1864] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Ill 
published last November and quoted above, 
only in the present case the buds for the arms 
are taken from near the top of a strong cane, 
instead of within a foot of the ground. A sin¬ 
gle arm may be made, and its spurs pruned in 
the same way as the double one there mention¬ 
ed. Mr. Wm. Gerhault of Vanderburgh Co., 
Ind., grows his grapes in vineyard culture by a 
method of pruning similar to that shown in fig. 
4, and without the use of a trellis. He plants 
liig vines 4x4, and during the early growth they 
are treated as described for fig’s. 1 and 2, except 
that the spurs are about two feet from the ground. 
When the vines get as large as in fig. 4, the 
canes are kept pinched back above the fruit. 
This is an old method of treating the vine un¬ 
der which it becomes dwarfed, with an enormous 
trunk. Fig. 5 shows a very old vine, such as 
are found in some of the vineyards of Europe, 
where this manner of pruning is called “ buck 
pruning.” The writer has seen vines in the in¬ 
terior of Mexico, which present the same ap¬ 
pearance, in vineyards which were planted by 
the Jesuit Missionaries, and which must be over 
a hundred years old. The above account is 
given to encourage those who have only a lim¬ 
ited space to grow vines, and all allusion to the 
summer treatment of vines is left out, as this 
will be noticed with appropriate illustrations at 
Fig. 5.— OLD VINE ‘‘BtrdK ” PhtTNED. 
the proper season. The engravings given above, 
except fig. 3, are copied by permission from Ful¬ 
ler’s Grape Culturist noticed on another page. 
Plant a Grape Vine this Spring. 
There are few readers of the American Agri¬ 
culturist who have not room for a single vine, 
and we hope that the most of them will put out 
several; at any rate, plant one. If it is on your 
own land, all the better. If the place is a hired 
one, do not let that deter you from planting, for 
somebody will get the benefit. Many who read 
the elaborate description given by some for pre¬ 
paring the soil, trenching and special manuring, 
etc., are led to believe that it is too much of a 
task and that it will involve the outlay of a 
great deal of time and some expense. Any soil 
which will raise good com will do for the vine. 
The chief thing to be avoided is a wet soil. 
Such difficulty must be overcome by draining, or 
if this is not practicable, excavate the soil to the 
depth of two feet or more and put in a layer of 
brick, stones, and rubbish, to serve as a partial 
drain. If the soil is in good condition, no ma¬ 
nure need be used at planting; but if it is poor, 
add a quantity of well decomposed manure or 
or compost, or use about two quarts of ground 
bones to each vine, mixing it with the earth 
around the roots. A large supply of coarse 
bones, mixed with the soil, will furnish a lasting 
supply of vine food. The soil should be thorough¬ 
ly pulverized to the depth of 20 inches or two 
feet. Make the hole about five feet in diameter, 
with the bottom four to six inches deep in the 
center and eight to ten inches deep at the cir¬ 
cumference. In the center of the hole set a 
strong stake, four or five feet high. This should 
be placed before planting the vine, so as to 
avoid injuring the roots in setting it afterwards. 
The vine, whether from a single eye, cutting, or 
layer, should be well rooted. To prepare it 
for planting, cut the roots back to at least two feet, 
and if they are not as long as this, cut off a 
portion of their ends at any rate, as this will 
cause them to throw out small fibrous branches. 
The top of the vine should be cut back to two 
or three buds. Bet the vine in the center of the 
hole, close to the stake, spread the roots out to 
their full length and distribute them evenly, and 
then cover them with surface soil, working it in 
carefully around the roots; then fill up the hole 
and press it down firmly with the foot. When 
the vine begins to grow, rub off all but the 
strongest shoot, and keep this tied to a stake 
during the season. A very little trouble will 
soon furnish a large supply of this delicious fruit. 
Get a Concord, if but one vine; if two, add a 
Delaware; if more, half of each, if obtainable. 
Notes on Cheese Making. 
The Annual Report of the Farmers’ Club of 
Little Falls, N. Y., contains an interesting letter 
from L. B. Arnold, detailing his visits to several 
cheese dairies in Western New-York. Some 
items are worthy of especial note: In three 
separate localities the treatment of the milk, 
the time of curding, the fineness of the curd, and 
time of working, and heating up were very near¬ 
ly alike. No. 1 salted highest; 2 and 3 salted 
alike. No. 1 scalded lightest; 2 scalded more 
than 1; 3 more than 2. No. 1 made the hard¬ 
est cheese; 2 softer than 1, and 3 softer than 2. 
