228 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



Mr. Phoenix five acres, though not in full bearing, and is preparing to put 

 out as much more; also, Messrs. Overman & Man; as well as some other 

 parties. In all, there are about thirty acres. Dr. Schroder, a German, has 

 given his vines great attention; trains them on trellisis, and is successful, 

 even with the Catawba, though the}'^ rot with him, as elsewhere. It seemed 

 to me that his situation is not most favorable; the ground, though slightly 

 rolling, is bordered by a slue, and there is higher ground in the vicinity, 

 though such a thing as a hill is nowhere near. He trenches two feet deep, 

 but oiil}' two and a half feet wide where he plants. For experiment he has 

 all the variouti kinds. He does not speak highly of Concord or Hartford 

 Prolific. I do not remember that he praised the Delaware, for he showed 

 some of the vines four jears old about three inches high. He showed two 

 rows of Catawba, planted on ground not trenched, which were poorer than 

 any of the rest. He ulants 4 x G, and has strawberries between the rows, 

 which be will take up because they injure the vines. Every one of expe- 

 rience says nothing but grapes should grow in a vineyard. 



Mr. Fell has 1,500 vines of the Concord and Hartford Prolific, and is pre- 

 paring four acres by plowing from IT to 20 inches, when he will plant one- 

 fourth Delaware, and the rest of the sorts above named. Last 3'ear, his 

 Havtfurds averaged eight pounds to the vine; a few bore as much as 20 

 pounds, and sold for 20 cents a pound. Tiiey are planted over a brick 

 drain, and grow on trellisis. The Catawba is very uncertain with him. Of 

 the Delaware, he says thousands of roots are sold which are worth nothing, 

 owing to excessive propagation, but knows good roots can be raised. 



Mr. Phoenix is largely interested in grapes. He is a nurseryman, as in- 

 telligent and enterprising as any of his class. He has neighboring compe- 

 titors not far behind him. With from 50 to 200 men in constant employ, 

 160 acres in apple trees, as well as additional ground of other stock, he has 

 need of having his eyes open and his wits at work. And yet, he is in doubt 

 whether the Delaware, the best of all our grapes, is going to be trustwor- 

 thy. He calls it his study night and day. He gave me his experience; it 

 is candid, instructive, covers the whole ground, and ought to be his own 

 answer. 



Everybody wanted Delawares. He had several thousand. So soon as 

 the vines made what was thought sufficient growth, he ordered his men to 

 layer them, then, as they extended, and as laterals pushed out, they were 

 layered, and thus, through the whole season, everything that could start a 

 root was smothered. The best of these were sold — that some were fair 

 roots I know, for they grew with me from three to four feet last year — the 

 rest were set out the next season, but did not grow very well, and in the 

 winter great numbers of them died. This process, with the same results, 

 went on several years. Last summer he made a visit to the vineyards, on 

 the Hudson, and in particular, to that of Mr. Mace, at Newburgh. Here, 

 he was struck with the sight of the Delawares. The grove was clear, the 

 vines were trained to stakes, even the tendrils were pinched oflF; they 

 looked stocky, and fruit was abundant. Immediately he wrote home to 

 Lave his own vines tended in the same manner; when he returned, he had 

 been obeyed only in part — ^he saw to having it done, but the season had 



