ido 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Nov. 13, 18-29. 



and this iiiodu alone, is given by M. M. I'oitf.ad 

 and ViLMOKi.v, as it was cuiisidcred liy tliuin the 

 perfection of every syslcui that had ever been de- 

 vised. 1 1 was founded on the princi|ilc adduced 

 from the single fact, that an extcndeil ^""^ produ- 

 ces not fruit, except nt its extremity — that a vine 

 carried beyond a limited extent, ever becomes bar- 

 ren at il£ base. 



The vino is a native of tlie temperate regions ; 

 it does not flourish within the tropics ; it docs in- 

 deed grow there, hut produces very little fruit, ex- 

 cept in the niounlainons elevations. 



With regard to climate as adapted to the vine, 

 two things are acknowledged as essential: — a se- 

 rene sky, and a powerful sun during the summer 

 months. With respect to the last, the temperature 

 of the summer months in New Etiglninl and the 

 Middle State.s is far greater than that of some of 

 those countries famou.^ for their vineyards ; and 

 with respect to the numbtM' of unclouded Hays du- 

 ring the summer season, the advantage still is allo- 

 getlier on the side of the United States. 



The climate in which the vine may be success- 

 fully cultivated in the open air, has been designa- 

 ted by some writers as the region in which the 

 peach and the maize may he cultivated as a ccr- 

 tJiin crop. 



This region, on the Atlantic shores, terminates 

 in about from the 43(1 to the 45th degrees of north 

 latitude; but if you proceed westerly, to the val- 

 )ry of the Mississippi, it terminates not, perliaps, 

 till you arrive ut the 47lli. 



Hut according to those numerous authors who 

 haw; written on lUis subject, the temperature in 

 Europe increases as you proceed easterly from the 

 Atlantic ; and the extreme northern limits, where 

 maize is cidtivated on the western coast of France 

 is about Man.s, in latiunle 48<:'. On about this 

 same parallel of latitude, the vine is also cultivated 

 in Burgundy and Champagne ; and as you proceed 

 cast still further, at llockheim, in latituile 49°, 

 and at ISrundcnburg, Germany, in from latitude 51° 

 to 55°. 



The principal reason to be assigned why the 

 climate of the United States on the .Atlantic dilFers 

 so essentially from that of I'urope in correspond- 

 ing latitudes, iy, that our prevailing winds in spring, 

 following the course of the sun, and coming east- 

 erly directly from the ocean, arc cold and humid 

 — they retard, instead of promoting vegetation. 

 On the contrary, in tho.sc parts of France, Spain, 

 and Italy, which lie in latitudes corresponding with 

 the United States, the winds which follow the 

 course of the sun, passing over the vast territories 

 of the interior, are warm, and more particularly 

 those coming from the south-east and south, from 

 the deserts of ,\rabia and Sahara. 



EXPOSITION AND SOIL, i 



The most favorable exposition for the vine, i.<:, 

 undoubtedly, with us, a south westerly ; remote as 

 for agpraclicalde, from wood.", swamps, and stand- 

 ing water; — these cati.sc mildew, and an easterly 

 exposition alike subjects them lo the same calami- 

 ty. I shall say nothing here, relotive to the sub. 

 ject of till! mildew ; it is sMflicienl that the reme- 

 dies and prtjventativcsare now well known. A soil 

 rather inclining to sand than today is to be prt'- 

 fcrred ; and for a rlimatir like ours, most writers 

 Hcem ni'io agreed, ihiit the vines kIiduIiI not ho en- 

 couraged to descend ilcep into the .soil, as they 

 would thereby lose the inlluence of the snn. 



In a cold cliniato, wo are positively lold hy the 

 most approved writers, that the ground must not 



be shaded ; — but a considerable jiroportion should 

 be \k(\ exjio.sed to the mo.-t intense and powerful 

 rays of the sun : this is alike essential to the qual- 

 ity of the fruit, us to its early maturity. 



Vines, therefore, in a cold climate, ought not to 

 be raised on arbors ; on the contrary, in a hot 

 climate it is essentially necessary to shade the 

 ground. 



It has been seen that the vines at Thomery arc 

 trained on trellises to a vertical wall, facing the 

 south, with a coping projecting from the top, as 

 well to defend them from the early and latter 

 frosts, as from the storms of hail so frequent in 

 that country, and which so often blast at once the 

 labors and the expectations of the cultivator. 



ISut in this coimtry where we are so seldom 

 annoyed by hail storms, a vertical wall with a 

 co)>ing, seems indeed the mo.st eligible ; for during 

 our longest days, at which time the sun approaches 

 very near the zenith at noon day, the vines would 

 be unavoidably shaded by the wall during the 

 former and latter part of the day ; — indeed, during 

 our longest days, besides being shaded by their 

 own foliage in a measure, they could receive but 

 very little benefit from the sun at any time of the 

 day, either by his direct rays, or by reflection. 



An inclined wall of masonry, or an inclined 

 fence constructed of boards, (either of which 

 should be ])ainled black) placed at an angle of 

 about 45° with the horizon, would probably be 

 the best possible position. Here the later kinds 

 of grapes might be ri()ened much sooner than on a 

 vertical wall. 



