116 APPENDIX. 



VINEYARDS IN CLARK COUNTY, INDIANA. 



The following letter, from Mr. Gibson, will be found 

 interesting : — 

 R. Buchanan: — 



Dear Sir. — Mr. A. Goodwin, my father-in-law, yesterday 

 placed in my hands a letter from you of January 28th, and 

 requested me to reply to the questions therein propounded, 

 which I take great pleasure in doing. The number of acres 

 of grapes in cultivation in our county (Clark), is somewhere 

 between 150 and 200, and steadily on the increase. The 

 Catawba is almost exclusively cultivated. Those who plant 

 a few Isabellas, generally dig them up after a few years' trial. 

 The objection to them is that they are much more liable to 

 the rot than the Catawba. 



The distances at which the vines are planted vary in differ- 

 ent vineyards from 3 by 6 to 4 by 8 feet. Mine is 8 by 8 

 feet ; but I know of no others planted so widely apart. The 

 cultivation adopted is simple, and costs next to nothing. The 

 land is deeply plowed in the spring — holes dug with a 

 spade, and two or three slips planted in each hole — the 

 ground is then planted in potatoes and pays for its culture — 

 second year the same. Third year the vines are staked, 

 plowed and hoed once or twice. I have never known 

 manure to be applied, and most of our cultivators are of 

 opinion, that the poorer the land the better it is for the grape. 

 When Mr. Goodwin first commenced the culture of the grape, 

 he planted perhaps an acre in a very rich river bottom, and 

 cultivated them with a great deal of care. They made enor- 

 mous growth of w^ood and a fine show of fruit ; but it invari- 

 ably rotted. I do not believe that he ever got two barrels 

 of grapes from the vineyard. It was finally dug up and 

 destroyed. 



The grape is very subject to rot in some seasons, though 

 hardly as much so, I think, as around Cincinnati ; at least 

 ours have escaped here, when yours were partially destroyed. 



