284 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



and rises the ashes, and thinks in that way to get all the essential ingredi- 

 ents of the vines. 



Mr. Adrian Bergen said he was opposed to burning anything upon the 

 farm. lie gathers all the weeds, twigs, &c., and composts tliem with 

 maniire until they decay. 



Mr. Wm, S. Carpenter stated that it was the practice of Thomas Hogg, 

 a nurserj^man of this city, for many years to save the pruning of all kinds, 

 and all the coarse weeds and refuse about the place, and he piled the wood 

 with alternate layers of sods, and burned the pile, and used the ashes. I 

 pursue the same course. It is the opinion of Prof. Mapes that this sub- 

 stance is of great advantage. It is even questionable whether it would 

 not be worth while to burn chip manure. 



The Chairman. — Are the ashes of vines, whether decomposed by burning 

 or otherwise, better manure for vineb than any other material ? 



Mr. Carpenter said : Yes, undoubtedly, unless you take too much time 

 in their preparation. 



Dr. Trimble said : We know that in Europe vine-dressers are careful to 

 save all their cuttings to apply to the vineyard. Perhaps that is because 

 they cannot get other fertilizers. I know one man who obtained the refuse 

 of a large railroad wood-pile, which he applied to a pear orchard upon the 

 sandy soil of New Jersey with very great benefit. 



Mr. R. H. Williams said that he conld not regard any peculiar property 

 that attached to the grape-vine as such at all essential to its mauurial 

 qualities. But if burned to ash, the value consisted in its potash, which 

 might be more or less than some other kind of wood and proportionately 

 valuable. If composted, its value consisted in the amount of ammonia and 

 alkaline matter evolved by the process. 



Mr. Solon Robinson. — I see among us to-day Col. Haraszthy, of Califor- 

 nia, the well-known vine-grower and wine manufacturer. I hope the Colonel 

 will give us some information on this important subject. 



Grape Culture and Manufacture of Wine. 



Col. Haraszthy said that he did not know what he could say that would 

 be interesting to those present, but was willing to answer any questions 

 that might be put to him. In reply to this offer, he was plied pretty freely 

 for the next hour, and answered in substance as follows : That he was 

 extensively acquainted with the practice of European vine-dressers, partic- 

 ularly in his native country, Hungary, and in Germany, and that it was the 

 general practice to carefully save all the cuttings of the vino. Some 

 dressers compost them with cow and horse manure until tht^y decay, but 

 most generally they are burned, and the ashes carefully used upon the vine- 

 yard. The owners of vineyards prefer them to all other manures, as strong 

 manure often injures the qualities of the grapes. In and around villages 

 the cuttings are carefully saved and tied up in bundles, and sold to bakers 

 or distillers, with especial reservation of the ashes. A man sold his vines 

 to a baker, reserving a certain number of barrels of ashes, and the baker 

 sold the vines to another person, and gave to the vine-dresser common 

 wood ashes, upon which he sued and recovered damages for the difference 

 in value between the ashes of the vine and of other wood. Some vineyards 



