No. 129. 1 427 



gone abroad, and it was well done to put a stop to it. Among 

 our precious grapes, I consider the Black Hamburg the best. I 

 have, from Dr. Ives, of New-Haven, a new grape called the Zin- 

 fendal^ which beairs well in the house, and appears to me very ' 

 clearly to be of the Black Hamburg family — perhaps the third 

 in order. It has not so large a berry as the first ; we find it ex- 

 ceedingly delicious. We cut off three-fourths of the clusters 

 which present themselves on our vines, thus leaving to mature 

 about sixteen clusters on each vine. We find the Zinfendal 

 cluster very close with small berries about the size of buek-shot. 

 By means of slender scissors, we penetrate the cluster, eat oflf 

 berries enough to make room for the remainder to grow^, so that 

 they attain the size of an ounce ball. Many of our visitors select 

 it from the best sorts of our dessert, preferring it to Black Ham- 

 burg. About twenty years ago I commenced raising grapes. We 

 have here but three months real summer — that is, June, July 

 and August, while April, May, September and October are always 

 liable to frost. Now, the precious grapes we have require more 

 than three months to ripen. I found it practicable to make out, 

 this summer, without the expense of artificial heat. I examined 

 the best grape houses in oiu* country,especially of New-England. 

 I have now found the Black Hamburg and others ripen perfectly; 

 and we now believe that two or three acres properly devoted, to 

 raising the fine grapes, in this economical way, would yield as 

 much profit as ordinary farms do, as at present cultivated. We 

 have a house eighty feet long, and twenty-one feet wide, and 

 twelve and-a-half feet high, shaped like the gothic arch, and is 

 all glass. We use the cane pruning in preference to spur. The 

 canes are supported by the posts which constitute the frame of 

 the building. We ventilate by means of a moveable board hinged 

 at the level of the earth, and by like arrangement on the top of 

 the building. W^e water from the rain received on the roof, and 

 preserved in a tank. Light and air reach the bottom of the 

 house, and consequently our clusters are found to b€gin as low 

 as at one foot above the soil, while in many houses the lower part 

 being so boxed up as to prevent this, their vines begin to have 

 clusters at eight to fifteen feet high. A vinery as large as ours 

 can be bnilr, in a plain yet substantial way, for two to three hun- 



