13G 



THE CANADIAN noRTICULTURIST. 



my friend loved his plants, and was 

 anxious to save them, so he watered 

 tkeni with the carbolic solution — I 

 think he said two teaspoonsfuli to a 

 [nil of water — and did not lose a single 

 plant after the application. That little 

 f xperiment was worth a great deal to 

 hiui, and it might be worth something 

 to some readers of the Ilorticulliirist, 

 and should the acid prove equally eSi- 

 catious against the phyloxera, who can 

 estimate its value to cultivators of the 

 vine ] 



FLAVOR OF GRAPES. . 



Last year was a new experience to 

 me in regard to the qualities and 

 Havors of different varieties of grapes 

 — -an experience that will make me more 

 than ever cautious in receiving opinions 

 and descriptions of such even from the 

 pens of those who may be considered 

 judges of such matters; and with re- 

 spect to earliness I regard no man's 

 opinion as conclusive, for admitting 

 that the particu ar kind of soil on 

 which a vine is planted may make a 

 few day's difference in the time of rip- 

 ening, thus making an early variety 

 appear a later one, and 'Oice versa, I 

 tind that the particular variety that is 

 earliest with me one year is not certain 

 to be so the next, and the one that I 

 judge to be the best in quality one sea- 

 son is not certain to retain its superior- 

 ity at the end of another year. I have 

 usually regarded Rogers' No. 9 as A 1, 

 and No. 15 and Delaware as coming 

 next. Concord as just passable, and 

 Clinton as scarcely eatable ; but last 

 season upset this classification alto- 

 gether. Nos. 9 and 15 failed to sustain 

 their reputation, and Clinton and Con- 

 cord came to the front surprisingly ; 

 even the Champion became eatable, 

 Clinton was preferred to No. 15 for 

 eating out of hand, and Concord was 

 pronounced by all who compared them 

 as decidedly the best. I found no 

 change in the Delaware, but No. 15 



was watery and flavorless, and certwinly 

 not up to the usual mirk. The Con- 

 cord, I find, must be fully ripened be- 

 fore it is in perfection, but when in 

 that condition it certainly ranks among 

 the best, and as compared with it 

 Rogers' No. 4 must take a back seat. 

 All this, of coui-se, is as they ave grown 

 here, and may not hold good elsewliere. 



QUALITY OF WIXE. 



It is to be expected that such varia- 

 tions in the quality of grapes would 

 make a corresi)onding change in the 

 quality of wine as made in different 

 seasons, ns I presume is the case in all 

 wine-producing countries ; but that 

 does not alter the fact that some soils 

 and some atmospherical or climatic con- 

 ditions are more favorable for the })ro-- 

 duction of choice qualities than others. 

 We are here on t!ie northern limit — 

 perhaps beyond the limit — of successful 

 gra[)e-growing. Are we also beyond 

 the limit of successful wine-making ] 



I remember some years ago reading 

 an article from the pen of Mr. De 

 Courtenay, then engaged in wine-mak- 

 ing at Cooksville, in which he argued 

 that the climate was more favorable for 

 that purpose north of 45 degrees than 

 south of that latitude ; and I think the 

 reasons were that in the warmer clim- 

 ate the fruit contained too ra\ich sugar, 

 and I think he said fermentation was 

 apt to proceed too far at the expense of 

 the boquet. I have made small quan- 

 tities the last two seasons with such 

 success as to sup]:)ort Mr. De Courte- 

 nay's contention, as well as to be a very 

 agreeable surprise to myself ; and as to 

 the quality, all who have tasted those 

 two vintages are unanimous in their 

 praise. They may not, of course, be 

 equal to the best wines produced in the 

 Old World, though certainly superior 

 to those sold here as such. 



Don't let me alarm the temperance 

 community, for all the wines I have 



