No. 11. Culture of the Grape. — Saxony Sheep v. Southdowns. 



347 



From the Cultivator 



Culture of the Grape. 



The advantages that would be derived 

 not only in an individual, but a national point 

 of view, from a greatly increased culture of 

 all our choice fruits, is not fully appreciated. 

 The large quantity of animal food consumed 

 by all classes in this country, renders the 

 antiseptic and diluent properties of fruits in 

 temperate and tropical climates, absolutely 

 necessary to the promotion and preservation 

 of health. The alarming increase of dis- 

 eases of the heart, apoplexy, palsy, obstruc- 

 tions of the liver, lungs, and other vital 

 organs, and the rapid progress and violence 

 of the inflammations consequent upon these 

 obstructions, are directly or indirectly con- 

 nected with and dependent upon a plethoric 

 or overloaded condition of the blood vessels; 

 a state of the system, which a free use of 

 ripe fruits and vegetables is best calculated 

 to prevent and correct. The object to be 

 obtained in this case, is too manifest and 

 striking to require any enforcement from 

 argument. Physicians, however they may 

 differ in opinion on some subjects, agree on 

 this, that the free use of good ripe fruits, 

 such as the grape, the apple, peach, &c., 

 &c., is well calculated to promote and pre- 

 serve a healthy state of the human system. 

 We have therefore, not only pecuniary in- 

 ducements to cover our fields and the banks 

 of our rivers with the choicest fruits, to de- 

 light the eye and gratify the taste, but a far 

 higher object, the promotion of the health 

 and happiness of our fellow creatures. 



Notwithstanding all the efforts that have 

 been made for a number of years past, to 

 advance the culture of the grape and some 

 other fruits, — ^and the success has been very 

 encouraging — there does not appear to be 

 any probability of overstocking the markets 

 of the large cities on the seaboard^ for a 

 quarter of a century to come. Indeed, if 

 still greater efforts are not made, and far 

 more land employed than has been for these 

 purposes for many years past, the growth of 

 the cities will be greater than the growth 

 of the fruit; added to which, rail-roads and 

 steam have opened many new markets, and 

 will continue to do so for years to come. 



The farmers in the interior and to the 

 west, owing to their cheap alluvial soils, 

 find it to their interest to supply us with 

 large quantities of grain and less perishable 

 articles than fruits ; and the owners of far 

 more costly land near our large cities and 

 rail-roads, would find it greatly to their ad- 

 vantage to turn their attention more to the 

 productions of the garden, the vineyard and 

 the orchard, than they have heretofore done. 



The grape, firom its arriving at the bearing 

 state so soon, and continuing to produce a 

 bountiful crop every year when well culti- 

 vated, for an almost indefinite period of time, 

 possesses advantages over every other fruit 

 with which I am acquainted ; and hence, of 

 late I have given it a decided preference on 

 my place at Croton Point. As fast as my 

 peach orchards fail or show symptoms of 

 decay, if the ground is suitable, I occupy it 

 with the grape. A bank well covered with 

 good plants of the Isabella grape, properly 

 and carefully cultivated, will, I am fully 

 persuaded, give larger and more certain 

 dividends, in proportion to the amount of 

 capital invested, than any other bank in the 

 State. Then the enjoyment which the 

 management of a vineyard will afford, the 

 general reader may have formed some idea 

 of, from the perusal of the pages of sacred 

 and profane history, but can never fully 

 realize till, while cutting the tender shoots 

 with his own hand, he inhales the delightful 

 perfume of the delicate blossom of the vine; 

 and when at the wane of the season, he 

 clips the large, well filled clusters from the 

 branches, enrapturing the eye, the taste, 

 and the smell, then it is that he can compre- 

 hend the reason why the grape has been 

 made the theme of the poet, philosopher 

 and divine, in every age of the world. 

 Yours truly, 



R. T. Underhiix. 



New York, Feb. 17th, 1844. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Saxony Sheep, versus Southdowns. 



Mr. Editor, — Why are not Saxony sheep 

 more sought after and appreciated? Their 

 wool is incomparably finer than that of the 

 Southdowns. The latter being a large 

 showy sheep, with a good large fleece of 

 wool, are certainly very tempting to the 

 purchaser; and for ordinary wear, their 

 wool is abundantly fine; but those who 

 have Southdown sheep, are as good custom- 

 ers for imported cloths as are those who 

 have only the very coar.sest woolled sheep; 

 thereby admitting the unfitness of South- 

 down wool for better clothing. But is the pur- 

 chasing of imported cloths American farmer- 

 like? 'Might not a farmer as well habitually 

 buy his flour as his cloth? or if he thinks the 

 manufacturers charge too much for making 

 cloth, why not say the same of millers for 

 manufacturing flour? There is certainly as 

 much competition in the former as in the 

 latter business. Again, if the Southdown 

 sheep are larger than the Saxony, they also 



