154 



Hessian Fly. — Culture of the Vine. 



Vol. VI. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Hessian Fly. 



Mr. Editor, —The present autumn has 

 been peculiarly healthy and favourable to the 

 growth of the winter-sown jjrain ; there is 

 therefore no complaint of the fly in the wheat, 

 although much of the seed which has been 

 sown was as hij^hly charged with its eggs as 

 the firmest friend of the Morris school could 

 desire or even hope. What will now become 

 of the labours of those who have been en- 

 gaged in the rearing young Hessians for the 

 last three months] To be serious, what need 

 is there of any further testimony, to prove 

 that the fly is the effect of disease, and not 

 the cause? To argue the matter further 

 would only, in my estimation, be to darken 

 counsel with words without knowledge. And 

 although it might be said, it is in vain to war 

 with the elements, yet, to be prepared for 

 sickly seasons, by cultivating a hardy, healthy 

 state of the plant, is the part of true wisdom; 

 and this might be done, as has already been 

 said, by sowing on unexhausted soils, not ren- 

 dered light and porous by dung and fallow, 

 which are given with the view to recover that 

 stamma of which the land had been deprived 

 by the growth of a crop of oats; and this, in a 

 climate too hot and dry for the growth of 

 wheat, which delights rather in a moist, cool 

 and compact soil : at any rate, upon such soils 

 and under such management, it is necessary 

 that the sowing should be delayed twelve or 

 fourteen days after ploughing, that the soil 

 may become firm and compact, to receive 

 the roots of a plant destined to withstand the 

 rigours of winter, and the effects of frosts and 

 thaws, which it can never do without sufler- 

 ing injury, in a spongy surface, resting upon 

 a hard and tenacious subsoil, commonly call- 

 ed hard-pan. To me, it does not appear ne- 

 cessary to go far to discover the origin of the 

 Hessian fly, while to guard against it is the 

 part of good husbandry, and this might in a 

 great measure bo accomplished, by a judi- 

 cious course of crops and proper cultivation ; 

 and I hail the theory of top-dressing with 

 delight, convinced that the system will 

 work wonders for the growth of the wheat 

 crop, securing for it a compact surface-soil, 

 which, with a subsoil broken up by means of 

 a subsoil plough, (which in England is ena- 

 bling them to pay their taxes,) will, in this 

 country, lead to the most profitable results. 



Is it not curious to observe, that no com- 

 plaints are. now made of the Hessian fly, 

 although the crops have been sown, as usual, 

 at all times of the moon, and at all seasons, 

 whether early, late, or middling ; before, as 

 well as aflcr the frosts that have fallen ouf? 

 and without regard to all this, all is now as it 

 should be ! What now becomes of the pro- 



posal " to discontinue in toto the cultivation 

 of wheat throughout the country for several 

 years in succession, to starve out the fly !" 



Via. 



Nov. 20, 1841. 



The Culture of the Vine. 



The vine flourishes in almost every lati- 

 tude in the temperate zone, but is more proli- 

 fic and useful between the parallels of 40° 

 and 4.5° in Europe, and 35° and 40° in the 

 United States. Wine cannot probably be 

 made to advantage in a higher latitude, yet 

 with a little care grapes for the table may be 

 successfully cultivated 5° further. It is said 

 that better table fruit is produced in England 

 than in France or Italy. Artificial heat is 

 there frequently employed, but the necessary 

 trouble and expense entirely prevent its 

 utility to the American farmer, and it can 

 well bo dispensed with. Grapes of excellent 

 quality and in great perfection may be raised 

 by our farmers with so little trouble and ex- 

 pense as to make it an object of attention. 

 The species termed Isabella and Catawba, 

 might be selected as hardy and producing an 

 abundance of choice fruit. They may require 

 occasional protection from the severe frosts 

 of spring and fall, and need to be covered 

 through the winter. Care should then be 

 taken that they be preserved from moisture 

 as well as cold. A little additional attention 

 of pruning and training secures a good har- 

 vest. Little attention has yet been given by 

 farmers to the cultivation of the vine, which 

 may seem surprising, when it is considered 

 that almost every farm possesses a suitable 

 location for its growth, and that the abundant 

 return of a delicious fruit would amply repay 

 the cultivator, in his gratification, and profit 

 if in the vicinity of a market. But the rea- 

 sons are obvious. The proper way of man- 

 aging vines, and ripening the fruit, is so little 

 known that few have made the attempt, or 

 when they have, no permanent success has 

 resulted. 



Setting. — A light soil is best, rather dry 

 than moist, and for the full benefit of the sun, 

 a slope towards the south or south-east should 

 be selected. The vine may be propagated in 

 several ways. If a branch of the parent stock 

 is bent down and covered by a few inches of 

 earth in the early part of the season, it soon 

 takes root at the joint beneath the soil, and 

 may be transplanted the second year. This 

 has by some been considered the best method, 

 and it has the advantage of requiring little 

 time and trouble. Cuttings are, however, 

 more generally recommended. They should 

 be taken from the vine at the fall pruning, 

 and preserved for setting till spring. Each 

 cutting should consist of a little more than 

 one joint of the last growth, with a piece of 



