall I do 

 with them ? We are in easy access 

 to Northern markets, and our grapes 

 will be ready for shipment in about 

 thirty days. Our wine of last years 

 vintage is much approved, and this 

 year we shall probable make five 

 thousand gallons, besides shipping 

 ■grapes. I accidentally saw your June 

 number and hence this letter. 



Yours truly, J. C. Derby. 

 [Thanks for your favor, and inter- 

 esting communication. You ask what 

 shall we do with the grapes ? Market 

 what you can get good prices for, and 

 make the balance into wine. It will 

 always find a ready market, if good. 

 Editor.] 



El Dorado, August 2, 1870. 

 Ge0R(3E IIUSMANN, EsQ. : 



Dear Sir — I notice what you say of 

 my article written in December, in 

 your last number. If you complain 

 of reading my writing, what would 

 you do with Horace Greeley's? But 

 then there might be some honor in 

 trj'ing to decipher his hieroglyphics ! 

 I dont think you deal with my article 

 fairly. First in delaying its publica- 

 tion until all interest in the contro- 

 versy has subsided, and second, in 

 criticizing on it without publishing it. 

 It is certainly enough for you to take 

 a pull at it, after publication, and let 

 the world judge. I should like to see 

 it in 3'our journal j but if it is not 

 agreeable to publish it please return 

 it, as I did not keep a literal copy. 



Every one of my bunch grapes, ex- 



cept a few Isabella on one vine, has 

 rotted. So far as I can learn, it is a 

 general thing south, except at my 

 friend Col. J. C. Wright's. His 

 vines, however, are very young, and 

 he has been in one of those spots 

 which have had no rain. Owing to 

 the extreme w^et during the flowering 

 season the most abundant crop of 

 flowers I have seen for years failed 

 to fruit more than a moderate crop 

 this year, on the Scuppernongs. 

 Extreme wet weather pi-events fertil- 

 ization, in them as well as other kinds, 

 but never to the extent of a failure, 

 at the flowering season. 

 Yours truly, 



John H. Carleton. 



[We trust you are pacified by the 

 apjjearance of your article in July 

 number. Your article was dated 

 March 15, 1870, not Dec, as you sup- 

 pose. We reserve to ourselves the 

 right of choosing for our readers, 

 what we think the most useful and 

 interesting among our correspon- 

 dence, and we cannot say that we 

 consider your article in that light, 

 but thought it could well bear post- 

 ponement. We do not criticize your 

 article, in our remarks in answer to 

 your letter, but only the manner in 

 which all your communications are 

 written. In this letter, we had again 

 to dot almost every i, and put a 

 comma to every period, to prepare it 

 for the press, and we think this could 

 easily be done by yourself. Your 

 handwriting otherwise is plain enough, 

 this is simply a neglect, which you 

 can easily remedy. 



We shall always be glad to hear of 

 your success, as well with the Scup- 

 pernong as otherwise. — Editor.] 



