90 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
down immediately, but wait until a healthy and 
vigorous shoot near the lower end has grown 
some eighteen inches, when the whole upper head 
may be cut away, and the young branch trained 
up in its stead. This mischief is the result of im¬ 
perfectly ripened wood, and insufficient covering 
during the Winter, a fact of which some persons 
have been rather expensively convinced during 
the last two severe seasons, and which has fur¬ 
nished prejudice, neglect, and bad management, a 
subterfuge to condemn the practice of growing the 
European grapes under glass, without artificial 
heat. When no injury has occurred, the vines 
may be loosely tied to the wires, with the top left 
suspended in an arched position, until kll the buds 
are well and evenly grown some two or three 
inches, after which the canes should be fastened 
in their permanent form for the Summer. Do not 
iet any drafts of air into the house, but lower the 
temperature as may be desired by opening the top 
ventilators. Keep the house cool during the first 
three weeks on account of the liability of frosty 
nights. Let the thermometer, up to the end of 
this time, rise no higher than 65°, if possible. At 
the end of the month it may be allowed to rise to 
70°, or 75° and 80°, and now commence using 
water freely with the syringe or hose-pipe, even¬ 
ings and mornings, distributing it over every part 
of the vines, and into all crevices of the wood¬ 
work, for the double purpose of moistening the 
atmosphere, and dislodging any insects that have 
taken refuge there. 
FORCING HOUSE. 
The earliest crop will now be swelling fast, and 
in some cases thinning will be finished. If not 
done, commence when the berries are as 
large as peas. This thinning is the cutting out 
with “ grape scissors ” of all superfluous berries, 
and requires to be carefully performed, as the 
object is to leave enough in the bunch to fill up 
close, and yet not be crowded. Before commen¬ 
cing, tie out the upper and larger shoulders hor¬ 
izontally with strings of bass or twine, about the 
texture of darning thread ; and raise t'.e lesser 
ones by inserting small flat strips of wood in and 
between them. Begin to cut at the bottom and 
proceed upwards to the top, having an eye to a 
handsome shaped outline of the whole. The heat 
may no.w be increased to 65° or 70° at night, and 
85° to 90° at mid-day. Syringe overhead during 
the evening, but be very careful that the water is 
not thrown with force against the fruit, as the 
skin is very soon injured and becomes “ rusty.” 
For the same reason the berries ought not to he 
rubbed or handled while being thinned. Continue 
to nip out the upper advancing growth of the lat¬ 
eral shoots to one leaf above where last stopped, 
and remove all the lower side shoots on each 
fruit spur, excepting the two uppermost, which 
are left for the purpose of drawing the sap, and 
preventing the base buds from bursting. 
The kind of mildew which is sometimes so 
troublesome during July and August, to late 
crops, seldom shows itself in an early house 
of grapes. But there is another sort, which 
appears as a delicate white mold on the 
surface of the berries, and on the upper side ol 
the leaves, and this is more prevalent in the for¬ 
cing house than the cold grapery. It is most to 
be apprehended after a dry and heated atmos¬ 
phere has been maintained for sometime, as for 
instance, immediately after “ blooming time.” 
This disease may be thoroughly destroyed by syr¬ 
inging the vines with water, in which has been 
mixed some flour sulphur, say one pound to ten 
gallons. While using, keep the sulphur well 
stirred, for it is upon the contact of this and the 
fumes given off by slow combustion, that the rem¬ 
edy depends. 
The same directions that were given last month 
for the earliest house, will now be applicable to 
the second early, and need not be repeated. 
THE RETARDING HOUSE. 