No. 1 was too hard; 2 about right, and 3 too 
soft. Mr. Arnold could see no way of account¬ 
ing for this singular difference, except by refer¬ 
ring it to the difference of moisture in the soil 
where the cows producing the cheese were pas¬ 
tured. Those of dairy No. 1 had a dry, grav¬ 
elly pasture, watered by a single spring; No. 2 
had a lower, gravelly, loam pasture, watered by 
living streams; and No. 3 had a still lower, al¬ 
luvial and wet pasture, watered by living 
streams. One of the dairymen stated that, al¬ 
though he scalded his cheese more now, than 
when formerly making it on another farm, the 
product was yet softer; his present location is 
more moist than the former. These facts indi¬ 
cate that no uniform rule can be given for scald¬ 
ing the curd; the time should vary with the 
character of the soil. Perhaps, also, experi- 
• ments may prove that as good cheese can be 
made in one district as another, provided proper 
variations of treatment are made to correspond 
with peculiarities of soil, etc. Facts are wanted. 
“ Sweet Herbs A Timely Hint. 
Certain aromatic plants, not food in them¬ 
selves, but used to flavor and make other food 
more agreeable, are called sweet herbs. These 
are more or less used in every family, and it is 
much cheaper to raise than to buy them, and 
they may be had thus of better quality than 
as usually found in the shops. Sage and 
Thyme are perennial, but they will give a mod¬ 
erate crop the first year from the seed. Sage 
may be transplanted to a foot apart each way, 
and Thyme to half that distance. After the 
first year the stock can be increased by dividing 
the plants, or by cuttings. Summer Savory, 
Sweet Marjoram, and Sweet Basil, are the most 
generally cultivated annual herbs. The seeds 
are all very small and should be sown 
shallow, in very fine soil, and watered if 
the weather is dry. The plants may be 
thinned out to three inches, or be transplanted 
to that distance in rows a foot apart. All these 
aromatic plants are cultivated for their leaves 
and should be cut just as they come into flower. 
Sage and Thyme do not generally blossom the 
first year. These should be cut before frost. 
They should all be gathered on a dry day and 
tied in small bunches, or spread to dry in the 
shade in an airy room. Afterward, strip from 
the stems and keep in close boxes or cans. 
Parsley, though not belonging to the sweet 
herbs, should not be forgotten, as it is always in 
request in the kitchen as a flavoring ingredient 
for soups, stews, and sauces, and as a garnishing 
or ornament to dishes of meat and fish. The 
double curled is the handsomest variety, and 
though not as strong as the plain, is generally 
preferred. The seed is several weeks in germin¬ 
ating ; it should be sown in April, in light, rich 
soil, in drills a foot apart, and thinned out to 
six inches. A portion may be sown in the 
summer for keeping over winter, which may be 
done-by a covering of litter, or cedar boughs. 
Plants may be taken up and set in a box or tub 
of earth, in a light cellar, where they will grow 
and afford a supply for winter use; or the 
leaves may be gathered and carefully dried. 
Sow Spinach. 
How many of the readers of the Agriculturist 
enjoy this really delicious vegetable ? Probably 
not half of those who should have it in abun¬ 
dance. It is easily raised; the seed is cheap, 
and there is no reason that any one should be 
deprived of it who has a garden. If the direc¬ 
tions given in the Calendar last autumn were 
attended to, seed was sown and the plants win¬ 
tered over for the earliest spring crop : all that 
now needs to be done is to remove the covering 
of litter and stir the soil between the rows, and 
in a few days the plants may be cut. If this 
provision was not made beforehand, get the 
seeds in as soon as the ground can be worked. 
Sow the round-leaved sort in strong, rich soil, 
in shallow drills, 12 or 15 inches apart. As 
soon as the plants are large enough, thin to six 
inches, and when the leaves of adjoining plants 
touch, take out each alternate plant for use, 
leaving the others to increase in size. 
New Zealand Spinach. 
Mr. S. Mangold, near Cincinnati, O., writes 
that he considers this the most valuable of all 
garden vegetables. He sows as early as the 
ground can be worked, about two inches deep., 
in light, garden soil. The early growth is very 
slow, but when the plants have made 4 or 5 
leaves they begin to spread, and the trailing 
branches extend until frost comes. They should 
stand three feet apart. Mr. M. says that he 
keeps this plant upon the same patch for sev¬ 
eral years in succession, as the plant seeds it¬ 
self He digs ud the bed in the spring and sows 
lettuce, and by the. time this is off the spinach 
is up to take its place. He says that 15 or 20 
plants will give a family a good cutting every 
week. This is the Tetragonia expansa. and is dif¬ 
ferent from any variety of the common spinach. 
It possesses the merit of enduring the severest 
drouth. The leaves are plucked and cooked like 
other spinach, making a good dish of “ greens.” 
