Grapes in 1866. 13 



I have been unable during the present season to see any bad resuhs, 

 any weakness or feeble growth among my vines, that could be traced to the 

 leaf-mildew of last season ; and I think that this disease, although it alarms 

 the novice, is, when it occurs late in the season, after buds are well formed 

 and wood half ripened, of no great consequence, and not likely to do any 

 permanent injury. 



That vine which mildewed worst last summer, a large Delaware, has 

 borne a splendid crop of well-ripened fruit this season, without losing a 

 leaf till frost. 



The winter of 1865-6 was one of great severity. On the 8th of Jan- 

 uary, 1866, the mercury was reported in various localities in this vicinity as 

 standing from 14° to 17° Fahrenheit. This "cold snap" killed the buds 

 of peach-trees that had been carefully wrapped in straw, and undoubtedly 

 destroyed tender grapes that were left exposed ; but my delicate varieties 

 were all covered with earth, except a number of Catawba seedlings, which 

 were utterly destroyed. As usual, I did not cover any of my Concord 

 vines, nor did I have a single bud of this variety injured. The Concord is 

 proof, not only against cold, but against sudden changes from warm to 

 cold, and vice versa. 



The present season, although in very many respects about as bad for 

 grape-raising as it could be, has, in a certain sense, encouraged amateurs 

 and others to go on with what they have begun, to plant more vines, and 

 to continue their experiments in search of improved varieties. 



The process of reasoning that encourages us is very simple. If grapes 

 do as well this extremely bad year as we see they have done, we may con- 

 fidently expect a return for our labor every year ; and, in two years out of 

 three, we 7nust have far better success than we have had the present 

 season. 



The spring was extremely cold and backward : vines were slow in start- 

 ing, but not tardy enough to escape a most disastrous frost that fell on the 

 night of the 14th of May. A great many vines that escaped the frost 

 set their bunches imperfectly. Cold, chilly nights in August checked the 

 ripening of the berries ; and rather early frosts in September came in as a 

 crowning trial and vexation. 



If, after all this, we succeeded in getting good crops of Concords, Dela- 



