AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
119 
tricts of France, where the grape is abundantly 
used as an article of food. 
We have long been of the opinion, and our 
practice has confirmed it, that grapes are the 
most wholesome of all our fruits. 
VINE MILDEW. 
The Gardeners' Chronicle of the 25th March, 
contains the following interesting and instruct¬ 
ive article on this subject: 
Frequently as we have called the attention of 
our readers to the subject of the Vine Mildew, 
we should be guilty of an unpardonable omis¬ 
sion if we did not direct their notice to the very 
remarkable pamphlet of M. Bouchardat, which 
was originally published in the memoirs of the 
Imperial Central Agricultural Society of France, 
but which is now to be had in a separate form. 
Its excellence does not consist in any new or 
brilliant discoveries, but in the patience with 
which the disease has been watched, and mate¬ 
rials collected for its study, whether historical 
or physical. The collection of Vines in the 
Luxembourg Gardens is beyond all doubt the 
most extensive in the world, comprising above 
4000 individuals from every country where the 
Vine is cultivated, arranged under 2050 num¬ 
bers, consisting either of distinct varieties or 
sub-varieties, or coming from distinct and differ¬ 
ent localities. Every plant in this collection 
was examined during the prevalence of the 
Vine mildew, and a table drawn up, showing in 
what degree every separately numbered variety 
was affected. With the exception of the Amer¬ 
ican Grapes, scarcely one escaped, and not all 
of these; and, unfortunately, in the majority 
of instances the Vines of inferior quality were 
those which escaped the most completely, 
though a few of those which supply the best 
wines of Bordeaux and the Gironde, as the 
Carmenet, the Cots, and Sauvignons, have been 
only slightly attacked. The value of such a 
list, faithfully drawn up, is incontestibly of the 
highest importance to all who have extensive 
interests in the cultivation of the Vine, and the 
more so because it seems quite certain that the 
malady spreads the most readily where a vari¬ 
ety of different sorts are cultivated in the same 
vineyard. Even the American Vines and the 
European varieties, known under the name of 
Cots, become at last infested when in company 
with other varieties which suffer extensively. 
It is also quite certain that Vines which are kept 
low and propagated by layering, are far less sub¬ 
ject to attack than those which are trained on 
trellises; and it is probable that the best method 
of improving those trellised Vines which have 
suffered seriously, is at once to bring them down 
to the surface of the soil, and to encourage the 
growth of new shoots from the depressed stems. 
It appears, also, that the time of pruning is by 
no means a matter of indifference, and that far 
greater impunity is secured by spring than by 
autumn pruning. 
Two other chapters are very valuable, the 
one because it contains an account of almost 
every plan which has been adopted to alle¬ 
viate the malady, the other because of the 
long and very complete list which it affords 
of the works which have appeared on the sub¬ 
ject, or even bear upon it, from the earliest 
times far into 1853; nor is it merely a dry list 
of titles, but affords, in many cases, interesting 
notices of the contents of the respective books 
and pamphlets themselves. 
The great mass of evidence, and the opinions 
of a large portion of those who have examined 
the subject scientifically and practically, is in 
favor of what is called the fungal theory ; and, 
perhaps, in consequence of the truth of that 
theory being so much more palpable than in 
the earlier Potato murrain; and the efforts, 
therefore, directed to a particular end, so much 
more success has attended remedial attempts 
than in the other malady first mentioned. So 
much is this the case, that were it not for the 
almost unconquerable prejudices of the Vine- 
grower, there seems every reason to believe that 
the malady, should its ravages be unhappily 
continued, would be, to a very great extent, 
under the control of the cultivator. 
-- 
Mildew on Gooseberries. —Mulching alone is 
most generally recommended as a remedy for 
this ; but whenever possible, we prefer growing 
them on a cool moist soil, and on the northwest 
side of a high wall or fence, so as to keep them 
out of the sun as much as possible. Where 
this cannot be done, we plant them between the 
rows of garden fruit trees, which shade them 
well during the heat of the day—and also add 
the mulching. When other shade cannot be 
had, it is a good plan to sow oats early in the 
season among them. As these grow up, they 
answer the same purpose as mulching and tree 
shade. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
THE UNITED STATES AS A FIELD FOR 
GARDENERS. 
In your last week’s issue, you publish a com¬ 
munication on the subject of emigrant garden¬ 
ers, addressed to the editor of the London Gar¬ 
dener's Chronicle , JonN Lindlev. Might I, a 
foreign gardener, resident upwards of four years 
in the United States, be permitted to state what 
I know of the spirit and motives which induces 
Dr. Lindley to publish so many erroneous im¬ 
pressions of writers who know nothing of the 
real state of the case, and also to adduce a few 
instances which have occurred within my own 
observation, to prove that this is the very lest 
field for good gardeners ; but to insure success, 
and merit the respect of their benefactors, 
they must become as much as is reasonable, cit¬ 
izens of the republic, not hankering after the 
despotism of the country which has refused 
them a home and fair remuneration for their 
labor. I can scarcely conceive a more despica¬ 
ble spirit than that which prompts a man to ac¬ 
cumulate a sufficient amount of wealth in this 
free country, and then return to spend his lat¬ 
ter days in servility. No wonder foreign gar¬ 
deners are despised, if this be the spirit which 
characterises them. We shall look for A Pet- 
tagrew’s “ opinions and counsels” so kindly 
promised. R. R. S. 
