8 



each other. We have positive evidence that all parts of this 

 country are adapted to the cultivation of the vine in the numerous 

 varieties of the wild grape, which overrun the States, from Maine 

 to Florida. I think it may be safely assumed, that we shall suc- 

 ceed in obtaining varieties best adapted to each part of the Union, 

 by improving upon the wild type of adjoining woods ; i. e., by 

 planting seeds of the earliest, sweetest and best wild grape, in 

 highly enriched and mellow soil. When the vines fruit, select 

 the seeds of those which have improved most, and plant them ; 

 and so on, to any extent. In this way was the Concord produced 

 in two generations from the Avild Vitis Labrusca of the woods. 

 SeedUngs have since been produced from the Concord superior to 

 the parent. Soil and situation modify all young seedlings, and 

 great variations in color, flavor, and period of ripening, are pro- 

 duced. This is an extension of the theory which Van Mons ap- 

 plied to the pear. Mr. Bull advises us not to go back to the wild 

 type, but to plant the seed of the best varieties now in cultivation. 

 This will save time, though the seedlings frequently sport and re- 

 turn to the rankest of wild forms. 



Soil, Situation and Aspect. 

 The best soil for the grape is one that is light, warm and mod- 

 erately rich, also, sufficiently porous to let air, heat and water 

 pass freely through it. liich soils, loaded with manure, encour- 

 age the growth of wood at the expense of fruit. In this State, 

 the best soil for the vine is sandy loam, from ten to fifteen inches 

 deep, with an open or well-drained subsoil. The best soils are 

 those which are composed of crumbling limestone, granite or vol- 

 canic rocks. Some of the finest vineyards in Europe are planted 

 in soil composed mostly of carbonate and sulphate of lime (chalk 

 and gypsum). But the most successful vineyards, both in Europe 

 and California, are planted in a red, sandy clay, and in such soils 

 vineyards are commonly planted. Most writers on the grape ad- 

 vise deep trenching, and the preparation of a soil from eighteen 

 inches to three feet in depth. There is no doubt that this tends 

 to prolong the vigor and life of the vine in a warm climate, but 

 as the ripening of the wood and fruit depend a great deal upon 

 the heat applied to the roots, they should be kept near the sur- 

 face in all northern countries, where the season is too short to 

 heat the earth to the depth of two or three feet. To prevent 

 damage from drouth, the ground may be mulched, with any cheap 

 material, in hot and dry summers. Even the most unpromising, 

 gravelly or sandy land can, by a judicious mixture of either muck, 

 pond mud, or leaf mould, with clay and manure, be rendered ex- 

 tremely fertile. These materials may be carted on to the land in 

 the mild days of winter, and worked in the next spring. In 



