134 



THE WESTERN POMOLOGIST„ 



1871 



the vineyards were cropped with clover, among the 

 grape vines, with supposed good results as a means 

 of preventing mildew and rotting of the fruit. A 

 variety of opinions were expressed in regard to the 

 manner in which the clover was supposed to ope- 

 rate beneficially — the common opinion seeming to 

 be thai it was by means of its shading the ground 

 during tlie hottest season, and hence it was recom- 

 mended that the clover should be cut when its 

 growth was mature, and then left as mulch upon 

 the ground between the rows of vines. 



A different theory, however, was suggested by 

 the writer of this : that as the clover roots pene- 

 trate deeply into the soil, the thousands of clover 

 plants operate as so many little suction pumps, 

 drawing off the suiierabundant moisture from the 

 roots of the vines, where, as is well known, it is 

 the most common cause of rot in the fruit. If this 

 theory is correct, the clover system will be found 

 most beneficial on flat or moist soils, especially such 

 as have mellow subsoils, where the grape roots 

 penetrate deeply into the moist earth, as is the case 

 with most of the vineyards on the sandy soils of 

 our lake shore. In corroboration of this theory, I 

 mentioned the fact that in my own vineyard on a 

 sandy slope, a dozen or more bearing vines grew 

 near a very large cucumber (magnolia) tree, where 

 the entire moisture in time of drouth seems to be 

 sucked out of the soil by the roots of the tree, but 

 these vines ripen each year earlier and have better 

 fruit than any others in my vineyard of several 

 acres. 



At my request, Mr. Chas. B. Summers, of Ver- 

 million, has written the following report of his ex- 

 periments and observations in this line, for the 

 benefit of the Ohio Horticultural Society. If any 

 of the readers of the Oliin Farmer can furnish ad- 

 ditional facts of the kind, I hope they will make 

 them public. 



CLOVERING VINETABDS. 



My attention was first called to this subject by 

 the successful practice of Messrs. Driver & Sons, of 

 this township, who commenced the practice seven 

 years ago, by seeding down three acres of Isabella 

 vineyard, which remained in clover three years, 

 and during that time produced excellent, and I may 

 say extra crops. The location was within two hun- 

 dred yards of the lake .'^hore, on flat clay land, very 

 rich, and imperfectly drained on the surface. 



Three years ago this spring, I seeded down one 

 acre of vineyard — Isabella and Catawba, mixed — 

 and left one acre adjoining of same varieties and 

 same soil, which was cultivated in the ordinary 

 manner. Location similar to the preceding, but 

 soil of darker color and with a slight admixture of 

 sand in some parts. Subsoil in some parts stiflf 

 clay, others sandy, and some clear sand; surflice 

 level, and imperfectly underdrained, very rich, and 



capable of producing one hundred bushels of corn 

 or forty bushels of wheat to the acre. 



The first season after seeding was a poor grape 

 season, and there was no perceptible difference in 

 the product of the two pieces. The next season 

 the clover piece was much the most productive, the 

 vines not making so rank growth as on the cultiva- 

 ted piece. Last season the clover piece produced 

 at least one-third more per acre than the other, and 

 he frait of finer quality, no rot or mildew appear- 

 tng on the fruit or foliage. The growth of vines 

 was not over half so great as on the cultivated part, 

 where some mildew and rot was also visible. 



We had a very severe drouth during May and 

 June, which had it continued, would no doubt have 

 materially injured the part cropped with clover. 

 As it was the leaves began to turn yellow about the 

 middle of June, but timely rains soon restored 

 their health and vigor. 



I mow the clover twice in the season, leaving it 



around the vines as mulch. I do not think there is 



any great saving of labor by this method, excepting 



in the amount of summer pruning, which is much 



lessened by the effect of the clover checking the 



growth of the vines. I intend to break up the 



clover this season, and will report the result. I 



have fears that the effect will be an excessive 



growth of wood, thus proving a detriment to the 



crop. — Gov. Ohio Farmer. 



* * ■ t 



Spring Management of IVInes. 



It is generally in the spring that the most serious 

 mistakes in the handling of wines are made, and a 

 few hints on this subject may not be uninteresting to 

 our readers. 



If they have followed our advice, as we trust they 

 have, and racked their wines in mid-winter, and 

 have fermented them in the propsr temperature in 

 the fall, they should be perfectly clear in March. 

 They should now be carefully racked again, before 

 warm weather sets in, and only so fas as the wine 

 seems perfectly cleat, should it go into the other 

 cask. As soon as it becomes muddled, it should be 

 separated, and all these cloudy wines of the same 

 or a similar kind, may be put into a cask by them- 

 selves. They will generally become clear in a week 

 or two, and should be racked again. 



The casks should, of course be perfectly clean and 

 sweet, and may be slight!)' fumi,gated with sulphur, 

 or about half a niitmeg may be burnt in them, es- 

 pecially if they are red wines. Fill up well, and 

 keep carefull.y filled, and j'ou maj' safely trust your 

 wines through the summer, even if the temperature 

 should vary somewhat. Thoroughly fumigated 

 wines, even if subjected to fluctuations of temper- 

 ature, will remain bright ard clear, if they have 

 been carefully racked. But if any lees rem"aiu in 

 them, of course fermentation will set in, and they 

 will be unpalatable as soon as warm weather com- 

 mences. — Grape CiMurist. 