Neio- Yorlc. 
- • 9 •- 
For tlie American Agriculturist. 
HARVESTING CORN. 
In your issue of March 15th, No. 27, you pub¬ 
lished an invitation to correspondents to answer 
some of the questions of a Mr. T. R. Jaynes, Jr. 
As you have not restricted us in the selection 
of our subjects, I propose to give you a descrip¬ 
tion of the manner of securing the corn crop in 
this neighborhood. Mr. Jaynes says the cus¬ 
tom in that part is “ to strip the fodder and top 
the stalks.” 
Now that is perfectly useless, only as regards 
the increase of manure from the individual parts 
which are thus saved, for as far as I have ever 
observed, cattle will eat stalks that have been 
allowed to stand as they have grown, better 
than those that have been cut up and shocked 
for the purpose of saving some of the leaves. 
The manner practised here, is to let the corn 
stand until the ears are fully ripened, there be¬ 
ing other work to occupy the hands until then. 
Any time at which the owner thinks the corn 
fit to be gathered—and this is according to the 
different judgments of men—he sets one hand 
or more in the field. We begin on the fourth 
row from the fence, if it suits to begin near it, 
and throw eight rows of corn to one row of 
heaps. Some put only six rows of corn to one 
row of heaps, but it is not so good as the first 
way, for you must either cart your corn before 
the stalks are cut, or in cutting the road for the 
cart, you must carry the rows of stalks cut a hill 
or two, to lay them out of the way of the wheels. 
If the stalks are cut and stacked before the corn 
is carted, in cutting them you have either to lay 
a row of stalk heaps upon the heaps of corn, or 
walk over the corn heaps. By throwing eight 
rows together, you obviate all these disadvan¬ 
tages. The stalks are never bound in bundles 
as they are in some parts of Pennsylvania, and 
the upper part of this State. If the ground is 
not needed to sow wheat upon, they are stacked 
in rows, each containing five or more rows of 
stalk heaps, according to the size of the stalks. 
This may either be done before or after the corn 
is carted. 
There are many modes of tyrng the stalks. 
Some tie them with straw, some with sweet 
potato vines, but more with the stalks, as they 
more handy. I think the best way is to stick 
long stalks into the heap about as high up as the 
husks. They should be driven in as far as the 
husk on them, and should be about a foot apart. 
I will describe the manner in which we clear 
our stalk ground for the purpose of sowing 
wheat. 'It is generally planted one or two 
weeks sooner than the other fields. 
If the lot is small, the corn is husked, the 
stalks cut and carted up to the stack-yard. But 
if there arc several acres, the corn is either 
husked, and the stalks set up in rows on the 
ground, or the stalks are set up without being 
husked. If the former mode is adopted, the 
heaps are made to occupy but three rows of 
corn, that being from 12 to 15 feet, and placed 
as closely as necessary. On our farm, we put 
12 rows of stalk heaps to one of stacks, but if 
the stalks arc small, more may be put in a row 
of stacks. If the second way is adopted, the 
stalks are cut and four hills put in a bunch, or 
more, if the corn is light. When they are to be 
put in stacks, the row is put upon the rows of 
stubs which, were the corn off, would come in 
the ridge of the land. There are two lands set 
up in one row of heaps. 
After the hurry of the season, these heaps are 
husked, and the stalks of two heaps are joined 
and set up in the manner I described above. In 
the spring these blank places are sown with 
oats. The cattle do not eat these stalks as well 
as those gathered later. Edgar. 
I Voodstown, Monday, April 17,1854. 
THE USE OF THE FLOWERS. 
BY MARY HOWITT. 
God might have bade this earth bring forth 
Enough for great and small, 
The oak-tree and the cedar-tree, 
Without a flower at all. 
He might have made enough, enough 
For every want of ours, 
For luxury, medicine, and toil, 
And yet have made no flowers. 
The ore within the mountain mine 
Requireth none to grow, 
Nor doth it need the lotus-flower 
To make the river flow. 
The clouds might give abundant rain, 
The nightly dews might fall, 
The herb that keepeth life in man 
Might yet have drunk them all. 
Then, wherefore, wherefore were they made, 
All dyed with rainbow light, 
All fashioned with supremest grace, 
Upspringing day and night; 
Springing in valleys green and low, 
And on the mountains high ; 
And in that silent wilderness, 
Where no man passeth by ? 
Our outward life requires them not, 
Then wherefore had they birth ? 
To minister delight to man, 
To beautify the earth ; 
To whisper hope—to comfort man, 
Where’er his faith is dim; 
For whoso careth for the flowers 
Will care much more for him! 
