1863. 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMEE .• 



109 



proceedings of the Missouri State Hor- 

 ticultural Society. 



GRAPES. 



An essay was read on the subject by George 

 Hunsman, of Herman, who affii'ined that Missouri 

 contained more grape ground than all France, Ger- 

 many and Italy, and predicted a brilliant future 

 for wine growing within her borders. 



Mr. Hunsman has tried 100 varieties. Found 

 the Delaware at first fruitful and excellent ; but 

 the two following seasons it leaf-blighted badly. 

 Norton's Virginia made 400 gallons of wine per 

 acre, worth $800. Deducting $100 as the cost of 

 cultivation aud other expenses left a clear profit 

 of $'700 per acre. The Herbemont, with protec- 

 tion, he considered equally valuable. The Con- 

 cord would produce $1 per vine. The Catawba he 

 knew too well to like. ., 



Mr. Hunsmann concluded by recommending the 

 following lists : 



FOR GENERAL CULTIVATION WINE. 



Norton's Virginia. 



Herbemont. 



Concord. 



FOR GENERAL CULTIVATION TABLE. 



Concord. 



Herbemont. 



Hartford Prolific. 



Union Nillage. 



Black. 



North Carolina Seedling or Mary Ann. 



PROMISING "WELL ^WINE. 



Cassady. 



Cunningham. 



Arkansas. 



Cynthiana or Ked River. 



Clinton. 



Louisiana. 



Taylor's BuUit. 



Minor's Seedling. 



North Carolina Seedling. 



PROMISING WELL TABLE. 



Clara. 



Taylor's Bullit. 

 Minor's Seedling. 



Mr. Husmann was followed by Mr. Malinckrodt, 

 of St. Louis, who gave a very interesting extem- 

 pore lecture on the grape coming from the best 

 wine districts of the Old World. Mr. Malinckrodt 

 brought to this county eighty varieties of grapes 

 from France and Germany twenty-two years ago. 

 After many years cultivation they all died. Seed- 

 lings from Malaga raisins grown in the shade, met 

 with no better success, and of all foreign varieties 

 the Rulandi r and Burgundy sent by Mr. Muench 

 alone succeed. 



As regards native grapes, the Isabella has been 

 found uaworthy. The Catawba rotted and mil- 

 dewed. The diseases of the grape he reckoned to 

 be, 



1. Mildew. 



2. Fungi, which Dr. Engelman says are taken 

 up in solution by the roots, and in wet seasons car- 



ried by the sap into the fruit where they ripen their 

 seed in the berry. Norton's Virginia not affected 

 by it. ,. : 



3. Fungi on leaf. 



4. Midge, for which Dr. Engelman says there 

 is no remedy except a strong draught of air. The 



Clinton, Concord and Taylor are exempt from 

 the midge, Norton's Virginia nearly so. Delaware 

 are injured by it, and Catawba and Isabella ruined. 

 For grape growing Mr. Malinckrodt would pre- 

 fer the highest ground and a poor soil. The best 

 soils in the order of their excellence are : 



1. Volcanic soil, with no vegetable matter in 

 it, like that of Naples and California. 



2. Calcereous soil, especially if it have rock 

 underneath. 



3. Pebbly soil. 



4. Hard pan soil. 



Would manure with lime and ashes, using no 

 vegetable manure. 



As to varieties of grape : 



The Catawba is a good grape, but has too 

 many faults. The Concord is the best market 

 grape, but not the best table grape ; ripens evenly. 

 The Delaware is good for low growing, because it \ 

 makes little wood ; is sweet and sugary, but with- 

 out aroma. The Taylor has aroma, is an immense 

 grower and full bearer. Norton's Virginia is an 

 immense bearer ; had 60 pounds from three vines , , 

 its wine would not equal that of Europe. We 

 cannot do that yet, but hope much of the future. 

 The Clinton is a good grape, ripening the 15th of 

 July. 



But little wine had been made yet, and people 

 were not ready to treat it as it needed. Deep cel- 

 lars were needed to keep the wine sweet until ma- 

 tured. The larger the quantity in a body, and the 

 lower the temperature, the better. 



Mr. Malinckrodt has been experimenting with 

 thirty-five varieties. 



Mr. Knox, the strawberry king of Pittsburg, said " 

 he had not had much experience with the grape, 

 but some success, and hoped for more. I stir the ' 

 soil to the depth of twenty inches and drain if ne- 

 cessary. Plant vines 6x8 and train them by a 

 modification of the renewal system. Cut the vines 

 down so as to get two good arms and then let ev- 

 ery other spur bear. 



He has tested and found good, in his locality, . 

 the Hartford Prolific, a valuable grape, which he 

 had considered the best until last season, which 

 with him is without disease, ond does not drop its 

 fruit. The Creveling, which had fruited once, and 

 then five days earlier than the Hartford Prolific. 

 The Delaware, which he had tested three years and 

 thought suflBciently praised. The Concord, which 

 he had fruited five years and considered best ; nev- 

 er mildews, free from rot, ripens evenly, which is ' 

 a great advantage over Isabella and Catawba. A 

 vine of it set at one year old, will produca 10 lbs 

 of fruit in three years, and twenty-five in four, on 

 an average. It is a good table grape with him, 

 better than the Delaware, which cloys with sweet- 

 ness. Nine-tenths of the people in the Pittsburg 

 market prefer the Concord to the Delaware. For 

 the present, it is the grape of the country. 



Malinckrodt. — The Concord does not keep well 

 after being picked. No European would touch it 

 as a table grape. For the present, however, it 

 will do. Bots some. The Herbemont and Taylor 



jl&X.. i^'rfi^ittiU..-, 



