18t>4.j 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
341 
to keep things in their places. I try my best to 
do so, but cannot congratulate myself on the 
result. I make spasmodic efforts at straighten¬ 
ing up, but in a week things are at loose ends 
again. I proposed to my men that every time 
they left a tool out of its place they should pay 
10 cents, and every time I transgressed in the 
same way I would pay a quarter, the sum to be 
divided among the men on the farm at the end 
of the season. But it is difficult to carry it out. 
The better way is to make a man who leaves a 
thing go and get it after he is through work.” 
Cultivation of the Pea-nut or Ground-pea. 
(Arachis hypogcea.) 
The well-known Pea-nut, which is consumed 
in such quantities at the North, is a native of 
South America, and perhaps of Africa also. It 
grows and gives good crops in the warmer 
States, and will mature in New Jersey and 
even further north; but whether it will give a 
profitable yield in these cooler localities we have 
no statistics to show. In the south of France 
it is grown for its oil 4 of which one bush¬ 
el of nuts is said to yield a gallon. Mr. A. 
Berry, of Cincinnati, 0., who has grown them 
in the South, sends the following notes on their 
culture: “The plant is an annual, and its 
branches extend horizontally on the ground 
from one to two-and-a-lialf feet in every direc¬ 
tion. Its yellow blossom, is on a slender stem, 
which, after the germ is fertilized, grows down¬ 
ward, and places the embryo pea two or three 
inches beneath the surface of the ground. 
Hence the necessity of a loose soil for a good 
crop. Land a little sandy or loamy, and fertile, 
is best. It should be very deeply plowed and 
mellow, as then the roots run deeply in 
search of nutriment. The rows may be three 
or four feet apart, and on ridges thrown up by 
the plow as for sweet potatoes, or on level 
ground, which is usually preferable, especially 
in a dry season. The seed, which should be of 
good size, comes up better if the husk is re¬ 
moved before planting; it may be placed two 
in a hill, and covered about two inches deep, 
the hills a foot distant from each other, about 
the time for planting corn. After they are up, 
thin to one in a hill, and transplant where miss¬ 
ing. The cultivation then necessary is to keep 
the surface of the ground mellow, slightly hill¬ 
ing it about the plant, and free from grass or 
weeds. The early cultivation may be mostly 
by horse power, but the later working must be 
with the hand hoe. I have raised the ground 
pea in Mississippi with but little greater care 
than is required by a crop of corn. They con¬ 
tinue to grow until frost, and yield, under favor¬ 
able circumstances, from fifty to one hundred 
and fifty bushels per acre. When dug they 
should be spread to dry under a roof, and those 
for planting kept from freezing. If frozen 
in the ground they are not injured, but 
out of it they thaw so suddenly as usually to 
prevent germination. A stout four pronged 
fork is useful in digging; and they nearly all 
come up on the roots. They contain a large 
proportion of oil, said to be preferable to that 
from the olive for table use; this renders them 
excellent for fattening hogs. It is the opinion 
of some good planters that it pays to grow them 
for swine. The best manner of preparing 
the pea-nuts for eating, is to roast them in hot 
ashes, or better in embers well covered with 
ashes, to exclude air and keep from burning. 
Though very palatable, they are not easily di¬ 
gested, owing to their large quantity of oil. 
The Grape Mania. 
At the present time the interest in the grape 
question amounts almost to a mania. Not only 
are the horticultural and agricultural papers 
engaged in its discussion, but the daily papers 
join in it, andthe editor of one of them, Mr. Gree¬ 
ley, sets grape growers in a fever by the offer of 
a prize. The peculiar awarding of this prize by 
a Committee of the American Institute has been 
the cause of much comment in private and in 
public. We are receiving very many letters 
about grape culture from all parts of the coun¬ 
try. Here is one from H. P. Byram, Esq., 
well known as the former editor of the Valley 
Farmer, and as a writer on Horticulture, in 
which he discusses the merits of 
THE IONA AND ISRAELLA GRAPES. 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist. 
In your notes on grapes, in the Agriculturist 
for November, in speaking of the Iona, you al¬ 
lude to the “ poor and badly grown specimens ” 
exhibited in New York, compared with those 
that you had seen grown by other persons in 
different localities. Those exhibited in New- 
Yorlc, were probably grown by Dr. C. W. 
