THE CULTURE OP THE GRAPE. 181 



the tree ; thence up the trunk, and around the three sides, 

 resting upon a limb, over to the second tree, and there se- 

 cured, the fruit to be borne on the cane between the trees ; 

 the spur-pruning of this is advised. Another plan of train- 

 ing is, to let the vine run up a single tree, and branch off 

 among the limbs which may be well thinned of its branches, 

 to admit the sun and air, and the vine can be pruned so as 

 to be kept within reach. 



'■'■To prevent the '■Rot^ in Gra^yes. — By a Jerseyman. 

 Dear sir, — You will, probably, call to mind a conversation 

 between us, Avhen I was at Newburgh, in 1846. I laid before 

 you an account of the disease which had then made its ap- 

 pearance in our native grapes, — the Isabella and Catawba. 

 It commences about the first of July, in the form of a dark 

 spot upon a few berries. These, afterwards, become entirely 

 spoiled by the disease ; and this rot spreads, from berry to 

 berry, till a large part of the bunch, or, in many cases, whole 

 bunches, are entirely spoiled by it. Wet seasons, unsuitable 

 soil, and various other causes have been assigned for it ; but, 

 as yet, to my mind, no satisfactory explanation has been 

 given. 



" You advised me, at that time, to apply sulphur and lime 

 in the form of gypsum, or common ground plaster of Paris ; 

 and you also advised me to use the leaves and prunings of 

 the vines for manure. 



" This is the second season of my trying your advice ; and, 

 as I received it with the promise of making known the re- 

 sults, I accordingly send you a brief statement, which, I 

 think, proves that the advice was good. 



" I have about twenty vines of the Isabella and Catawba 

 grape, in a full-bearing state, trained on upright trellises. In 

 the month of June, (latter part,) 1846, at the time I made 

 the summer pruning of the vines, — cutting off the side shoots, 

 two joints above the fruit, — I opened shallow trenches, say 

 four or five inches deep, at the roots of the vines to be pruned. 

 As fast as the pruning was finished, the leaves and young 



