THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



167 



Korthe Farmer's Monthly Visitor. 

 The calture of the Vine. 

 Prospects of success in Us ciUture — Setting — Train- 

 ing—Pruning — Ripening of the Fruit. 

 Tlie vine flourishes in uliiiust every latitude in 

 the temperate zone, but is more prolific and use- 

 ful between the parallels of 40 de«r. and 45deg'. 

 in f^urope, and 35 deg. and 40 deg. in the United 

 States. Wine cannot probably be made to ad- 

 vantage ill a higher latitude, yet with a littlt; care 

 grapes for the table may be successfully cultivat- 

 ed 5 deg. further. It is said that better table 

 fruit is produced in England than in France or 

 Italy. Artificial heat is there frequently employ- 

 ed, "but the necessary trouble and expense en- 

 tirely ])reveiit its utility to the New England 

 farmer, and it can well be dispensed with. Grapes 

 of excellent quality and in great perfection :nay 

 be raised by our farmers with so little trouble 

 and expense as to make their culture an object 

 of attention. The species termed Isabella and 

 Catawba might be .selected as hardy and produc- 

 ing 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 harvest. Little at- 

 tention has yet been given by farmers to the cul- 

 ture of the vine, which may seem surprising 

 wlien it 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 gratifi- 

 cation, and profit if in the vicinity of a market. 

 But the reasons are obvious. The proper way of 

 managing vines, and ripening the fruit, is so little 

 known that lew 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 se- 

 lected. The vine may be propagated in several 

 ways. If a branch of the parent stock is btiit 

 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 trans- 

 planted the second year. This has by some been 

 considered the best method, and it has the ad- 

 vantage of requiring litde time and trouble. 

 Cuttings are, however; more generally recom- 

 mended. They should be taken from the vine at 

 the fall pruning, and preserved for setting till 

 siiriiig. Each cutting should consist of a little 

 more than one joint of the last growth with a 

 ](iece of the old wood, resembling together a 

 little mallet These are set in the soil, prepared 

 to sufficient depth, either in a sort of nursery or 

 where the future vine is wanted. If where the 

 vine is to be trained, two or three cuttings are 

 put down near together, and the strongest se- 

 lected af\er they have taken root, and the others 

 removed. Each cutting may be set in a po/iition 

 nearly vertical, and covered within half an inch 

 of the top. A strong stake should be driven 

 into the ground to support the young shoot, and 

 the soil worked frequently with the hoe and kept 

 clear from weeds. 



Vines rarely need watering, and it should be 

 done only occasionally in time of drought. 



Training. — Various methods have been adopt- 

 ed by vine-dressers. In France the main slaik 

 is permitted to grow only a few feet in height, 

 and the branches are carried ofT laterally and 

 fastened to upright stakes set in rows lor the 

 purpose. The separate vines are placed at the 

 distance of 16 or 18 feet a[iart, and the vineyard 

 appears in continuous rows, somewhat like a 

 New England cornfield, with wider intervals for 

 pruning and gathering the fruil. The branches 

 here shoot out near the ground which gives a 

 more acid flavor to the grape, a desirable "quality 

 for the manufacture of wine. In Italy the vine 

 is more frequently trained upon arbours, or trees 

 that produce scanty foliage. No branches are 

 allowed to grow upon the main stock or trunk- 

 until it has ascended 8 or 10 feet to the top of 

 the arbour, or it may be a much greater height 

 to the limbs of the tree. It then expands itself 

 and roofs the rude arbour with a gorgeous cov- 

 ering, and suspends its clusters beneath, or adonis 

 the lofty tree with its pendant branches and 

 tempting fruit. Arbours of lattice or trellis work 

 are often used in our own country, or what is 



more convenient, a simple trellis either perpen- 

 dicular or sloping. This may be put up at small 

 expense, with upright posts at proper intervals, 

 with horizontal shits or bars, 6 inches asunder. 

