184 THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 



Indiana Cultivation.— Mr. Jolm Davis, of Indiana, ten 

 miles from Louisville, Kentucky, in 1842, had a vineyard of 

 seven acres, but, at that time, one and a half acres only of it 

 was in bearing. The vines were planted in rows, six feet 

 apart, and three feet from each other in the rows. The edi- 

 tors of the Louisville papers say, that, in September, the vines 

 in bearing, presented the appearance of almost " solid walls 

 of fruit." 



Presuming that the information, from this vineyard, would 

 be valuable, as detailing the result of several years' experi- 

 ence, in comparatively a new section of grape-growing, in 

 this country, I addressed, the past spring, a letter (with such 

 queries as I thought would procure the desired statements,) 

 to the proprietor of the place. The letter Avas received by 

 the owner of the vineyard, Mr. Amos Goodwin, who, in the 

 best spirit, gave me all the desired answers. The most of his 

 letter is published in his oayu words, as follows : — ■ 



" I have about eight acres in cultivation ; the vines are 

 planted in rows, about six feet apart, and at the distance of 

 four feet in the rows. Mj system of pruning consists simply 

 in shortening in the wood of the past year's growth, from one 

 to a dozen eyes, according to the condition of the vine, and 

 afterwards tying up the new growth to the trelhs, from time 

 to time, as it may seem to require support. Stout stakes, 

 about five and a half feet high, with narrow strips of board 

 nailed on them, constitute the best trellis. I tried Avire, but 

 the sun heated it to such an extent, that it killed the tendrils 

 of the vines, and frequently injured the young wood. 



" My grapes are principally Catawba ; I have a few of the 

 Isabella, but do not use them for wine. The Catawba, as a 

 wine grape, has, in my opinion, no equal among grapes that 

 can be successfully cultivated in our climate. 



" We have, occasionally, had the leaves of our vines eaten 

 in places, by an insect, but never to an extent sufficient to be 

 injurious. The rot is the great enemy we have to contend 

 with ; some seasons, twenty gallons of wine per acre, can 



