1836.] 



FARMERS REGISTER. 



419 



REMARKS OIV THE WILLCOX GRAPE, AND 

 OTHER SEEDLINGS. 



To Hie Editor of llie Farmers' Register. 



Petersburg, Oct. \st, 1S36. 



Observing in the last Recrister the request rela- 

 tive to native iirape vines, I am induced to send 

 you a piece ot"the vine of the fVillcnx Grape, wilh 

 a bunch or two of tlie fruit attached thereto. Ii is 

 a seedling — and the only vine known to be in ex- 

 istence, is now growiri!! in the yard in front of the 

 mansion house, at Walnut Hill, the country seat 

 of Mr. J. V. VVillcox, near this town. Mr. Will- 

 cox informed me, that the vine was found in the 

 woods not far from the house, and he had it re- 

 moved and planted where it is now growing. I 

 tasted the fi-uit some years since, when the sum- 

 mer had been dry, and it was sweeter than the 

 fruit now sent you. On sending to Walnut Hill 

 to obtain a specimen of (he fruit to day, what I 

 send you was all that remained. IMr. W's. ser- 

 vant had preserved a quantity of them in sugar, 

 and sent me, he being absent, a tumbler fiill, 

 which were of very fine tiavor. This variety de- 

 serves particular attention fi-oni its color, which is 

 white, and from its sweetness — in other respects 

 it very much resemliles the wild summer grape, 

 which ripens first in our woods. It is my opinion j 

 this variety would answer uncommonly well to i 

 put up in cotton, or sawdust, for winter use. I have 

 made several unsuccessful attempts to propagate 

 from this vine. Like many native varieties it is 

 extremely difficult to raise from slips. I have had 

 the slips sprout and grow till warm dry weather, 

 and then die. I shall try ingraihng next year. 



Among the varieties of American vines describ- 

 ed by Prince in hisTrealise on the Vine, I find no 

 variety like this described, and among all the va- 

 rieties not one in fifteen is white. The vine is 

 said to have been heavily laden with fruit this 

 year, and I think, for eating, it is preferable to 

 Norton's Seedling. 



I will add a few remarks as to mv experience 

 in cultivating a few of the native varieties of the 

 vine. The soil of my vineyard, on the Appomat- 

 tox near town, is what is called, in Prince George, 

 the mulatto soil, and is much stiffer than I would 

 wish it to be f(>r a vineyard. The white Scupper- 

 nnng succeeds well and never rots or mildews. 

 The same may be said of the " Alexander," and in 

 this respect it seems to me that deserves cullivaiion 

 in preltjrence to the Catawba or Isabella. The 

 Alexander is a larsre black grape, and when fully 

 ripe is an excellent fi-uit. I am trying the experi- 

 ment of preserving them in cotton for winter use. 

 The Catawbas and Isabellas have generally failed 

 the present season in this part of the country, I 

 presume on accountofthe extreme wet of the sea- 

 son. Some of the wild grapes in the woods rot- 

 ted, apparently from the same cause. The Cataw- 

 bas in my vineyard rolled equally as bad, if not 

 worse than the Isabellas ; and there were but few 

 perfect bunches of the fruit of either kind on my 

 vines. Those on the hill side, with a northern ex- 

 posure, rotred worse than those on a level. A 

 few years since, both of these kinds succeeded re- 

 markably well in this part of the country. It seenis 

 to me, from rather a slight observation, that the 

 same weather, which for three years past has 

 blighted much of the wheat crop in this neighbor- 



hood, also produced the rot in the grapes. I have 

 strong hopes, that when we are again blessed 

 with a ffood wheat crop, the Catawbas and Isabel- 

 las will return into fixvor. But it is surely expedi- 

 en' to cut many of them down, and ingraft on the 

 slocks those varieties which never fail to ripen 

 well. The Bland does not generally ripen as well 

 as the Catawbas, and Isabellas on fi-ames. The 

 best I have seen this year, and in fact ever saw 

 grow, are vines which run on trees. 



Norton's Seedling is a great bearer, and has not 

 rolled at all this year in my vineyard. But I con- 

 sider it infiirior as a table fi'uit. In that respect it 

 will bear no comparison with the Catawba. Isabella, 

 Bland, or Alexander. I have them now all ripe 

 together, and can well form a proper estimate of 

 ihe flavor of each kind. 



I have a ihw more varieties which I have not 

 te>ted, but they will bear next year. A few vines 

 in the vineyard of the white, red, and black fox- 

 grape, common muscadine, black scuppernong, and 

 Smarl's Elsingburg, bear yearly, but they are in 

 my estimation, hardly deserving the soil they oc- 

 cupy. 



Feeling a deep interest in the extensive cultiva- 

 tion of the best varieties of native grapes, you will 

 probably liear from mo again. 



A, B. SPOONER. 



From the Gciiesce Fanner. 

 LIMING DESTROYS BIALARIA. 



It has been already shown in this journal, that 

 one of the most important uses of lime is to absorb 

 the gases which arise from fermentation, and 

 which constitute the food for plants. Some of 

 these vapors are mephitic; and it follows as a ne- 

 cessary consequence that tlieir absorption by the 

 lime must render the locality more salubrious — 

 converting the poison into aliment, the nuisance 

 into a blessing. We are not positive, though we 

 are inclined to believe, that E. RufHn was the 

 first writer who- brouiiht the subject fiiirly before 

 the public. It has also been mentioned however, 

 in an English work, the "Journal of a Natural- 

 ist ;" and M. Puvis speaks of it in decided terms. 



The author of the excellent ''Essay on Calca- 

 reous Manures," has proposed the inlroduction of 

 Marl in\o towns and cities, lo purify the streets, 

 cellars, and back yards ; and in our opinion no pro- 

 position of more importance has been made in 

 modern times. There is reason lo believe that 

 had this measure been employed in 1S32, thou- 

 sands of our citizens might have been saved from 

 the Asiatic ('holera. It is well known that a great 

 disparity in cleanliness has existed between the 

 difl'erent cities; and a corresponding disparity in 

 the number of deaths at the time of that awliil epi- 

 tlemic; yet in no case that we are aware of, have 

 the sfreels been cjeansed except by water or by 

 scraping. These methods however are not en- 

 tirely efUcient. Filth will settle in between the 

 paving stones, which neither method, under or- 

 dinary circumstances, can remove; but which 

 marl, as if by magic, would render perfectly harm- 

 less. " The Conservators of the Public Health" 

 possess great power, and ouglil to use it. 



" The streets ouixht to be sprinkled with marl," 

 says the last mentioned writer, "and as often as 

 I circumstances may requiie. The various putres- 



