256 



The Grape Culturist. 



Monmouth, 111., July 29, 1870 



Mr. George Husmann : 



Dear Sii — In the July number of 

 the Grape Culturist, you ask youi* 

 readers to report the condition of the 

 grape crop, in their respective locali- 

 ties. There is a number of small vine- 

 yards near this city. The leading 

 varieties are Concord, Delaware, Clin- 

 ton and Catawba. With a sprinkling 

 of various other kinds, such as Nor- 

 ton's, Ives', Alvey, Hartford, North 

 Carolina, Creveling, Eogers' Hybrids, 

 and others of the newer kinds not yet 

 in bearing. Last summer's excessive 

 wet, with the early freeze of October, 

 proved disastrous to many vines in 

 this region. The Delawares dropped 

 their leaves early in the season, and 

 failed to ripen their crop, or ripen 

 their wood ; consequently were killed 

 down to the ground, no bearing wood 

 and no grapes this year. Nearly all 

 the other varieties came through safe 

 or with slight injury, and we are hav- 

 ing a fair average crop. 



There has been but little wine made 

 here us yet. We generally depend on 

 the home market for our grapes, and 

 the grape season is so short, that we 

 feel greatly the need of some plan by 

 which the season could be extended 

 two or three months. Could you give 

 us any instructions in the Grape Cul- 

 turist on the subject? Such a house 

 as you have for your wine, as de- 

 scribed in the July number, I think 

 would be just the thing to keep fruit 

 in, either grapes or apples. Please 

 direct to the best mode of boxing up 

 grapes, and what amount of ventila- 

 tion would such a house require to in- 

 sure the keeping of the fruit. Another 

 matter: please tell us how to bottle 



our wine, to prevent the corks from 

 shrinking. Do you soak the corks or 

 use them dry ? Eespectfully yours, 



J. FiNDLEY. 



[Plant the earliest varieties, one of 

 which is the Mary Ann, for early 

 marketing, but above all things, plant 

 late varieties, such as will ripen after 

 the rush of common varieties is over, 

 and keep a month or so. Late grapes 

 are less subject to the attacks of birds, 

 and produce more and better fruit, 

 than early ones, and will bring even a 

 better price in market. With a house 

 such as we have for storing our wine, 

 well ventilated by windows near the 

 top of the wall, would be the thing. 

 Pack in small, shallow boxes, using 

 thin paper below and above, and the 

 Goethe and Eogers No. 8, as well as 

 Wilder, will easily keep until Christ- 

 mas, and could then be sold at good 

 prices. — Editor.] 



Cleveland, Ohio, Aug 3, ISTO. 



Mr. Husmann : 



Bear Sir: The following I cut from 

 the Cleveland Herald of July 30, 

 1870. Please gives us your opinion, 

 through your valuable monthly, in 

 regard to what he says on summer 

 pruning and the black rot. 



And oblige, W. S. B. 



AMONG THE VINEYARDS. 



Kelley Island is the largest of lake 

 Erie in American water, containing 

 twenty-eight hundred acres, about one 

 thousand inhabitants, and eight hun- 

 dred acres of vineyard. I find the 

 vines here, as at Put-in-Bay, loaded to 

 excess with grapes, and the fruit some- 



