64 



ON THE MANAGEMENT 



inches and a half of the last year's wood n . 

 Plants raised by this method, as I have happily 



n This mode of propagating the Vine from a single eye 

 first occurred to my very worthy and learned friend the Rev* 

 Mr. Mitchell, who has been so obliging as to transmit to me 

 the following curious and important account of the success of 

 this method : 



" Sir, 



" I have received two letters from you since I wrote last ; 

 the former not requiring any immediate answer, I postponed 

 writing till I could give you a short account of the success of 

 some Vines that were planted cuttings in our way, the end of 

 December, 1775, and beginning of January, 1776, so that 

 they have had only one year's growth before this spring. One 

 of them, which came to us for the white Sweetwater, but of 

 which I have some doubts whether it may not turn out the 

 white Muscadine, has now no less than sixteen bunches upon 

 it, and i might say seventeen, if I would reckon every thing. 

 The Vine comes out very strong and vigorous, and seems able 

 to ripen them all. The uppermost bud has brought out four 

 bunches, the second four bunches, and the third three bunches ; 

 and the lowest bunch upon each of these is a full bunch ; nor 

 do any of them seem weaker than one might have expected 

 upon a Vine of several years old. Another Vine, which is the 

 Syrian, and was a cutting planted in the bark the 9th of Janu- 

 ary, 1776, has two bunches upon it; one only upon a branch; 

 the bigger of these has its stalk at about half an inch or an 

 inch from the branch, as thick as a moderate goose-quill, so 

 that it seems to be providing for a large bunch ; but it is not 

 expanded far enough yet to form an exact judgment of it, 

 unless to a person who had seen more of it than I have ; for I 

 expect it will be a fortnight yet at least before it blossoms. 

 The method of planting cuttings in the tan, with a single eye 

 to them, is our own ; I have never seen nor heard of its being 

 used by any body else, except those to whom my brother and 



