130 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Apeil, 
leave a part, which will be finely root pruned, 
without the expense of transplanting them." 
, » 1 Mie^ — »-» • 
Experience with a Cold Grapery. 
(^Concluded from March Agriculturisl, page. 84.) 
Second Ye.yh.— The last of April the vines 
were uncovered and fastened to the lower wire, 
letting the top end fall down in the form of an 
arch. The borders were then cleaned,forked over 
and watered. In a few days and after the buds 
burst strong, the vines were put up. As soon as 
the bunches appeared, three of the best were left 
on the strong vines, and one on the weak vines ; 
all the rest were taken off. The upper shoot 
was left to grow for next year's bearing cane, 
and carefully trained to the wires. All the 
other shoots were pinched when they had form- 
ed the fifth leaf The laterals were checked 
twice during tlie season, always leaving one 
leaf of the new growth. When the grapes 
were the size of peas, they were thinned, taking 
out about half on each bunch, leaving room for 
the remainder to grow to good size, without 
becoming crowded. During the growth of the 
grapes, the vines were syringed nearly every 
day, and good air secured by opening the top 
ventilators in the day time, but closing at night. 
When the grapes commenced coloring, syr- 
inging was discontinued, and water gradually 
withheld from the borders, as a dry atmos- 
phere hastens the ripening process. The grapes 
were all ripe on the 1st of October, there being 
CO lbs. of good-sized, well-colored grapes, mostly 
Black Hamburghs. After the grapes were cut, 
the front border was extended from 3 to 5 feet, 
with a compost prepared like that used at first. 
The vines were then taken down, the side spurs 
shortened to 2 buds, the leading cane to 10 feet. 
They were then laid down on the borders, and 
covered tlie same as last year. The house was 
kept cool during the winter, by leaving the doors 
open in fair weather. 
TmRD Yeae. — The first of April the vines 
were uncovered and washed with a mixture of 
soft soap, sulphur, and warm water, to clean 
and soften the bark. The borders were then 
cleaned and forked over, and watered with 
liquid from the barn-yard. As I uncovered the 
vines sooner tliau usual, and fearing there might 
be some cold, frosty nights, I put in the house 
a common coal stove, to be ready, if occasion 
should require it, to guard against frost. The 
vines were fastened to the lower wire, leaving 
the upper part swinging in the form of an arch, 
which causes the buds to burst more uniform- 
ly than if fastened directly in their place. 
In a few days the buds commenced swelling, 
and burst strong and evenl}'. Tlie top ventila- 
tors were kept open in fair weather, never let- 
ting the temperature get above 80°, until the 
vines had made 3 or 3 inches of growth, when 
they were fastened to the wires, and the tem- 
Ijerature gradually increased to 100", in the 
middle of bright, sunny days. The vines were 
syringed every warm day, until they commenced 
blossoming, when it was withheld. As the 
blossoms expanded, I went over the house 
every morning, and gave the bunches a slight 
shake witli tlie finger, to assist in distributing 
the pollen, and thus enable the grapes to set 
with more certainty. After blossoming was 
over, the vines were thoroughly syringed, to 
clean off any portion of the flowers which 
might cling to the bunches. As there were 
many more bunches on the vines than they 
ought to bear, I took off all but 12 -or 15 from 
each vine on the front border, and from 10 to 
13 on tlie back vines, leav- 
ing of the largest and hand- 
somest bunches one on a 
spur. As the house was 
quite moist, with a good de- 
gree of heat, the berries swel- 
led rapidly. The bunches ■ 
were thinned twice during 
the season, taking about half 
from each bunch, but I found 
when they commenced rip- 
ening, if I had taken out 
more, the berries would have 
grown some larger. The 
grapes commenced coloring 
by the middle of August, and 
by the second week, or on the 10th of September, 
the grapes on the White Frontignan vine and 
the Chasselas Fontainbleau were ripe ; the rest 
being Black Hamburghs, were not fully ripe till 
October. The treatment of the vines this sea- 
son was the same as last year, though from a 
half dozen of the Hamburgh vines I have raised 
strong canes to fruit next year, cutting out the 
old ones to the base of the new cane, at the fall 
pruning. Aside from these six, the rest of the 
vines are pruned on the common spur system. 
I have not had any trouble with mildew, 
or the other diseases common to grapes raised 
under glass, though, as the vines grow older, I 
do not always expect to be as fortunate as now. 
