1867.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
411 
village in the country bad such an association. 
Every fruit grower has his peculiar experience 
and difficulties, and it would be a great help to 
him to have eas}' access to the experience of his 
fellow workers. In such an association much 
knowledge would be thrown into common 
stock, and made available for all. It only needs 
about a dozen men or women in a village, with 
a decided taste for horticulture, to start such a 
society, and to make it go. A room for meet- 
ings, and the exhibition of fruits, flowers, and 
vegetables, will be the largest item of expense. 
"We think it exceedingly desirable that there 
should be weekly free exhibitions, at least during 
the summer and fall, where the members could 
show their best products in their greatest per- 
fection. These would attract attention, excite 
interest, and spread the knowledge of new hor- 
ticultural products in the community. In the 
winter, a course of lectures in the cities would 
be very desirable. Such a society, once organ- 
ized, would almost take care of itself. 
A "New" Old Yiolet-iViola cormiia.) 
It is curious to see how fashions rule in flori- 
culture as well as in other matters. Over three- 
quarters of a century ago, the old Botanical 
Magazine figured an unpretending looking violet, 
from the Pyrenees, — Viola cornuta. For the 
past two or three years the advertising columns 
of the English horticultural papers have been 
eloquent in the praise of this old plant, each 
it. It remained in bloom from June to October, 
aud was in all respects satisfactory. There was 
no day in which there was not a profusion of 
modest mauve-colored flowers. The past sea- 
son has, however, been an unusually moist one, 
aud we cannot infer from this year's experience 
what it would do in our very dry summers. 
Gen. Negley, of Pittsburgh, informs us that he 
has been much pleased with this violet, while 
Peter Henderson, of New Jersey, does not give 
it high praise. The individual flowers do not 
amount to much, though we figure one that our 
readers may see what they are like. The great 
merit of the plant is its free blooming character, 
and the modest tone of its flowers. 
VtOTA COnNUTA. 
seedsman claiming that his was the "Original 
Jacobs." Knowing that, in the words of the ad- 
vertisers, "no place could bo complete" wlih- 
oul a bed of this plant, we tried it this summer, 
aud, much to our surprise, were pleased with 
Notes on Grapes and Grape Culture. 
In our visits to numerous vineyards, East and 
"West, such a mass of notes has accumulated that 
we are obliged to omit those relating to the less 
known and less promising varieties, and give 
only such as will interest the general cultivator. 
Creveling. — We hear uniformly good accounts 
of this wherever it has fruited. Mr. Knox had 
a very large crop ready for market earl}' in Sep- 
tember. The finest specimens were at the vine- 
yard of Mr. E. R. Mason, "Webster Grove, Mo., 
where the bunches were more compact than we 
have seen them elsewhere. Mr. Husmann pre- 
dicts that the Creveling will be one of our lead- 
ing wine grapes. It is certainly one of the best, 
healthiest, aud most prolific, early varieties. 
Norton's Virginia. — This is pre- 
eminently the red wine grape of all 
those that have been fully tested, 
though it requires a long season to 
perfect it, aud it will be limited to 
particular localities. Vine healthy, 
bears abundantly, but not so great 
a weight of fruit as some others. 
Mr. Rommel, of Hermann, had 
particularly fine specimens. The 
fruit sold last year in St. Louis at 
224 cts. per lb. for wine-making. 
C'ynthiana. — In general appear- 
ance this resembles Norton, but the 
berry is larger and more juicy. 
Good judges consider that it makes 
a better wine than that variety. 
Ives' Seedling. — Perhaps no grape 
at present excites more attention 
than this. It originated with Mr 
Ives, an amateur, in Cincinnati, 
some thirty years ago. Col "War- 
ing, of Indian Hill, cultivated the 
vine for fifteen 3-ears, allowing the 
grapes to be picked before they 
were ripe. By accident a bunch 
was allowed to remain until fully 
matured, and it so commended it- 
self to him that he commenced 
propagating it, and soon establish- 
ed a vineyard. Since it became 
well known, it has spread witli re- 
markable rapidity, and a great 
number of acres have been planted 
with it. The vine propagates 1 a 3- 
ily, is hardy, healthy, and very pro- 
ductive. The grape has some re- 
semblance to the Isabella, when ful- 
ly ripe is intensely sweet, and some- 
what foxy. Though a recent writer has expressed 
his doubts about its making wine, the Ohio pi 0- 
ple think differently, and esteem it highly as a 
wine grape. We asked an old German vigueron 
if he were to plant a vineyard of a hundred 
acres what vines he should set, and he replied 
"25 acres each of Delaware and Norton's Vir- 
ginia, and the rest in Ives' Seedling." 
Martha. — We saw this in bearing at both 
Pittsburgh and Hermann, In growth aud 
healthfulness of foliage it much resembles the 
Concord, of which it is a seedling. It appears 
to be a good bearer; bunch medium or small, 
berry medium, round, pale yellow, intensely 
sweet and rather foxy. 
Sogers' No. 4. — Those who have experiment- 
ed with the Rogers' Hybrids seem to be settling 
upon a few numbers as being desirable vari- 
eties, and where a preference is expressed for a 
single number, in the majority of cases it is 
for No. 4. It is a largo black berry, and makes 
a good sized bunch; sweet, and of very good 
quality. Should it prove healthy and hardy 
over a wide range of country, it will become a 
formidable rival to the now popular Concord, 
as it is a more showy and a better fruit. 
Zona. — This year, the record of this, the best 
of our native grapes, is all favorable. Except 
in some localities, where from the excessive 
rains, grapes have generally failed, the Iona has 
done well. The poorest specimens we have 
seen were in Missouri. In our talks with west- 
ern grape growers we found that- plantations of 
young vines had generally done well, and wo 
cheerfully accord to Doct. Grant great praise 
for this contribution to American grapes. We 
once told him that it was equal to the best Ca- 
tawba we ever saw. We now say that it is bet- 
ter than the best Catawba, as we have (without 
his knowledge,) tried them side by side, — the 
only test that any native grape need fear is a 
comparison with a well-ripened Catawba.— As 
to the vine, previous years have given an ad- 
verse report. This year the reports are much 
better. Our position has always been that the 
standing of any fruit should not be governed 
by its success or failure in a single locality. 
Concord. — This has generally done well, and 
while we cannot put it in the list of best grapes, 
it has a hardiness and prolific character that 
entitle it to commendation. If one wishes to 
raise grapes by the ton, the Concord will more 
generally give the weight than any other that 
we know of. On a given space of ground, one 
can almost as surely calculate on a certain yield 
of Concord grapes ashe can of a yield of corn. 
Concords at five cents a pound will pay. 
PROPAGATING THE BlACKHERRY AND RASr- 
berry. — Those who wish to increase their stock 
of plants can do it much more rapidly by mak- 
ing root cuttings than by wailing for the natural 
formation of suckers, and besides obtain much 
better plants. In February (page 61) of the 
present volume we gave a detailed account of 
the manner of preparing the roots, and now 
wish to call timely attention to that article, as 
the present is the proper season to prepare for a 
slock of young plants next spring. So valuable 
was the information contained in this article 
considered by the owner of a now raspberry, 
that he scut Mr. Fuller a hundred dollars' worth 
of his plants as an acknowledgment of the 
benefit ho had derived from it. 
The Peach and its Varieties. — It was 
only a few years ago that horticulturists were 
brought to admit that the Nectarine was only a 
variety of the peach. M. Carriere, editor of 
the Revue llortieole, had already suggested that 
the Almond was also a variety of the peach, 
and he now slates that there are specimens at the 
Paris Museum which prove this to lie the fact 