The reasons for concluding that this angle would 

 be the most proper, are, that the sun would then 

 operate at right angles and consequently with his 

 greatest ellect, at the very time when his rays were 

 the most necessary to mature the fruit, or about 

 the time of the autumnal Kquinox. Over this the 

 trellises are to be ]>laccd at just sutficicnt distance 

 to allow the grapes to hang without touching the 

 wall. 



The idea of training the vine on an inclined 

 plane is not probably new. It was first suggested 

 to mo by the lion. RiciiARn Sullivan, whose 

 opinions on this subject are entitled to high consid- 

 eration, and whose successful cultivation of the 

 vine at Hrookline has excited the admiration of 

 all who have ever witncs.scd it. 



The experiment has been tried in Denmark, by 

 M. Lindegaard, who succeeded in hastening the 

 maturity of his grapes in his glass houses, by 

 placing boards beneath them, at just suflicieni dis- 

 tance to allow the gnipcs to hang freely. 



It was also tried in France, by M. nAUcuARD, 

 of Montcornet, in 1827, on a vine growing under 

 a south window. One portion of this vine asrend- 

 cd over the slaled roof of the jiortico, and it was 

 found that the fruit on this part of the vine had 

 become black, while the fruit vn the other parts 

 of the vine was still green. 



If the mildew should be -upposeil to orise in 

 any case from the perspiration of vapors ascen<l- 

 ing from the earlh,this mctho<l then would seem the 

 most likely of all others to prevent its occurrence. 



In winter, (if it should be thought necessary to 

 protect till' vines) the trellises, (which may consist 

 of moveable light frames, connected by hooks to 

 (III! wall,) may be removed, and the vines laid Hat to 

 thcr wall, where they may he secured by a covering 

 of litter, and over this the trellises may he repliiecd 

 and reconnected with the wall as additional security. 



If the late foreign varieties of gropes nro ever 



destined to be so far acclimated as to ripen thei 

 fruit in due season in the open air — and lo with • 

 stand the severities of our winters without prt • 

 teclion, I believe it can in no way bo effected hi 

 by tfftctuai and limtly pruning. But that any - 

 tern of piuiiing whatever, would enable us tn ■ 

 fVc-t so desirable an object, I am by no means ■ • 

 tain: — No, I would but merely suggest a modi I 

 which I think it possible. 



During the last imcornnionly severe wintu 

 left for experiment 100 vines, three years old, < 

 primed and unprotected. They consisted of 

 common Sweetwater, and the Miller's Burguu 

 I aUached indeed little value to the last nun 

 sort ; yet they withstood the winter uiiinjiir' 

 though I am fully aware that this would noi 

 ways have lieen the case with vines thus unprun 

 and unprepared. 



This last Sciitember I defoliated a portion 

 these came vines, pruning gome more and son <^. 

 less ; a part of them even within half an inch 

 tlic base of the wood which ^ew this year.- 

 Whcther this early pruning will liave the effect 

 render them sufficiently hardy lo resist unprotet 

 cil the rigors of the ensuing winter, I know IM 

 but have some reasons for believing it will. 



Wc are informed l)y those writers who ha' 

 tr^: veiled in France that with respect to tht 

 vineyard culture in the northern departments, tl 

 vines are generally close planted, close prune 

 and kept low, like jilantations of raspberries ; 

 perience and necessity have no doubt taught the ^ 

 the propriety of this system 



A gentleman of great intelligence, who has I 

 silled many years in Paris* informs me that it ii 

 practice in some parts of Switzerland, though o 

 generally known even there, to protect their fn 

 trees by slight mounds of eanli formed about tbi 

 roots late in autumn. This may -jirobably answ 

 B double jmrpose, both by protecting them frt 

 the severity of winter, and retarding their 

 early advancement in spring until the mound 

 removed. The distinguished gentleman to whi 

 I alluded in the fonner part of this cominuniraiji 

 one who has done so much for New England, k 

 very lately republished the successful cxperimer ' 

 of Mr Salisbury, b) which in the open air and' *' 

 a cold climate, he was enabled to obtain ripe cro ' 

 of grapes from a vine which would never ripi 

 its frui; before. — St.: .V. E. Farmer, vol. vii. p. 31f" 



His system consisted in stripping the vine abt- ii 

 the 20th of September, of its leaves, fruit, 

 wood, even to the leaving but 1, 2, or 3 eyc8< I** 

 most. This system was annually pursued for fl ** 

 years until the ilesired eflect was produced. T 

 same experiments, the account informs us, b ^'. 

 been long before tried at Stirling Castle, by met ** 

 of which, in seven years, full crops were obtala * 

 in warm summers, and half a crop in most stu ■* 

 Vners. 



This last named place I find lies in a coliI coq 

 try in the lot. of 56° (i' N. 



Miller, it also appears, had long ago inforo» 

 us, that if the vineyards in the north of I'ran 

 ore neglcclcd, it re<piires seven years to reci>\ 

 them — seven years' careful priming and fri-\ 

 treatment lo make them ripen their crops of Ir 



The celebrated Hales seemed fully aware ol'i 

 efficiency of this system. He mentions parih 

 larly m his " f'egtlahtr Statics," o geinlcrn 

 whom he knew, who had found, that by priiiiii 

 his vines and defoliating them in Sepii-niber. i 



S.V. S. WiLDKII, EW). 