Grant, who raised both the new seedlings, 
Iona and Israella. The question has since 
been asked me, why these grapes compared 
so unfavorably with those grown and exhibit¬ 
ed by others. I am unable to give a satis¬ 
factory answer to the question. Dr. Grant is 
one of the most intelligent and thorough culti¬ 
vators in the country. His ground where both 
the Iona and Israella grapes were grown, has 
been trenched two or three feet deep, and 
thoroughly manured the entire depth with well 
prepared compost, and the subsequent cultiva¬ 
tion has been careful and thorough; and, more¬ 
over, every good bearing vine, I believe, of the 
Iona, as well as the Israella, the past season, 
was subjected to a forcing process that must not 
only have greatly improved the quality and ap¬ 
pearance of the fruit, but also hastened the 
ripening several weeks. The Iona has fruited 
in the hands of certain amateur cultivators in 
various parts of the country for several years 
past, and the numerous specimens that have 
been exhibited to the public have established 
the superior character of the fruit. That it is 
one of the best grapes that we have, is beyond 
question. Not so, however, with the Israella; 
though a seedling of the same age of the Iona, 
it has been but little propagated, and the public 
knew but little of it, except through “ the very 
persistent puffing” it has received from its pro¬ 
prietor in his various catalogues and advertise¬ 
ments. Besides claiming for it superior excel¬ 
lence, which I have not been able to discover, 
he says: “ It is a large black grape, ripening 
one week before the Iona, and is the earliest 
black grape that is large, excellent and hardy. ” 
And on page 2 of catalogue No. 3 for the pres¬ 
ent season, he says: “ Its time of ripening is ear¬ 
liest of all—before even the Hartford Prolific. ” And 
again on the same page he says : “ While I write , 
August 20, the Israella is intensely black , and may 
be said to be fully ripe for market .” Now, from 
these statements and many other similar ones 
from the same source, the public are led to 
believe that they are not only purchasing a 
variety, of great excellence, but of extreme earli¬ 
ness , when grown in the usual manner in the open 
air. It is far below the standard claimed for it 
in point of quality, and its earliness in ripening 
was secured by means not understood by the 
thousands who have purchased and planted the 
vines. Now, while very large sums of money 
have been, and are being paid for the vines of 
these new grapes, I deem it due, as an act of 
simple justice to the public, to describe the 
means employed to force these fruits into early 
ripening. Early in the season, in front of each 
good bearing vine, of both the Israella and the 
Iona, was first placed a large glazed sash, and 
then on the back or north side, and twelve or 
fifteen inches from the vines, was erected a 
large wooden screen or wall to break off the 
wind on the one side, and to reflect the heat of 
the sun upon the vine and fruit on the other. 
Now every intelligent horticulturist knows what' 
great advantages are secured by this simple ar¬ 
rangement, and which must hasten the ripening 
of the fruit two or three weeks. I state these 
facts from my own personal observation, and 
they were known to every intelligent person 
on the place at the time. I have received let¬ 
ters from several of the best cultivators in the 
country,, who have fruited these grapes, and 
they all concur in placing their time of ripening 
several weeks later than that specified in the cat¬ 
alogues and advertisements of the proprie¬ 
tor. It would also be a matter of interest 
to the public to be informed by what skillful 
manceuvering the “ Greeley prize ” was secured 
to the Iona at the late exhibition of the Ameri¬ 
can Institute. But as the Iona is a good grape, 
and no one was seriously injured thereby, I 
will uoav let that pass for the present. 
Sag Harbor, Nov. 5, 1864. H. P. BYRAM. 
--- --- >-<® - 
Grapes in Kentucky. 
W. Brown, Esq., of Jessamine County, sends 
an interesting report of his grape experience, 
which we regret not to be able to publish in 
full; it contains a record of the thermometer, 
and is evidently prepared with much care. Mr. 
B.’s vineyard, consisting of 15,000 vines, is sit-, 
uated on very elevated and naturally drain¬ 
ed land, and is planted with the Catawba, 
Diana, Delaware and Isabella. From his record 
of temperatures, it appears that during the win¬ 
ter of 1863-64 there were thirteen days and 
nights during which the mercury was below 
freezing, and that during seven of these it 
ranged below zero. The vines had no protec¬ 
tion at all, and were exposed to a cold which 
killed all the blossom buds and a portion of the 
wood of a peach orchard near by. In the vine¬ 
yard the Delawares had not a bud hurt, and bore 
well. The Catawba was somewhat injured, but 
not sufficiently to prevent a fine crop of fruit. 
Isabella, about the same as the Catawba, The 
Diana had most of the buds killed, and bore 
very little fruit. Time of ripening with him: 
Delaware, Aug 25; Catawba, Sept. 20; Diana, 
Sept. 15. Mr. B. likes the Delaware very much, 
but finds it a slow grower. In relation to the 
Catawba in his locality, he says: “ I have yet to 
see the grape that I think equal to the Catawba 
as it grows here, for either wine or table use. I 
am aware that many who never tasted a perfect 
Catawba will think I show poor taste by this 
remark after eating the Delaware. I do not 
know any quality possessed by the grape as a 
table fruit which could improve Catawba as it 
ripens with us. I have been familiar with its 
cultivation here for many years past, and con¬ 
sider the crop as certain as Indian corn. I have 
never seen it mildew in Kentucky, and this year 
I do not remember that I saw a rotten grape in 
this county. In unfavorable seasons it is at¬ 
tacked by the rot, but never to such an ex¬ 
tent as to produce anything like a serious fail¬ 
ure of the crop. 