Most persons who wish to retard a crop of 
grapes, will have other houses for earlier fruit, 
and one may be devoted to this purpose. It is 
not, however, every kind of structure that will 
answer. We want to prevent an early growth 
as much as possible, and there must be a heating 
apparatus of some kind for keeping out the frost 
during the Winter, before the crops are fully ma¬ 
tured or gathered. A double span may, with 
some modification, answer, but a Curve-line, or 
plane Lean-to, with a western aspect, is the most 
efficient, and in lact the only one to*be recom¬ 
mended. Where there is already this conven¬ 
ience, the object for the present will be to keep 
the temperature as low as possible. Let all the 
doors and ventilators be open until the buds begin 
to swell, and even during the whole month when 
there is no danger of frost; when so, the house 
may be closed at night, and opened again early in 
the morning. A less amount of moisture is re¬ 
quired for this than for other crops, as the object 
is to prevent the vines from getting into brisk ac¬ 
tion, and the natural atmosphere is sufficiently 
damp for the present. In making preparation for 
a house of this kind, it is best to have the bed or 
border for the roots to grow in, nearly or quite 
raised above the ground level, which, from its 
drier capacity, will assist the vines more fully to 
centralize their juices, and somewhat prevent the 
accumulation of too much crude fluid and un¬ 
ripened growth in the Fall. 
NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS 
AND GLEANINGS. 
(Our table groans under an accumulating mass of favors 
from correspondents. These shall receive the earliest 
attention which our time and space will possibly admit of. 
We must in the mean time beg their kind indulgence and 
a pardon for any seeming but not real neglect. We have 
not yet been able to lengthen the day beyond 24 hours, 
nor the month beyond the days set down in the Almanac.) 
One acre off Grapes. —Mrs. McKay, of Naples, 
N. Y., writes.1 would say, however, that the “ one 
acre” of which so much has been said, has yielded in the 
last five years 26,000 pounds of good marketable grapes 
which have been sold for $3,700. While it was consid¬ 
ered an evidence of insanity by all our neighbors, that 
my husband thought to raise grapes and get six cents a 
pound for them, we have never sold at less than ten, and 
can now engage beforehand all we can raise, at eighteen 
cents per pound to be taken here. 
Mr. McKay (who is unfortunately out of health), will 
be recognized by some of our readers as the conlnbuter 
to the Opal over the signature of “ Ned Saunders.” 
Sorrel. —Mr. M. says he kills sorrel by using stable 
manure and would like to know if there is anything 
better. If the soil be kept free from under water, be well 
worked deeply, and kept in good condition by stable ma¬ 
nure, and then well cropped, sorrel will disappear. It is 
a ‘ barbarous’ plant that retires before ‘civilized ’ cultiva¬ 
tion. It is a well behaved plant, however, and only comes 
into vacant places left by the absence of crops which 
need a generous soil and proper tillage 
Setting and Grafting- Young Trees.— To 
P. T. W., of Shelburne, Mass. We advise not to 
graft the young apple trees set out this Spring. They 
will be less likely to do well. Let them have one year to 
get established, and then graft. 
Tlte Past Winter. —Our Waterloo correspondent 
writes March 13th, “ December and January were the 
coldest corresponding months we have had here since the 
settlement of the country, yet the continued February 
thaw caused the grass to grow in favorable situations, and 
the Wheat looked well as the snow left it. But March 
came in with a N. E. snow storm, the mercury fell in the 
next night to five above 0, but the snow now covered and 
saved the Wheat from freezing out. While the mercu¬ 
ry has fallen to 30° and 40° below zero in our latitude this 
Winter both East and West, only once here did it fall to 
24° below, and then only for a few hours in the morning 
of the 18th January. Buds and vines are safe. 
Gypsum. —Mr. Isaac Goodsell, of Woodbridge, Ct., 
writes, “ In your last issue you speak of Gypsum (plaster) 
as a failure. For more than half a century I have not 
known a failure where it has been applied in conjunction 
with ashes which argues with Liebig’s theory on any dry 
soil where Felspar is a component, plaster will always 
tell.” 
We by no means would speak of Gypsum as a general 
failure, but quite the contrary. We advise atrial on all 
soils moderately dry where ground gypsum can be ob¬ 
tained under $10 a ton. It is specially adapted to wheat, 
clover and other grasses, and may be sown broad-cast or 
applied in the drill. 
“Flour Corn.”— Offered free to subscribers by a 
subscriber. 
Mr E, F. Bartholomew, of Elmwood, Peoria County, 
III., writes, “ I have a kind of corn which I call 1 Flour 
Corn’ that grinds and bolts as well as wheat, and makes 
as nice flour. This when baked very much resembles 
wheat bread. It is sweet and tastes more like rice than 
anything else I can compare it to. It yields well, is 
very late, and excels all other kinds I have tried for drying 
while green. Two years ago I obtained one ear and am 
now able to furnish my neighbors with a little for seed. 
