184 Notes and Gleanings. 



two tons per acre. Three million tons of grapes at ten cents per pound makes 

 the round value of $600,000,000 (six hundred million dollars). He also esti- 

 mates the land planted in vineyard, not yet in bearing, at a million acres. Grant- 

 ing this to be an over-estimate, yet it indicates a rapid stride, and a success in 

 grape-culture which is without a parallel, if we except our own Golden State, 

 where single vineyardists have a million vines in bearing. In the foregoing list, 

 or in fruits of equal value, can any country show a brighter prospect ? Grant that 

 the peach and the plum fail in many localities, and that the cherry is less certain 

 than formerly ; yet even these are by no means abandoned fruits, and throughout 

 wide regions they are abundantly prolific. This is our bright side of the picture ; 

 and while we freely admit that far more care and toil are required than when 

 the soil was new, yet we must be encouraged by the fact that ours is not an ex- 

 ceptional case. Such a list of fruits of such intrinsic value cannot be produced 

 in any temperate clime, the world over, without the price of eternal vigilance. 

 It is our duty to note the influence of the varying seasons, and other operating 

 causes, in order that we may, as far as possible, eliminate every element of 

 failure. 



The past season has been remarkal^le chiefly for the amount of rain -fall dur- 

 ing the growing months. From R. T. Paine, Esq., who has kept a careful record 

 at Boston for the past forty years, we have obtained the following data : — 



The whole amount of rain for the year was 49.84 inches ; being an excess of 

 4.5 inches over the average for forty years past. The amount for July was 5 68 

 inches ; which is an excess, over the monthly average, of 1.54 inches. In August 

 the amount was much greater, reaching the large quantity of 9.96 inches ; which 

 is 5.54 iiiches above the average. Large as this is, the quantity increases as we 

 go south on the Atlantic coast, until it reaches the unprecedented amount of 

 17 inches at Philadelphia during the single month of August. The nearest 

 approach to this was in July, 1863, when the monthly fall was 12.5 inches, and 

 5.64 inches in August ; and the total for that year was the enormous amount of 

 67.84 inches. The amount for 1862 was 61.06 inches; which shows an aggre- 

 gate of 128.9 inches in two consecutive years, — over loi solid feet of water ; an 

 ample amount for a second deluge. This is 38.3 inches in excess of the average 

 gauge for two years, which is 90.06 inches. 



The extremes of variation are between the maximum of 1863 and the minimum 

 fall of twenty-six inches in 1846, showing a diflerence of over forty inches. It is 

 evident that the common impression, that about the same quantity of rain falls 

 each year, is an error. Yet the cases cited are extremes, and it is true that the 

 variations from the average are not greater than we might expect. We were 

 greatly relieved the present season by the absence of rain during the ripening 

 month of September; the fall being only three-quarters of an inch, or one-thir- 

 teenth part as much as in August previous. This change was an' inestimable ad- 

 vantage to the grape and other ripening crops ; and also to the trees, which were 

 unusually succulent. Yet the remedy came too late to prevent the injury caused 

 by the excessive rain of the summer months. Forage-plants may luxuriate in the 

 moisture ; but even with these the growth is too succulent. Of course, the evil 

 is greatly mitigated by thorough drainage ; and it is less felt in soils naturally 

 porous. Yet nothing can compensate for the lack of the warm, genial influence 



