Vol. VI. -No. 51. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



403 



CRAPK VINKS. 



Ommiiiiicalioii Irom William Wilson, Est|. of Clermonl. New 

 York, on llie culture of ihe Grape. Adilressed to the New 

 York Horiioultoral Society, 5Iarch 1821.— Coniimmicaled for 

 the Ni'w York Faimer. 



You noticed a few frrapes whicli I sent last 

 summer to my ffiend, Mr. Peter Hattack — they 

 were not intended for e.xliibition, or jierliaps bet- 

 tor bunches ini;.'lit have been sent. Hut as they 

 met your approbation, tlie mode of raisinjj them 

 may not be utiaceeptable. I have cultivated 

 {.'rapes for more than twenty years, and for the 

 last ten years with success. The soil in whicli 

 they giY)w, is a lisiht gravelly loam, the ground 

 ])erfertly level, the vines were raised from cut- 

 ■ tings and pLiiited in the place they were intended 

 to be contunieil, and where they now are. I have 

 two rows of about twenty-five vines each, one on 

 the north side of the garden, exposed to the south 

 and protected by a high board fence, the other 

 row iti the middle and most exposed situation, 

 with no shelter whatever. For the fir.st six or 

 .seven years, they were cultivated in the usual 

 way, cut down to three or four feet, and support- 

 ed by stakes and laths. Their growth was rapid, 

 and retpiired a good deal of trimming. They 

 bore fruit ; but in two years out of three, they 

 were blasted and mildewed, good for nothing ; all 

 we got was trouble and vexation. I had resolved 

 to abandon them. About this time, I observed in 

 the woods some very fine looking wild grapes, the 

 vines running up high trees, and most of the fruit 

 at or near the top. On examining, i.iany were 

 found in the same situation ; from this I took the 

 hint of raising the cultivated grape higher from 

 Ihe ground. At the time of trimming I left the 

 vines their whole length, ten or twelve feet or 

 more ; cutting away every side shoot and leaving 

 tlic vines as clear of shoots, or spurs, or beads, as 

 possible. The spring following, bv every vine 

 was fixed a strong stake at least ten feet high, 

 with most of the limbs untouched, so that they 

 had the appearance of large buslies, or well grown 

 saplings. The vines were twisted around them 

 to the top, and when necessary, tied with bass. — 

 By the middle of .June, the stakes were entirely 

 covered by the new shoots of the vine, and with 

 plenty of fruit, which was fully ripe in September, 

 and not one bunch blasted or mildewed ; there 

 was not one cluster within three or four feet of 

 the ground. Since that time I have continued 

 the same practice, and have now vines 20 or 30 

 f<!et long ; some of which run up the fruit trees 

 adjoining, the others being can-ied up 8 or 10 

 feet, and then stretched horizontally. It is no 

 unpleasant thing to see a cherry tree on one hand, 

 a pear tree on the other, and a peach tree not far 

 olf, all ornamented with clusters of grapes. Yet 

 such is the case, and has been for years past. — | 

 Several strangers, both citizens and Ei'iropeans, 

 curious in such things, have called to examine for 

 themselves, and have generally allowed it to be 

 the most successful cultivation they had seen. 



To the^members of the horticultural society, 

 who, it is probable are mostly practical men, I i 

 cannot write in their technical language ; it is j 

 therefore hoped they will excuse the inaccuracies ' 

 that occur. In as few words as possible, the 

 whole management of the year is as follows, and 

 it matters not at what period we begin. The | 

 fruit begins to ripen early in September and con- 1 

 tinues till the frosts in October. As soon as the 1 

 grapes are aU gathered, that is about the 15th of i 



October, the stakes are token up and thrown aside 

 for tire wood. The vine is then stretched out its 

 whole length and trimmed as clean as possible, in 

 which state it is letl lying on the ground for two 

 or three weeks ': about the last of November, they 

 are laid on the surface at full length, and fastened 

 down with pin.s, and covered hghtly with earth ; 

 which is done by digging a shallow ditch on each 

 side, and throwing up the ground to the middle, 

 wliich forms a ridgi; over the vines, and covers 

 them about ten or twelve inches ; no straw, ma- 

 nure, or any other covering but the earth ; in this 

 state they lie all winter. In April, as soon as the 

 weather will permit, they are uncovered and left 

 on the ground for ten or twelve days or more : 

 the stakes are now, about the first of May, fixed 

 in their ])laces, and the vines reidaced as before. 

 They require no farther trouble, unless some that 

 may be blown down are to be put up again. The 

 borders are now well dressed by digging and rak- 

 ing, but no manure, nor has any been put on for 

 ten years or more. They are also kept perfectly 

 clean through the summer, by frequent hoeing and 

 raking : no vegetables are allowed to grow on the 

 borders at any time. 



Tliis mode of raising grapes differs from the or- 

 dinary in these particulars : 



1st. Trimming or pruning : this is usually done 

 in February or March. Here we never cut a vine 

 late- than November ; were this done in the spring 

 thej would either bleed to death or be so much 

 wea'cened as to bear no fruit. In general, we 

 are too sparing of the knife, leaving too many eyes 

 or bids, by which you get too much wood and 

 too little fruit ; and there is a mistake, which ail 

 writers that I have seen have fallen into, that 

 " vines bear their fruit on the wood that was pro- 

 duceti the preceding year." This is not the case, 

 for the fruit is invariably on the wrood of the pres- 

 ent year. 



