BOOKS AND BULLETINS. 



177 



be otherwise than good ; but whether the method will 

 pay in the average vineyard is a question. For amateur 

 cultivation, the method is certainly among the best. 



The book has common faults of composition, but the 

 essential points are for the most part 

 The Single clearly made. A most interesting and 

 Pole System, amusing feature, for this day, is a long 

 discussion of the influences of the planets 

 upon grape culture. This feature possesses some value 

 inasmuch as it is a record of superstitions of the Rhine, 

 but it is singular to read of them as applied to America; 

 one thinks himself a century or two younger. 



Bulletin No. 10, Alabama Experiment Station. 

 Grape Oilturc. By J. S. Newman. "In order to satisfy 

 the skeptics who did not believe grapes could be grown 

 successfully on this soil, a most unprepossessing north 

 hill side, of what was known as ' worn out ' land, was 

 selected for a vineyard. The remark was often heard, 

 ' If you can grow grapes there they will grow anywhere. 

 Three large gullies, from three to four feet deep and from 

 six to ten feet wide, extended through a part of the acre 

 selected for the experiment vineyard, and from another 

 portion the soil had been so completely washed off that 

 the surface was entirely bare of veg- 

 Grape Culture etation." The experiment has proved 

 in tlie South. that grapes can be grown profitably 



in the South, even upon worn land. 

 Good notes of varieties are made. The following are 

 the most important kinds mentioned: Berckmans, "a 

 very promising new variety, the grapes nearly as good as 

 the Delaware and the vine much more vigorous ;" Con- 

 cord, "one of the most reliable standard varieties, which 

 succeeds under conditions fatal to many others ;" Elk 

 EngL\ " the best black grape in the list — bunches so long 

 that 6-lb. bags were required to cover them — desirable 

 for amateur culture only ;" Goethe, " desirable on account 

 of ripening late and superior quality — valuable for local 

 market and amateur culture ;" B'es, "one of the stand- 

 ard varieties for market and wine, though not of first 

 quality ; the Ives should have a place in every vineyard ;" 

 Moore' s Early , " takes place of Hartford Prolific on ac- 

 count of better shipping qualities and less liability to rot, 

 best early black market variety ;" Niagara, ' ' promises to 

 become a standard white market variety ;" Berkins, ' ' one 

 of the standard hardy and reliable varieties, very showy 

 and sells well — ripe with Moore's Early, but more at- 

 tractive and sells better ;" Warden, "so nearly like the 

 Concord, with less merit, there seems to be no room for 

 it ;" Wyojiiing Red, ' ' by far the best early grape for mar- 

 ket and table use " For amateur culture, the following 

 are mentioned : Beauty, Brighton, Cataivba, Duchess, El- 

 dorado, Elk Eagle, Irving, Jefferson, Lady Washington, 

 Lindley, Martha, Mason's Renting, Maxataioney, Prentiss, 

 Triumph, Vergennes, Wilder. 



The Muscadine or Scuppernong class has been the 

 subject of experiment. These varieties are not common- 

 ly trained and pruned systematically, but Mr. Newman 

 finds they are greatly improved by thorough treatment 

 in these respects. "The vines of this class must be 



pruned as promply as practicable after the leaves fall. 

 If delayed until winter they will 



bleed severely and often cause The Muscadines. 



death. The vines are trained upon 



wire trellis, which has four instead of two wires, as for 

 the other types. The laterals are spurred back in a 

 manner somewhat similar to that used on other types. 

 While vines of this type propagate readily by layers — 

 the usual method — we have succeeded nearly as well 

 with cuttings as with other types, better than with the 

 Norton." 



Bulletin No. 7, Hatch Experiment Station of 

 Massachusetts. A portion of this bulletin, by S. T. 

 Maynard, is devoted to horticultural matters. Many 

 tests of fruits and vegetables are reported, but the results 

 are expressed almost wholly in figures, from which it is 

 unsafe to draw statements of general relative merits of 

 varieties, A brief summary of a table, or a succinct 

 statement concerning the general merits of each sort, is 

 desirable, even when tables are well made, as here. 



Dr. Jabez Fisher, under Professor Maynard's direc- 

 tions, has made trials in girdling the grape 

 vine to hasten maturity. Dr. Fisher re- Girdling 

 marks as follows concerning his trials : the Vine. 

 " July 5, I girdled one of the two bearing 

 arms on each of sixty Concord grape vines by taking out 

 a ring of bark half an inch long near the trunk of the 

 vine. As a result these grapes showed color August 12, 

 six days before those on the opposite half of the same 

 vines. They were fit for market September 20, the ber- 

 ries being then from 30 per cent, to 40 per cent, larger 

 and much sweeter than the others. October i they still 

 were sweeter than those not treated, which latter were 

 then ripe, but the first had a somewhat insipid taste 

 without the refreshing sparkle of the others. * * 



The results, so far as they are apparent from this trial, 

 show a gain of ten days in fitness for market, with largely 

 increased size of berries. The drawbacks are, in a sea- 

 son as wet as the past, a loss of from 20 per cent, to 40 

 per cent, of the berries by cracking open, and the produc- 

 tion of berries too soft to bear carriage. Both of these 

 drawbacks would be lessened in a drier season, though 

 not overcome in my experience, and there would be a 

 decided diminution in quality for connoisseurs. Add to 

 this the harm which may come to the vine from the op- 

 eration repeated year after year, but which is not yet set- 

 tled. " Chemical analyses made by Dr. Goessmann show 

 more sugar in fruit from girdled vines than from others. 

 Professor Maynard draws the following general conclu- 

 sions ; "It will be seen by this report, as in our pre\ious 

 reports, that there is a decided gain in the time of ripening 

 of the fruit, which will enable us to grow many late va- 

 rieties not possible without it ; that a gain of ten days 

 would make a great difference in the price of the fruit ; 

 that there is no loss of sugar, and the increased size of 

 the fruit would make it very attractive and more than 

 make up for the softness of the berry. This latter con- 

 dition can be of little objection, as most of the grapes of 

 New England are sold in local markets." 



