AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
345 
1864.J 
after the style of the Clinton, with a very high 
colored juice, and worth looking after, as the 
vine is very vigorous, hardy and productive.— 
(traveling. Though not generally enumerated 
among the wine-producing varieties, we'are dis¬ 
posed to think well of it, from the specimens 
of wine we have seen.- Clinton should he 
included in our list of wine grapes, as should 
the Diana, which, where it can he grown, is 
valued for the purpose of mixing with less 
highly flavored varieties for improving the 
flavor of the wine. These are notes of 
our observations on the wine grapes as 
we have seen them this season. We 
hope that growers will, for the present at 
least, turn their attention to supplying 
our markets with good and cheap fruit. 
When every body can buy good grapes at 
10 cents per lb., it will be time enough to 
go into wine-making. Mr. J. H: Boving, 
Jr., of Fairfield County, O., states that 
an acre of Catawbas, three years planted, 
gave him grapes enough to produce 1,000 
gallons of - wine. Mr. B. preserves his 
grapes over winter by burying in the 
manner described on page 146 (May 
Agriculturist.) He recommends a mill 
for crushing grapes, which we cannot un¬ 
derstand without a drawing, Mr. B. re¬ 
commends that when the pressed grapes 
are put into a tub to ferment, the clear 
juice be drawn off from below, after the 
skins and pulp have risen, as he thinks this 
saves much labor and gives a finer product, than 
when juice and grapes are pressed together. 
--——*«•—- -- 
Unfruitful Grape Vines. 
It very frequently happens that persons have 
thrifty vines which flower abundantly, but nev¬ 
er bear fruit. Such vines, as they originate 
from seed, are usually valued by the owners, and 
they write to know what can be done to make 
them bear. The flowers of our native varieties 
of grape are often imperfect, and in then- case 
it is not worth while to attempt to do anything 
with them. They should be replaced by a good 
sort or be cut down and grafted with some 
standard variety, in the manner described in the 
Agriculturist for Sept. 1863. If the seedling 
vine is a young one, it should have a fair chance 
before cutting it down. A careful examination 
of the flowers will show whether they are per¬ 
fect or not. The figure given below shows a per¬ 
fect grape flower expanded. The petals, which 
fall off as a little cap when the flower 
opens, are not shown. There is a bottle¬ 
shaped body in the center, surrounded by five 
threads with knobs 
'Upon the top of each. 
The central organ is 
the pistil, which will 
become the fruit, and 
those which surround 
it are the stamens, or 
fertilizing organs. If 
these are both present 
and in perfect condi¬ 
tion, the vine should 
produce fruit unless 
some accident of the gbape flower. 
season or attacks of insects prevent. If either of 
these parts are lacking, or are badly developed 
and deformed, it is useless to expect fruit. The 
engraving shows the flower several times enlarg¬ 
ed, but the natural ones can readily be judged 
of without difficulty, with or without a glass. 
A Good Winter Pear—The Lawrence. 
A good winter pear is a good thing. We have 
but few of them, and these ought to be better 
known. There are many which appear in the 
LAWRENCE PEAR. 
catalogues as winter pears of the first class, and 
they may be so in Europe, but here they are 
generally only late fall fruits, or if they keep, 
they ripen up indifferently. The Lawrence 
originated on Long Island, and has now been 
tested in widely different localities, and has 
proved a remarkably hardy and vigorous varie¬ 
ty. Its leaves are thick, of a dark glossy green, 
and hang well on the tree, often remaining on 
after all other varieties have shed their foliage. 
It is a good and regular bearer; the size and 
shape of the fruit are given in the engraving, 
When ripe, the skin becomes lemon-yellow, 
with numerous brown dots. The flesh is juicy, 
very sweet, with a good flavor. When in per¬ 
fection it is excellent. The fruit has fine keep¬ 
ing properties and will remain until mid-win¬ 
ter without shriveling. All pears should be 
well thinned, and this is especially necessary 
with the winter sorts, to secure their perfect de¬ 
velopment. Though the Lawrence has the 
reputation of ripening its fruit, even when bad¬ 
ly grown, it is much better when thinned out. 
---rr--- 
What are Doucin and Paradise Stocks. 
Several have written to know what these 
stocks, so extensively used for dwarfing apples, 
really are. For a number of years we have tried 
to get on the track of some definite information 
concerning them, and though we find the state¬ 
ment freely made that they are distinct species 
of apple, no one seems disposed to state what 
these species are. As we find that Carriere, of 
the Garden of Plants at Paris, with all his fa¬ 
cilities for investigating the origin of these 
plants, has given it up in despair, we may con¬ 
clude that it is unknown. They may possibly 
be accidental seedlings of a dwarfish habit 
which were introduced so long ago that their 
origin has been lost sight of. They are always 
propagated by layers, by stools, or by cuttings. 
The Doucin is the larger and more vigorous of 
the two, and has broader and more toothed 
leaves. Its fruit is broader than long, without 
ribs; the skin very deep green with a few 
blotches of brown; the flesh of good flavor. 
The Paradise makes a bush with narrow and 
finely toothed leaves. The fruit is longer than 
broad, slightly ribbed, white and shining, and of 
a sweet and nearly flavorless quality. The flow¬ 
ers of the Paradise are more abundant than 
those of the Doucin, and appear a week earlier, 
and its fruit ripens a month sooner. The Dou¬ 
cin is the stock most generally employed in this 
country, the other being used only where very 
small dwarf trees are required for gardens. 
Some Practical Hints about Pruning 1 . 
Though it is not advisable to cut large limbs 
during winter, there is much work which can 
be done with the knife. Indeed, in nurseries the 
cutting back of the young stock is mainly 
done in the winter season. Those who under¬ 
stand pruning require no instruction, but novices 
need to be told that there is a wrong as well as 
a right way to. perform even so simple an oper¬ 
ation as cutting back the growth of a young 
fruit tree. In fact, the early pruning of a young 
tree is of the greatest importance, as it deter¬ 
mines its future shape. Works on horticulture 
direct to cut to an outside or an inside bud, if 
we would contract or open the head of the tree. 
Supposing we have a young tree and wish to 
cut back the growth of last season one half or 
one third: the way in which this is done will 
give a well or badly disposed growth the next 
season. Let fig. 1 represent two branches of 
such a tree. As will be seen, the buds, A, A, 
are on the inside, while those marked B , B , on 
the outside. It is the upper bud which, unless 
some accident occurs, will next season grow 
Fig. 1. Fig. 3. Fig. 3. 
and lengthen the limb, and if the cutting be 
made at A, A, the appearance next autumn will 
be that shown in fig. 2. If, instead of this, we 
cut at B , B, a different shape will be produced, 
as in fig. 3. By observing this fact in pruning 
small limbs of all kinds, we have it in our 
power to control the shape of the tree or shrub. 
------- 
At a Scotch church, a descendant of Nabal 
having put a crown piece into the plate, instead 
of a penny, and starting at its white and pre¬ 
cious face, asked to have it back, was refused. 
In once, in forever. “ Aweel, aweel,” grunted 
he, “ I’ll get credit for it in heaven.” “ Ha, na,” 
said Jeems, the doorkeeper, “ ye’ll get credit 
only for the penny ye would ha’ put in.” 