 These need not come within 2 or 3 feet of the 

 ground, and may extend as liigh as necessary, 

 perhaps 6 or 8 feet. The vines are planted at 

 intervals of 8 or 10 feet near the trellis. They 

 may then be conveniently taken down to be pro- 

 tected fi'om the winter and secured again to the 

 trellis at the proper time in the spring. A single 

 trunk should cojiie from the root, and no shoot 

 or branch be allowed to grow within 2 or 3 feet 

 of the ground. Above that distance the vine 

 may be trained at the pleasure of the cultivator. 

 It may cover the whole trellis, but one shoot 

 should not overla|) another, which would shut 

 out the sun and check the growth of those be- 

 neath. 



Pruning. — A careful and judicious pruning is 

 an indispensable requisite to a good harvest from 

 the vineyard. If the vine is proiluced from a 

 cutting, one shoot will be sent out the first year. 

 This should be cut down to two joints in Octo- 

 ber. The second year one shoot from one of the 

 joints only should be allowed to grow, which 

 must in like manner be cut down to two or three 

 joints in the fall. The third year two branches 

 may be preserved and cut down at the fall prun- 

 ing so as to leave from two to five joints, as they 

 may appear thrifty or otherwise. Fruit may be 

 expected the Ibiirth year, and as many lateral 

 branches allowed to grow as may cover the trel- 

 lis, if the vine be vigorous. All shoots that ap- 

 pear at parts of the vine where they are not 

 wanted must be rubbed out, and the main body 

 of the stalk kept naked. The lidl is the best 

 time for pruning, perhaps in October, after the 

 fruit is gathered. As many branches of last 

 growth may be left as the cultivator may think 

 the parent stock will sustain for the next year's 

 fruit, and each branch cut down to a proper 

 number of joints. The wounds occasioned by 

 the fall pruning are closed before the ascent of 

 sap in the spring. Any considerable pruning at 

 that lime would cause an exudation of sap to 

 the injury of the vine. It is a common fault to 

 allow too great an extension of the vine, and the 

 object in pruning should be to reduce it to just 

 what the vigor of the root will sustain for the 

 perfection of the fruil, and what can he present- 

 ed to the rays of the sun. 



Ripening, — The rigor of our climate so retards 

 the ripening of the fruit that various expedients 

 are adopted to forxvard it, and will) good suc- 

 cess. In July, after the clusters have appeared, 

 a portion may be cut fi-om all the branches where 

 they are found. The superabundant nourish- 

 ment is then taken up by the fruit which attains 

 a greater perfection and becomes suitable for 

 gathering many ^ays earlier. Any black surface 

 in rear of the vines, as a painted fence, or wall, 

 is said to answer a good purpose. If the branch- 

 es be taken off with the clusters and suspended 

 in a warm room, they will be preserved fresh, 

 and continue to ripen for some time. The leaves 

 seem necessary to the perfection of the fruit, and 

 should never be removed. The most successful 

 practice which has been adopted is to take from 

 the last year's wood of the bearing branches a 

 ring of bark about J of an inch in width, that 

 is to perform what is called girdling. This is 

 done the first of July, and the bark is soon re- 

 newed, and may sometimes require a second re- 

 moval. When this girdling is employed, the 

 ends of the branches should not be cut off. The 

 branches treated by this latter method will ripen 

 much sooner than others, and an earlier and 

 later crop may be had from the same vine. 



Hanove r, jV. H. T. T. 



"New American Orchardist." 



The third edition of the "American Orchard- 

 ist," just issued from the press at Boston, has 

 been presented us by its author, Mr. William 

 Kenrick of Newton, Mass. Mr. Kenrick is the 

 proprietor of the extensive Nursery at Newlon, 

 five and a half miles out of Boston, from which 

 have been supplied to tlie various parts of New 

 England in years past, Fruit Trees, Ornamental 

 Trees, Grape Vines, Slirubs, Roses and Herbace- 

 ous Flowers. The establishment of Mr. K. is 

 often visited as a resort in the vernal and autum- 

 nal seasons for the admirers of the beauties oP 

 Nature, where both the appetite and the eye may! 

 be feBB»«i. 