Perhaps my taking the precaution to scatter 
flower of sulphur on the borders, in July, may 
be one great reason of my being entirely ex- 
empted. After the frost had bitten the leaves 
in November, the vines were taken down, prun- 
ed, laid on the borders, and covered as last year. 
I find, on referring to account with grapeiy, 
the cost of the house and fixtures, with vines, 
all planted, to be $160 ; care of house for 1863- 
3-4, $100 ; widening front border, in 1863, $10 ; 
total cost to this time, $370. I have receiv- 
ed for tomato plants raised in house, $53 ; 
grapes in 1863, $25 ; grapes in 1864, 350 lbs., 
$150 ; grape vines 1864, $50 ; total, $380. 
MAKKER OF PLAKTIKG A GEAPE VINE. 
four to six inches below. Set stout a 6 or 8-fool 
stake in the center of the hole, then place the 
vine beside it, spreading out the roots equally in 
every direction, as in the figure. Cover the 
roots carefully with fine soil, and then fill up the 
hole and press down the earth with the foot. 
In spring planting, it is well to leave a depres- 
sion around the vine to allow the rains to 
sink into the soil. When the buds start, rub 
off all but the strongest one, and afterward 
keep the shoot from this tied up to the stake. 
Short Directions for Vine Planters. 
It is presumed that every one who has not a 
vine but has room to put it, will plant one this 
spring — and more if space and means allow. 
The following brief hints will answer for a sin- 
gle vine or for an acre: Having determined 
on the varieties, procure them from some grow* 
er who has a reputation for quality of stock 
and correctness as to varieties. The soil must 
be drained, if at all disposed to be wet. More 
failures result from the neglect of this than from 
any other cause. The soil must be enriched and 
well worked to the depth of 20 inches or two 
feet. If sandy, the character of the soil must 
be amended by the addition of leaf mould, or 
other vegetable material. Do not over manure, 
but enrich the ground with well decomposed 
manure to give the vines a good start. Yines 
of the age of two years from the bud or cutting, 
are old enough, and of the quick growing sorts, 
those one year old will answer. Vines are sent 
out with as long roots as possible. Tliese are 
to be cut back to about 18 inches before plant- 
ing, and the top is cut back to three buds, if the 
nurseryman has not already saved the trouble. 
Dig a circular hole large enough to allow the 
roots, after pruning, to extend in every direc- 
tion, making the surface of the earth in tlie hole 
convex, so that the ends of the roots will be 
from sis to ten inches below the surface, while 
the point fro'm which they st^rt will be frotn 
The Cultivation of Fruit Trees. 
In looking over a file of letters containing 
queries upon fruit culture, we find that the ma- 
jority of them may be summed up in the ques- 
tions: "What will make my pear trees bear?" 
" What shall I do with my old apple orchard ?" 
The gi'eater part of these numerous inquiries 
may be answered by commending the writers 
to the experience of two correspondents whose 
letters are found in the same file. As the com- 
munications arc rather long, we extract their 
essential points. Mr. D. W. M., of Adrian, 
Micliigan, planted some years ago a number of 
pear trees along his garden fence, where the 
ground soon became covered with a tough sod, 
and tliose trees which survived this treatment 
at the end of eight or ten years were not worth 
as much as when first taken from the nurserjf. 
Having occasion to move the fence, it became 
necessary, in order to bring the ground into 
better shape, to plow around the pear trees, 
and the space near them was devoted to a hoed 
garden crop. This treatment caused such a 
marked improvement in the trees that Mr. M. 
was encouraged to further efforts. Accordingly, 
in the autumn he dug a trench around each 
tree, about two feet from the trunk, and 15 to 18 
inches wide and deep. These trenches were 
filled with scrapings of the barn-j'ard, and as a 
consequence, the trees were tlirowu into vigor- 
ous growth. Ever since, the space around the 
trees has been manured and occupied by some 
light garden crop that needed frequent hoeing, 
and the trees now bear an abundance of fruit. 
A good share of the unsatisfactory pear trees 
are just in the condition of those above cited — 
that of starvation and neglect. Surface manur- 
ing and mulching would have produced the 
same effect, and it is not too late to apply this 
remedy now. — Another matter of complaint is, 
that dwarf pear trees are disposed to make 
a too vigorous growth of wood, grow out of 
bounds, and cease to be dwarfs, while they bear 
little or no fruit. In many instances this ram- 
pant growth arises from the fact that the tree is 
set below the junction of the quince and pear; 
as roots strike from the latter, the early bearing 
quality induced by growing solely on quince 
roots, is Ictet. If tre'e's are wanted in miniature. 
