252 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



the vine, and pour into it about one gallon of my mixture, and 

 cover up with earth. A month after the blooming of the vine, I 

 repeat. My grapes have thus been preserved sound. Try it on 

 a few vines to convince yourself. 



Frederick Munch, Marthasville, Warren county, Missouri : — 

 Catawba, Herbemont, Isabella, and some others suffer from the 

 rot — a mildew in chilly weather. The Halifax grape and all the 

 native grapes of the Mississippi Valley, are dark colored, make a 

 dark red wine. From one Halifax vine I have made two gallons 

 of wine this year, while my Catawba was nearly a failure. Next 

 year I shall have about half a dozen new varieties, natives of 

 the Mississippi Valley, cultivated by me, and to bear for the first 

 time. 



A. Marshall, West Chester, Chester county, Pennsylvania : — 

 Twenty years in grape culture. Imported vines failed. Cataw- 

 ba, Isabella, and others tried, but after giving a few tolerable 

 crops they dropped their leaves in August, and failed. 



H. R. Robey, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania county, Virginia : — 

 Catawba and Isabella are the only grapes extensively grown. 

 Rot sometimes destroys a good part of the crop. One bushel of 

 the grapes makes a gallon of wine. 



Sidney Weller, Brinckleyville, North Carolina : — Twenty years 

 a grape grower. Has the largest Scuppernong vineyard of the 

 south. It was said that this vine needed no trimming. A great 

 mistake. No young grape vine wants it more. It cannot be 

 successfully propagated by cuttings. The grapes ripen in suc- 

 cession for nearly two months. I have berries four inches 

 round. 



Mr. Burr, of Washington city, a scientific cultivator, desired to 

 have reliable statistics of the guano business here. I have paid 

 from $36 to $50 per ton. 



Martin E. Thompson introduced to the Club Mr. Gray, re- 

 cently from California, who was requested to speak of California 

 and the utmost west of our country, and of Peru. 



Mr. Gray said he had remarked many very interesting facts. 

 It never rains in Lima, and islands where birds deposit guano 

 are, some of them, subject to rain, which destroys it. In Lima 

 the roofs of the dwelling houses are paved with bricks. That 

 climate seemed to me destined to making silks on a large scale, 

 without any cost, (comparatively.) Because the silk worm eggs 

 may be placed on the leaves of the trees, where they spin and 

 perfect their silk without any aid from man. The only danger 