I have now about half a bushel which I will distribute free 
among my fellow subscribers to the Agriculturist in the 
same manner that the Editor is furnishing seed. Any one 
wishing a few kernels will direct to my address.” 
We have no more specific description than what 
is given above, and cannot decide as to the kind or 
value. It has two characters of the “ Wyandott,” viz., 
lateness and whiteness of meal. As it is offered free an 
experiment with it will cost but little. We like this 
method of free interchange of seeds among the large and 
widely scattered “ Agriculturist family.” We have to 
ask that when an offer of seed is thus made, ready directed 
post-paid envelopes should be always sent, and that they 
be invariably forwarded to the person offering the seed 
and not us. A large number have sent to this office for 
seeds recently offered by individuals living at a distance. 
To such we could not of course reply, otherwise than by 
enclosing a package of our own seeds. 
Osier Willows. — To L. M., Mass. We do not 
like to say how much you have been “humbugged,” as we 
understand neither your soil, nor your circumstances, 
This willow business has been “ run into the ground ” by 
certain interested parties during a few years past—if it 
had gone in far enough to have stayed there it would have 
been better for some parties we could name. We do not 
desire to discourage any experimental trials of willow 
growing, but so far as we are informed, five out of six of 
those who have gone into willows during five or ten years 
past, have come out at the small end of the horn.” 
Wyandott Corn-— We ask as a favor, that no more 
of our readers will send to us for specimens of this corn. 
We have not a very high opinion of it (see page 344 of 
last volume) and have had none for distribution save a 
little left at our office as a specimen, and this was all 
gone, weeks ago. 
Sugar Cane Growing- in -NeW“3Janip- 
sSiirc.— Mr. Abel Blake, of Keene, N.H., wntes, "I 
put two of the sugar cane seeds you sent me in to the 
earth just to test them, and now (March 2nd) blades are 
an inch high, and growing finely ” Please send us down 
a specimen of the first sugar you make this Spring, Mr. 
Blake, and oblige, Yours Truly. 
A Clergyman's Garden.— A younger brother, 
recently settled as pastor on an Illinois prarie, writes in- 
cider.tly. From my half acre broken up for the first 
time and with no manure I raised last summer,30 bushels 
of potatoes, 60 cabbages, 1) bushels of beans, 2 bushels of 
beets, 1 bushel of tomatoes, 16U0 cabbage plants (1500 
distributed among my parishioners),! bushel of onions, 
&c. Whole expenses $3 50. Shall at least double the 
product the coming season, D. V. 
Spaying Cows.— Frank G. Ruffin Esq., Editor of 
the Southern Planter, Richmond, Va., referring to the ar¬ 
ticle in our last on this subject, writes us, “ This is very 
extensively practised in Virginia. I have had many a one 
spayed, and bought others from our transmontane drovers, 
to fatten for market where they always rank the highest, 
other things brmg equal.” We shall be glad to hear 
from many others on this topic w hich though frequently 
discussed in times past is still a matter of a good deal of 
interest. 
Mildew on Gooseberries.—J. S., of Alquina, 
Ind. This is best prevented by choosing a moist, rather 
than dry sandy soil and planting as described on another 
page, covering the earth about the roots with a mulch or 
coat of tan or saw dust, or what would be still better, salt 
hay, or sea weeds is recommended, and an occasional 
sprinkling of the plants w ith w ashing suds will be of ser¬ 
vice both as a fertilizer and preventive of mildew. Sul¬ 
phur in moderate quantities sprinkled over the bushes 
when pushing into leaf, is beneficial in checking the dis¬ 
ease. The Houghton’s Seedling, a prolific but rather 
small American seedling, has thus far been exempt from 
mildew. 
JLiquorice SSoots.—J. S., also inquires where the 
Liquorice roots can be obtained. We can not recommend 
its culture very extensively. A growers unsuccessful ex¬ 
perience was detailed in our Iasi volume at page 149, 
