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TOIA'ME I. 



KOCHESTEK, NOVEMBEI 6, 1831. 



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NIMBtl 44. 



PUBLISHED BY I.. TUCKER *, CO. 



At the Office of the Daily Advertiser. 

 Terms— $2.50 per annum, or 



$2,00 if paid in advance. 



N. GOODSELL, EDITOR. 



GRAPES. 



As the season has now arrived for pruning and 

 planting Grape vines, we will give such direc- 

 tions as we trust will enable those who are tin- 

 acquainted with their management, to do it with 

 sufficient nicety to ensure success. Although some 

 writers on the culture of the vine, have been dog- 

 matical in their direction as to the time and man- 

 ner of pruning vines ; yet, we think much de- 

 pends upon the judgment of the operator, both 

 for summer and fall pruning. Our observations 

 at this time, are designed to direct in fall pruning, 

 as upon it much depends, both as to the growth 

 of vine and produce of fruit. Most vines, if left 

 without any pruning would produce fruit one or 

 two years in garden culture ; after which, they 

 would become so thick and matted as not to pro- 

 duce at all. By taking notice of our wild vines 

 of native grapes, it will be found that most of 

 ' them run upon green trees or shrubs; and that by 

 the growth of the tree, the vines are allowed to 

 extend themselves ; but even in that case, it is on- 

 ly those vines which are upon the outside of the 

 branches which produce fruit : those which are 

 confined within the branches where they are con- 

 stantly shaded, are continually drying and drop- 

 ping off. So it wotdd be upon a trellis or frame 

 in the garden, if vines were left unpruned. The 

 object in pruning, therefore, is to keep the vines 

 within a smaller space than they would otherwise 

 occupy ; and at the same time keep them in a thrifty 

 condition, and have them produce fruit in propor 

 lion to their strength. We will commence our 

 observations with vines, the first year after plant- 

 ing, and will suppose that they have been trained 

 the first or past summer with one shoot. Thi 

 shoot, if allowed to remain, would throw out the 

 leading branches from the buds, near the end of it 

 which will be found to be smaller than those near- 

 er the base; and in proportion as their size in 

 creases, so will be the strength of the shoots pro- 

 duced from them. Unless the growth of a vine 

 has been uncommonly strong the first year, no 

 fruit is expected from it or ought to be allowed to 

 ripen on it the second year, but as it should be 

 shaped for bearing the third year, two shoots 

 should be allowed ; therefore, the vine should be 

 headed down, leaving about three good buds, so 

 that if one of them should get injured, you may 

 have two left; as after the young shoots have bi 

 come firm, one of them may be taken off. In 

 counting buds, there are generally two or tliree 

 which are near to where the shoot puts out from 

 the old wood, that are small ; these are to be rub- 

 bed off at leafing season, and not counted of any 

 use unless the other regular buds are destroyed. — 

 For convenience sake we will denominate those 

 irregular buds, as they never produce fruit. The 

 second season, if vines are healthy and well tend 

 ed, they will produce strong shoots, which should 

 be headed down as bpfore, leaving about three 

 i'egular buds upon each shoot. Grapes produce 

 .their fruit upon wood grown the same season, 



and each bud left may be counted as producing 

 from its shoot three bunches or clusters of grapes ; 

 if, therefore, tliree buds are left upon each shoot, 

 and each new shoot produces three clusters, there 

 will be eighteen clusters which will be as much 

 fruit as most young vines of that age ought to 

 produce. By the same rule of pruning and pro- 

 ducing, the next season would produce twenty-se- 

 ven clusters. By this calculation we should be- 

 come mathematical : this is only for convenience 

 sake, as judgment must supply the place of fig- 

 ures. Some vines, from their strong growth will 

 require to be extended faster than they would be 

 by pruning down to a certain number of buds 

 each year. For this purpose, a strong shoot 

 should be selected which may be trained in a prop- 

 er direction, and left of greater length ; remem- 

 bering that ill common cases it will be only two 

 or three buds at the end which will produce 

 shoots strong enough for bearing fruit, and the 

 remainder will only produce weak ones, which 

 will be green and soft, and rarely ripen their 

 wood ; it is better, therefore, that all the buds but 

 a few near the end, should be rubbed off. 



