732 



SCREEN AND FRUIT CROP AFTER THREE YEARS. 



The Con'cord and Delaware 

 Grapes, indicating Size. 



trees with feathery foliage somewhat back, both to the 

 right and left of the last named, are ailantuses ; but in 

 the case of the right hand one, the foliage of two aralias, 

 the Japanese and the Chinese, neither of them as tall as 

 the ailantus, mingles with that of the latter, as seen in 



the engraving. 

 The lower growths 

 to the front are a 

 Norway spruce 

 and two cut-leaved 

 elders to the right. 

 On the - opposite 

 side and in the 

 midst of theclump, 

 but concealed by 

 the dense foli- 

 age, are several 

 golden catalpas, 

 several dogwoods, 

 a tricolor-1 e a v e d 

 willow, a common 

 aralia tree, besides 

 an Austrian pine 

 and a second Nor- 

 way spruce. 



The trees and 

 shrubs, when 

 planted, were o f 



the ordinary size as they come from the nurseries. 

 With the exception of the evergreens, all were cut back 

 to less than eighteen inches from the earth line at plant- 

 ing time, thus causing them to branch low. Last March 

 about one-half of them were again cut down thus low. 

 It is the intention to cut them all back in this way either 

 each spring or in alternate seasons. 



During the summer just past the bed has presented 

 even a denser appearance than our engraving shows. 

 Altogether it has proved to be not only a most effective 

 screen, secured in short order, but, with its abundance 

 of large foliage, of peculiar forms and contrasting colors, 

 it has turned out to be one of the handsomest beds of 

 hardy growths we ever have seen, and a most attractive 

 feature on our grounds. 



Our Grape Crop. — We have every reason to be en- 

 thusiastic over the results obtained in our vineyard 

 This is only the third season from setting the plants. 

 No unusual pains were taken ; ordinary drained farm 

 loam, one or two shovelfuls of compost to the plant, 

 good plants well planted and thoroughly firmed, a sim- 

 ple three-wire trellis, and good ordinary management 

 throughout, being the features that led to this satisfac- 

 tory outcome. Fruit had set in abundance, and severe 

 thinning in the earlier part of the season was required 

 to prevent injury to the vines from overbearing. In a 

 general way we may say that all vines bore as much 

 fruit as they could bring to maturity, and it is not easy 

 to say to which variety belongs the palm for productive- 

 ness. The trial in bagging was also entirely satisfactory. 

 We used the square-bottom two-pound grocery bags 



with a piece of wire fastened across near the open end, 

 such bags having been advertised by a firm in Ohio, 

 under the name of " Ohio grape protectors." They are 

 quite handy and easily put on, although ordinary grocery 

 bags, with flaps folded over the clusters and held there 

 by means of a pin or in any other convenient way, are 

 just as good. Whether bagging pays the commercial 

 grower or not, we are sure it will pay the home grower. 

 The clusters come out beautifully clean, and in all their 

 freshness and bloom. While thus sheltered, they are 

 reasonably safe from disease, insects, birds, and even 

 frost. Where poultry has access to the vineyard, bag- 

 ging the clusters on the lower trellis will insure their 

 safety. For the sake of getting finer, cleaner and more 

 attractive clusters, and of having them kept in perfect 

 condition for a reasonable length of time, the home 

 grower can well afford to take a little extra pains. Bag- 

 ging at least part of the crop is not going to be omitted 

 on our grounds hereafter, if we can help it. 



Whatever may be said of the unprofitableness, so far 

 as the fruit product is concerned, of a test patch like this, 

 consisting of over a hundred varieties, it gives one great 

 advantage, namely, abundant chances for pollination, 

 and consequently perfect fruit-setting in all varieties, 

 whether they have reflexed or erect stamens. The 

 Brighton, for instance, is one of the sorts often reported 

 to be unproductive. Our five or six vines, surrounded 

 by the various other sorts, set fruit freely, and ripened 

 a heavy crop of well-developed clusters. This is only 

 in line with our oft-repeated observation that neg- 

 lect to provide for the needed pollen at the proper 

 time is the most prolific source of barrenness in tree 

 and other fruits. Let the reader draw his own lessons 

 from this. 



Disease has not yet invaded the young vineyard. We 

 did not even think it worth while to resort to spraying 

 this year. Now that a crop has taxed the vital energies 

 of the vines, we must be on the look-out, and the inten- 

 tion is to spray next spring, early and thoroughly. Our 

 own experience leads us to the conviction that spraying 

 with the mixtures suggested for this purpose is a reason- 

 ably safe preventive of black rot. A number of older 

 vines located on adjoining grounds quite a distance 

 from the young vineyard were so badly affected with 

 black rot last year that we hardly found a sound cluster 

 on them. These vines, early this spring, and while yet 

 dormant, were thoroughly sprayed almost to soaking 

 with a saturated solution of ordinary green copperas 

 (sulphate of iron), and this treatment was repeated a 

 week or two later. After the leaves began to unfold, the 

 vines were sprayed with the ammoniacal solution of cop- 

 per carbonate, and this soraying repeated several times 

 during the growing season. A few vines at the end of 

 the row were left untreated. The disease appeared 

 again, notwithstanding these applications, but in so light 

 a form as to do only very slight damage. Only the un- 

 treated vines suffered quite severely. Not a spot was 

 found on the bagged grapes anywhere. 



A critical comparison of the different sorts in regard 



