Editor's Letter Box. 



257 



what affected with black rot. No 

 great fear is apprehended, however, 

 for if one-half of the present burden 

 of the vines should be removed^ which 

 is not probable, there will be enough 

 left to entirely satisfy the grape 

 growers. The question as to the 

 cause of black rot is somewhat moot- 

 ed hei'e, a fevv believing that the dis- 

 ease is not climatic, but caused by an 

 insect working at the stems of the 

 grape. Examinations under a glass 

 show the stems of diseased fruit to be 

 perforated, and sometimes girdled, 

 though no living insect has been dis- 

 covered which is believed to be the 

 cause of the injury. Although this 

 theory is not generally credited, there 

 is a possibility of there being some 

 truth in it, as affected and perfect fruit 

 are found in the same cluster. It will 

 be remembered that smut in wheat 

 was Ipnoe believed to be a fungus 

 growth, or climatic disorder. 



As averse to the insect theory, black 

 rot appears in muggy weather, and 

 all stems perfoi'ated and girdled by 

 insects do not fall into decay. Scien- 

 tific investigation will develop new 

 facts, and determine actual causes, no 

 doubt, before many years more shall 

 pass. 



Nearly all of the vineyards upon 

 this island are now in full bearing con- 

 dition, but few acres of new having 

 been set during the past three years. 

 Some of the old ones, upon thin 

 shelled soil, have been abandoned, 

 not yielding enough to pay the trou- 

 ble of cultivation. Three-fourths of 

 the vines ai-e Catawba, and nearly all 

 of them are trained upon trellises. 

 Summer pruning has gone almost en- 

 tirely into disuse, because it was 



proven to be an absolute injury. In 

 the first place it was likely to produce 

 a late setting of fruit, the excessive 

 amount of sap developing buds which 

 nature designed for the following sea- 

 son ; and in the second place, the per 

 cent, of must was materially lessened 

 by exposure of the fruit to the strong 

 sunlight, which for wine-making very 

 much detracted from the value, but 

 for packing made no particular dif- 

 ference. 



This island contains one of the larg- 

 est, if not the very largest, wine cel- 

 lars in this country. It was made by 

 excavating a hill-side, quarrying out 

 stone, and has a capacity for holding 

 one hundred thousand gallons of wine. 

 This cellar is owned by a stock com- 

 pany, composed of the heaviest vine- 

 ^•ardists and wine makers. 



[We believe that black rot is not 

 occasioned by insects, as it will not 

 appear in dry seasons. It is caused 

 by murk}^ weather and confined air ; 

 appears mostly on vines with an ex- 

 cess of wood growth and little fruit. 

 Longer pruning, giving the vines 

 more to do, and summer pruning, 

 early, are the best preventives. If 

 the old practice of late summer prun- 

 ing has fallen into disuse, so much the 

 better. But early summer pruning 

 should take its place; or, in other 

 words, rational summer pruning should 

 take the place of cutting, slashing and 

 maiming. Better not summer prune 

 at all than to follow the latter. The 

 first, which we consider indispensable 

 to bring the fruit to its highest perfec- 

 tion, has been explained in our pages 

 often enough. — Editor.] 