This manner of extending the vines should on 

 ly be resorted to where it is necessary, as is the 

 case often with the American varieties of grapes 

 as the Europeans rarely suffer so much for want 

 of room. When a vine has been thus extended, 

 and a large space left bare of small shoots, it 

 should be rtmembered that shoots coming from 

 old wood never produce fruit the same season 

 and, therefore, should never be allowed to grow, 

 unless it is to renovate the top by cutting"&ut some 

 old wood and substituting it ; or for the purpose 

 of layering or for cuttings. One of the most com- 

 mon faults with inexperienced gardeners in pru- 

 ning vines is, that they have too much wood, by 

 which the vine either exhausts itself with over- 

 bearing, or the shoots become weak by their mul- 

 tiplication. There should be some difference in 

 pruning between American and European varie- 

 ties. The American vines continue to increase 

 in size and strength, according to their age, (or 

 at leas* their tune of growth has never yet been 

 limited,) but so far as our observations have ex- 

 tended, the European varieties in this climate, in 

 open culture arrive at their greatest perfection in 

 five or six years; after which, the most of the 

 fruit from them is destroyed by mildew. When 

 vines of a valuable variety are pruned, it is an 

 object to save the branches cut off for cuttings ; 

 they should, therefore, have the tendrils and leaves 

 taken off as far as their wood has ripened, or be- 

 come hard. There are various opinions respect- 

 ing the best method of using cuttings. Some 

 prefer burying them full length, an inch below 

 the surface, and allowing each bud to send up a 

 shoot. Others recommend cutting them short, 

 leaving only one eye or joint to each cutting, and 

 planting it like corn or other seeds But the 

 more common practice is, to cut the shoots into 

 pieces of from one foot to a foot and a half in 

 length, or at least of sufficient length to have up- 

 on each three buds, and planting them in rows 

 with two joints below the ground and one above 

 it. In cutting, it should be remembered that the 

 roots spring from the cuttings in a circle, just be- 



low the joint; and therefore, the lower end of eacL 

 cutting should be cut about an inch below the bud, 

 as they are found to strike more readily than 

 when most of the wood between the buds is left 

 on. To ascertain the places from which the roots 

 project from the cutting, a person has only to ex- 

 amine a thrifty growing vine at mid-summer, and « 

 he will discover below each joint a number of 

 small holes through the bark, at equal distances 

 below the joint, from which the half-coagulated 

 sap exudes, forming small projecting teers ; or by- 

 stripping off the bark at any season, he will find 

 small fibrous projections from the wood, which 

 extend part of the way through the bark, which 

 by being placed in the ground extend and become 

 roots. This is common to most creeping plants, 

 and is a wonderful provision in nature to secure 

 them against injuries. Cuttings intended for 

 planting may be planted out immediately, or they 

 may be preserved until spring. Those from A- 

 merican varieties, need no protection ; while those 

 of foreign varieties should be covered with earth 

 or manure, before the ground becomes frozen. 



The advantage to be derived from vines will 

 depend much on the choice of varieties, for which 

 we would recommend our readers to the New 

 Treatise on the vine, by Wm. R. Prince; in 

 which he places at the head of American varie- 

 ties the Isabella; but our esteemed friend, Maj. J, 

 Adlum, places at the head of his list, the Cataw- 

 ba, and says, " This I look upon as one of the 

 best wine grapes in the United States ; and I say 

 the very best." In this he is supported by a friend 

 of ours, who has them both in bearing. Maj. 

 Adlum's "Memoir on the Cultivation of the vine 

 in America, and the best mode of making wine," 

 should be in the hand of every one who has a 

 taste for horticulture ; and vines of either variety, 

 can now be procured in plenty and at a cheap 

 rate in this village, so that nothing but attention is 

 now required to furnish our section of country 

 with choice grapes in abundance. 



WORK FOR NOVEMBER. 



Those who neglected to dress their asparagus 

 beds last month, should be careful that it is done 

 early in this. For this purpose, let the old stalks 

 be removed, and all green weeds, and a layer of 

 horse manure or litter from the stable spread over 

 the bed from four to eight inches deep. By sr. 

 doing, the roots will shoot much earlier and strong 

 er in the spring, and are not so liable to be injur 

 ed during the winter, as when the bed is left with 

 out dressing. Sea kale should also be covered du 

 ring this month. When it is intended for use id 

 the spring, a small box should be inverted over " 

 each plant, and then the bed covered as for aspara 

 gus. In the spring, the boxshould be allowed to re- 

 main as long as you wish to continue cutting the 

 kale ; by which the young shoots will be blanch- 

 ed and more tender, than when grown in the light 

 All edible roots should now be removed to the cel- 

 lar, and early Peas may be planted, also Radish- 

 es. Plant out fruit and ornamental trees, and 

 shrubs. Cover tender flowering plants and roots 

 with tan bark, horse manure, or litter from the 

 stables. A fine time this month to collect com- 

 post for spring use. Plough much that yoT 