2(1. The next ditference is laying down ajid 

 cov«ring the vines all winter. In our northern 

 chniate, this is absolutely necessary : it may not 

 be so farther south, yet it is worth a trial with a 

 few vhies. Prune in October, lay them down and ■ 

 cover in November or December, and take them I 

 upjn March. One season will test the utility or! 

 futility of the practice. 



3d. Another difference is leaving the vine its 

 full length and training it as high as po.ssible. — i 

 This I have never seen except in my own garden ; | 

 but it is the practice in some pails of Italy, where 

 the vines run over the poplar and elm trees. 



4th. Most people plant their vines in sheltered 

 and warm places : this is following the English 

 mode, where the climate requires it. Here my 

 vines that are most exposed, bear equally if not 

 better than others. 



5th. No manure has been used for many years. 

 Its use gives wood, not fruit. 



The greater part of the grapes are the sweet 

 water ; these are the best bearers, and pleasantcst 

 for table. The miller grape answers well for a 

 variety, and is a good bearer. I have tried the 

 red and black Hamburg, but they do not succeed 

 so well. I am now trying to raise the Madeira 

 grape, having received a few cuttings, which came 

 from that island, last spring, all of which are 

 growing and shall have a fair trial. 



The borders on which the grapes are ctdtivated 

 are six feet wide, and the vines in the centre. 

 Your humble sen'ant, 



atrmonf, M Y. WILLIAM WILSON. 



From Memoirs of thfCalcilonian Horticultural Society. 



TRIOATMENT OF GOOSEBERRY BUSHES. 



As soon as the leaves are all fallen, I begin 

 pruning, and dunging, if need require. I then dig 

 tiio ground between the bushes, learing the 

 ground as rough as possible ; and as the diggers 

 are i>roceeding, that is, as soon as they are clear 

 of the first plant in the row, I give the bush, from 

 the ro.se of a watering-pot, at least an English 

 gallon of the following mixture, of equal parts, viz. 

 lime-wator, chamber-ley, and soap-suds, in which 

 I introduce as much soot as to give the composi- 

 tion the color and consistence of rich dunghill 

 drainings ; proceeding over the whole in this 

 manner, without treading or poaching the ground: 

 in which state they remain until the winter frosts 

 are fairly past, when I level and dress up the 

 ground between with a rake. 



This practice I have invariably performed, and 

 have always had healthy fruitful bushes, and nev- 

 er in the least annoyed with any insects on the 

 bushes so dressed. JOHN NAISMITH. 



HOW TO PICKLE WALNUTS. 



Scald sHglitly, and rub off the first skin of a. 

 hundred large walnuts, before they have a hard 

 shell : this may easily be ascertaihed by trying 

 them with a pin. Put them in a strong cold brine, 

 put new brine the third and sixth days, and take 

 them out and dry them on the ninth. Take an 

 ounce each of long pepper, black pepper, ginger, 

 and allspice ; a quarter of an ounce of cloves, some 

 blades of mace, and a table-spoonful of mustard- 

 seeds : bruise the whole together, put into a jar 

 a layer of walnuts, strew them well over with the 

 mixture, and proceed in the same manner till all 

 are covered. Then boil three quarts of white 

 wine vinegar, with sliced horse-radish and ginger, 



pour it hot over the walnuts, and cover close 



Repeat the boiling of the vinegar and pour it hot 

 over, three or four days, always keeping the pick- 

 le closely covered ; add at the last boiling a few 

 cloves of garlic, or shallots. In five months they 

 will be fit for use. 



A Tropical Climate. — Insects are the curse of 

 tropical climates. The vete rouge lays the foun- 

 dation of a tremendous ulcer. In a moment you 

 are covered with ticks. Chigoes bury themselves 

 in your flesh, and hatch a large colony of young 

 chigoes in a few hours. They will not live to- 

 gether, but every chigoe sets up a separate ulcer, 

 and has his own private pus. FUes get entry into 

 your mouth, into your eyes, into yoiu- nose. You 

 eat flies, drink flies, and breathe flies. Lizards, 

 cockatrices, and snakes, get into the bed — ants 

 eat the books — scoqiions sting you on the foot — 

 every thing stings, bites, or bruises — every second 

 of your existence you are wounded by some piece 

 of animal life, that nobody has ever seen before, 

 except Swaminerdam and Mariam. An insect 

 with eleven legs is swimming in your tea cup — a 

 non deseript with nine wings is struggling in the 

 small beer, or a caterpillar with several dozen 

 eyes in his belly is hastening over the bread and 

 butter ! All nature is alive, and seems to be gath- 

 ering her entomological hosts to eat jou up as 

 you are standing, out of your coat, waist-coat and 

 breeches. Such are the tropics. All this recop- 

 ciles us to our dews, fogs, vapor and drizzle — to 

 our apothecaries ru.sbing about with gargles and 

 tinctures — to our British constitutional cough.s, 

 sore throats, and swelled faces. — Edinb. Review. 



