Reports on Grapes. 



801 



just about blooming season, the rain 

 kept pouring down. 



Delaware, and, above all, Diana pro- 

 duced more than over before ; but 

 both lost most of their loaves about 

 two weeks ago by the ravages of cat- 

 erpillars, both largo and small kinds. 

 The health and strength of the vines 

 showed very forcibly by many young 

 loaves bursting forth in place of those 

 destroyed. 



Mr. Ilotopp is now making wine, 

 commencing with Concord and Dela- 

 ware. Having found no difficulty- to 

 dispose of last year's vintage advan- 

 tageously, he prefers this to shipping 

 his grapes to a rather poor market 

 this year. Ho has about nine acres 

 in bearing. There are several others, 

 also, who have from one to three acre? 

 each in bearing tliis year. 

 Respectfully, 



Frdk. Hildebrand. 



Charlottesville, Sept. .)th, 1870. 



[We do not think it advisable to 

 grow such very strong canes, and pre- 

 fer three to every strong-growing 

 vine. For Delaware and other weaker 

 growing kinds, two canes will be 

 enough. 



AVe are rejoiced to hear that our 

 advice has done some good. — Ed.] 



Town- Point, CecU Co., Md., Oct. 10th, 1870. 



Mr. George Husjiann, Editor Grape 



Cultnrist : 



Dear Sir : Our report for this j'oar 

 i.s rather less favoi-ablo to our own 

 success than would have pleased us, 

 could we have had our own ruling. 

 The severe hail of May 10th was suc- 

 ceeded with a spell of wet weather 

 before the Concord vines had recov- 



ered their vigor, and as a consequence 

 mildew, followed by rot, set in strongly 

 upon them, and our loss was severe. 

 We can only report an average of 

 rather less than one pound to the 

 vine — from fully established vines — 

 and the fruit very straggling and 

 about ten days later than should have 

 been in ripening. Our markets were 

 glutted with line fruit, selling at from 

 four to ten cents per pound, and as a 

 consequence we turned our entire 

 crop into wine, and have now in our 

 cellars as the result of the year's 

 labor about 1,000 gallons of young 

 wine, about one half white and one 

 half red. So far as the result will 

 justifj', wo are very much pleased 

 with the Concord as a white wine 

 grape, and should it taste when ripe 

 as well as it looks now, we are very 

 well satisfied with our 15-acro vine- 

 yard of it, even should wo never be 

 able to sell a single pound of fruit. 



The vines generally are in fine con- 

 dition for a full crop next year, should 

 the hail spare them. 



Our Clinton, Creveling and Diana 

 vines we consider as cumbering the 

 ground, and will take them up this 

 fall. They were all planted live years 

 ago next spring, at the same time 

 with our Concords, yet we have not 

 had ten pounds of fruit from the 2500 

 vines in that time, and we will waste 

 our ground and time on them no longer. 



Our spring planting of Salome, 

 Goethe and Nortons have done well, 

 the Salems suffering somewhat from 

 mildew during the wet spell before 

 alluded to. The foliage of the Goethe 

 with us is the hardiest of the Wilder, 

 Salems or Goethe, keeping their leaves 

 green and fresh the whole season iu 



