1864.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
179 
Among our larger shrubs, there are few less 
known, but more worthy of culture, than the 
Virginia Fringe-Tree. Though' a native of 
Southern Pennsylvania, Virginia and. Kentucky, 
it is perfectly hardy in New England and Cen¬ 
tral New York, and possibly further north. It 
is of rather slow growth, but in good soil it 
tlifives and grows reasonably fast, and is hand¬ 
some even when small. The leaves are large, 
six to eight inches long and three broad, oval¬ 
shaped, and dark green. We remember seeing 
a fine specimen near Albany a few years ago. 
It was about eight feet high, and a globular 
mass of rich foliage from the ground to the top. 
Its flowers hang in profusion in long narrow 
clusters. The petals are usually four (some¬ 
times five or six) very narrow and about an inch 
long. The general fringe like effect of the flow¬ 
ers has given to it its common name; the bo¬ 
tanical name comes from the Greek Chion, snow, 
and anthos, a flower, in allusion to their snowy 
whiteness, or it maybe to the appearance of the 
earth when the petals fall, as they come to the 
ground in such quantities as to cover it with 
a snow-like carpet. The plant is also orna¬ 
mental when in fruit; it bears little stone-fruits 
somewhat like small plums, which have a 
dark purple coloi-, and are not eatable. The 
tree is especially suited to the lawn or front 
yard. Plants are sold at the nurseries at about 
50 cents each; they are raised from seed, and 
with some difficulty from layers, and by bud¬ 
ding upon the common European or the White 
ash. It makes a handsomer plant when work¬ 
ed on an ash stock. The figure represents a 
branch of the Fringe-Tree reduced in size. 
Pinching the “Laterals.” 
The advice is often given 
in articles upon grape cul¬ 
ture to “ pinch the laterals,” 
a direction which is perfect¬ 
ly plain to a few, but one 
which to the great majority, 
needs explanation. When 
the shoots of a vine push in 
the spring, they elongate with 
great rapidity, but after a 
while small side branches 
begin to start from the axils 
of the lower leaves at first, 
and afterwards from the 
leaves above them; these are 
the “ laterals .” If the whole 
is left to itself there will be at 
the end of the season a main 
stem or cane, bearing numer¬ 
ous branches, which are 
strong near its base and 
weaker toward the end. In 
all good systems of training, 
these laterals are removed in 
order to direct all the ener¬ 
gies of the plant to perfecting 
the main cane, and not allow 
them to be diverted to ma¬ 
turing a number of useless 
side branches. The operation 
of pinching the laterals is a 
simple one, requiring only 
the use of the thumb and 
finger, but it is one which 
must be performed at the 
right time, and in the right 
way. If one makes an indiscriminate on¬ 
slaught, and breaks out every lateral with¬ 
out regard to any rule, he will do his vine a 
great injury. In order to show what the later¬ 
als are and the manner of treating them, a cut 
has been borrowed from Mr. Fuller’s excellent 
new work on Grape Culture. The figure shows 
H 
two joints of the vine; at the upper one a lat¬ 
eral, d, is shown as just starting; this is allowed 
to grow until it has developed two or three 
leaves when it is pinched back to one leaf. Soon 
after another shoot may start from the base of 
this leaf which is allowed to grow as the first, 
and this is then to be pinched back to a single 
leaf. At the lower joint in the figure a lateral 
is shown which has been pinched twice; a, 
shows where the shoot was removed at the first 
pinching; the second pinching was at 6, and a 
third shoot is shown as just starting which is to 
be pinched off at c. At the base of the lateral, 
a bud, f is shown which is to produce the 
growth of next year. If the lateral were rude¬ 
ly broken out this bud might be injured, or if it 
were pinched too close, the bud would probably 
push into growth and the prospects of the vine 
for the next year be seriously damaged. Hence 
one leaf is always left at each pinching. This 
work is to be continued throughout the summer 
upon vines of whatever age, or however train¬ 
ed, if good well ripened wood is desired. 
Notes and Queries on Grape Culture. 
Origin of the Oreveling. —P. M. Goodwin Esq., 
of Kingston, Pa., who some years ago sent out 
the Creveling to his horticultural friends, refer¬ 
ring to the account given of its origin, on page 
50, February American Agriculturist, says: “I have 
lately made two visits to Bloomsburgli, Colum¬ 
bia Co., Pa., and called upon Mr. Andrew Crevel¬ 
ing by whom the following short but reliable 
statement was made. Mr. Creveling is a gentle¬ 
man of wealth and respectability, and is held in 
high esteem by his neighbors. ‘His father 
John Creveling, who had married a Miss Moore, 
moved from New Jersey to Bloomsburg about 
the year 1787, and the vine was found in 
the forest and transferred to the farm in 1791 or 
’92. The farm is one mile from the town of 
Bloomsburg, and contained originally 300 acres, 
but has been divided and is now the property of 
the brothers Andrew and Moore Creveling.’ 
Andrew the elder brother is now probably about 
65 years old, and capable of giving a correct 
history of the origin of the grape. He says his 
father has often talked with him about it. The 
original vine although three-fourths of a cen¬ 
tury old and considerably dilapidated, is still 
alive and bearing every year. It is on that por¬ 
tion of the original farm now owned by him. 
The people of Bloomsburgh are exceedingly 
jealous of any attempt to steal from it its origi¬ 
nal title of the Creveling grape. There are Cre¬ 
veling vines in Bloomsburgh from the original, 
said to be 30 to 40 years old, so that the story 
of its having been brought into cultivation only 
20 years since is simply absurd. The Creveling 
has been badly treated in its native place, and 
yet is said to bear well and is highly valued.” 
Norton's Virginia .— Doctor J. G. Zeller, of 
Woodford Co., Ill., writes that he can not agree 
with Mr. Husmann respecting the hardiness of 
this variety. (See page 114, April Agriculturist.) 
During the severe cold of last winter his vines 
were entirely destroyed, while his Concords, 
planted close by, had the wood uninjured though 
three-fourths of the- buds were destroyed. He 
thinks that the buds of Norton’s Virginia will 
stand a lower degree of cold without injury than 
will those of the Catawba and Isabella, but 
when the weather is severe enough to kill the 
wood of the last named varieties, that of the 
other will be destroyed also. Dr. Z. agrees with 
Mr. H. as to the healthy and productive character 
of Norton’s Virginia, and its value as a wine 
grape, and adds the advice we have often given to 
lay down the hardiest varieties every winter. 
In navigation we ought to be guided by the 
pilot; in life by those of better judgment. 
It is better that the foot slip than the tongue. 