It will be observed that for all the purposes o 

 cultivating fruit and vegetables, Mr. Keurick is n 

 practical man : such a man can write or compile 

 a much better book than can the author who de- 

 rives his information from the works of oiliers. 

 Mr. K. has availed himself in this book of all the 

 new European improvements: all the latest and 

 most eminent English, Scotch and French wri- 

 ters have been consulted. Mr. K. also, during a 

 visit to England and France in the autumn of 

 1840, collected much information from oral and 

 other communications from the first rale sources, 

 and with this information has revised his for- 

 mer work with very particular attention and 

 care. 



After giving much intelligence on fruit cultiva- 

 tion generally, Mr. K. takes up the subject of ap- 

 ple orchards. Here he presents a mass of that 

 particular information which cannot fail to be use- 

 ful to every man who would own a good orchard ; 

 and he presents a descriptive list of the select ap- 

 ples cultivated in the United States, from which 

 the lover of good fruit will be able to choose the 

 kind which shall best suit him. 



The same book also treats upon the rearing of 

 Pears, Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, Plums, 

 Cherries, Grapes, Currants, Gooseberries, Rasp- 

 berries, Persimmon, Strawberries, Blackberries, 

 &c. &c. together with the cultivation of many 

 fruits of a more southern climate. 



The appendix to the same work takes up the 

 subject of Vegetables, including the several Nu- 

 tritious Roots, Pulse, Vegetable Tops, Salads, 

 Pickles, Savory Herbs, Preserves, &c. 



To the horticultural amateur in the United 

 Slates no book ever published will be more prac- 

 tically useful than this "New American Orchard- 

 ist" of Mr. Kenrick. The great work of Loudon 

 on Gardening, embracing 1233 condensed pages 

 and several hundred engravings at the cost of 

 fifteen or twenty dollars, we .^ay from personal 

 examination cannot possibly be of the value to 

 the American gardner ot this work of Mr. Ken- 

 rick, which costs from $1 50 to $2. We think 

 the intelligent author has done that service to the 

 country in writing and publishing this book which 

 entitles him to the thanks of all friends to pro- 

 duction and improvement. With his leave here- 

 after we will take the liberty to make the readers 

 of the Farmer's Monthly Visitor better acquaint- 

 ed with the contents of the "New American 

 Orchardist." 



For the Farmer's Monthly Visitor. 

 Great Yields of Potatoes. 

 Li 1829, the lute Major Caleb Stark planted 

 potatoes (the large round red) on several small 

 patches of ground in Simcook Village, in the 

 town of Pembroke. He planted them witln,ut 

 assistance, and hoed them three times himself. 

 They were planted in drills, one piece, (cut) every 

 ten inches. When he dug them in tlie fiiU, they 

 were weighed, and he proposed from the result, 

 the following questions to Hon. John Vose, 

 then Preceptor of Pembroke Academy. I find 

 the questions and answers among some of his 

 papers, and send them to you. 



" First position : 168 sq. ft. produces 1261bs 

 2d 147 " " 138" 



3d 18 feet square 384 « 



4th 43 " •' 1435 " 



What will an acre produce on each of these 

 positions ? 

 (Copy.) Answer. 



Dear Sir — I was much pleased with your ag- 

 ricultural que.stioiis: 



The following are the answers. 

 1st plat 168 sq., ft. 1261bs. 



per acre 32,6701bs. 605 bushels 



2d " 147 " " 138 " 



per acre 41,745 " 773.055 bushels 



3d " 18 feet square 384lbs. 



per acre 51,6a6?!bs. <I56.049 bushels 

 4th " 43 " " 14351 bs. 



per acre 33,806.70lbs. 426.05 bushels. 

 The above results were brought about by Mr. 

 Brown: — ol their accuracy I have examined them 

 so as to.be satisfied they are correct. 

 Very respcctfiillv, 



■JOHN VOSE. 

 Hon. Caleb Stark. 



I can only add that I witnessed the progress of 

 the growth of the potatoes — and the average 

 weight of them was 54lhs per I iisliel. 



Yours respectlully, V. 



