156 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



April 



shall again, except in unusually dry seasons. 

 Of Israella and Rebecca I must say the same 

 I have of lona, except that they are not so 

 strong in vine. Here, Creveling is a strong 

 grower, the frnit sweet, and is ripe early in 

 the season. Adirondac is a vigorous, hand- 

 some and promising variety — the fruit of which, 

 though not considered as good as lona and 

 Delaware, is very sweet and melting. It is a 

 new variety, and, although it originated in 

 about 44° North latitude, some speak of it as 

 not being very hardy. I have had it above 

 ground but once during the winter, when all 

 the wood died down to the ground ; the wood 

 that was covered lived and grew well. 



With the experience we have had up to the 

 close of last season, it would seem to be un- 

 wise to plant a vineyard of either of the fore- 

 mentioned varieties, if the cultivatoi-'s object 

 is prnjit realized in growing them for mai'ket. 

 No doubt all these varieties are cultivated with 

 much satisfaction by persons of taste and ex- 

 perience, and in many cases the fruit is worth 

 double the cost of raising it ; yet, with each 

 variety, as with the Delaware, there is some 

 one defect, or some one condition of soil, or 

 location, or season, or some habit of the vine 

 which is sufficient to disqualify it for general 

 culture in our climate, especially if the owner 

 has not had long and careful experience in their 

 culture. 



There are two varieties of grapes that re- 

 quire no more experience to grow them suc- 

 cessfully and pi-ofitably In our State than is 

 required to gain the same object in growing 

 the most easily raised vegetable, as both vari- 

 eties are natives of New England, will do well 

 on the poorest soils, will not winter-kill, and 

 require no more experience in training the 

 vines, &c., than can be gained by any intelli- 

 gent man by observing for one season the fol- 

 lowing rules : — 



Get plants from wood grown north, of no 

 other variety than Hartford Prolific or Con- 

 cord — the last is the best grape, and will bring 

 the greatest price in the market. Plant only 

 those vines that are strong in growth, hard in 

 wood and having plump-looking buds. The 

 soil should be high, and free from stagnant 

 water. In such case, most soils are suited to 

 those varieties ; but those having lime or gran- 

 ite in them produce the best grapes. Plant 

 the vines, for trellis, one to every six feet; the 

 rows from six to eight feet apart ; six is suffi- 

 cient for the vines, eight gives more room to 

 cultivate, and where land is jilenty, is the best 

 distance. For poles, plant the vines four feet 

 apart, and the rows should be six feet. Start 

 the vines with good rotten manure or compost, 

 or wood ashes, and afterward regulate their 

 growth tjy the use of these; use wood ashes if 

 you can obtain them. Never stimulate the 

 growth to more than eight inches between the 

 buds, or the wood will lie spongy, and the crop 

 of fruit the hsss for it on any given space. 

 In November, cut back all wood but that 



which is needed for forming the twist around 

 the post or the arms on the trellis, until the 

 vine is three years old ; after that cut back 

 each year's growth to one inch above the sec- 

 ond bud. 



The first year of bearing, allow but from two 

 to six bunches to remain ; weigh these and 

 make a note of the same, so that next year you 

 may be able to guess at the weight by seeing 

 the bunches, and then allow from six to ten 

 pounds to the vine, and so on, ac^-ording to 

 age and sti-ength, until your posts or trellises 

 will bear no more wood for want of space. In 

 this way you will avoid losing your vines from 

 the chief cause of the destruction of healthy 

 vineyards ; namely, overbearing. 



Now, if any man will plant Hartford Prolific 

 and Concord grape vines, and cultivate them 

 by the rules I have given, he will make more 

 money, if they bring six cents per pound, in- 

 stead of sixteen, as they now sell for, than he 

 can make by any farm crop he can raise on the 

 same land. 



If any person can prove the contrary of 

 what I have stated, as a favor to myself, and 

 in justice to many who think as I do, will they 

 be so kind as to do so ? 



If what I have stated cannot be disproved, 

 then to grow grapes is very profitable, and 

 whoever is affected by such a ' 'grape fever" 

 wiU have no cause to regret it. 



John Fleming. 



SJierborn, Mass., Feb. 23, 1867. 



Beet Sugar — The New York Tribune gives 

 an encouraging statement of the success of the 

 Beet Sugar Company, at Chatsworth, Illinois, 

 They planted 400 acres, mostly fresh prairie, 

 and raised a crop of 4,000 twns of fine beets, 

 at a cost of $4 a tun in the pits. The delays 

 consequent on starting the machinery of a new 

 factory has afforded time to test the keeping 

 qualities of the beet, and it appears that only 

 one per cent, was lost by four months delay. 

 The works are now in operation, and upon a 

 trial of various parts of the crop the average 

 yield of fiiir refining sugar is 7 1-2 per cent., 

 and of refined, equal to New York "B," 5 1-2 

 per cent. When all the beets are worked up, 

 the yield must reach nearly 400,000 pounds of 

 refined sugar. It is claimed that this experi- 

 ment shows that beets can be grown on the raw 

 but rich soil of the West as well as on the 

 highly fertilized soils of Belgium and France; 

 that the jield of sugar is almost precisely the 

 same, anil that the beets can be kept till they 

 can be used. 



—According to Mr. Lawes' estimate the manure 

 from a ton of wheat straw is worth .^2.G8, while 

 that from a ton of clover is worth $0.04. 



