AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
159 
gestion. If our readers—those who have 
not already done so—will plant- those we 
have recommended, we are sure they will 
thank us for the advice. 
GRAPE CULTURE—NO. VII. 
BY WILLIAM CHORLTON. 
MILDEW. 
As this pest to the grape-grower commences 
its destructive effects, with the first damp and 
muggy weather in this month, and, if not timely 
checked, will ultimately destroy the hopes of the 
cultivator, the subject requires more than a pass¬ 
ing notice. This intruder is a fungoid plant, 
strictly parasitical in its nature, requiring a living 
organism, upon which to commence developing. 
It is also entirely dependent upon a peculiar state 
of the atmosphere, otherwise the sporules or mi¬ 
nute seeds which float unperceived in the air, 
cannot vegetate. These germs, individually, are 
so infinitely small, that the aid of a powerful mi¬ 
croscope alone can reveal them to the human 
eye, hut they are, nevertheless, real organic 
substances, imbued with the principle of life, 
which expand and multiply with wonderful ra¬ 
pidity when the requisite matrice and specialities 
are present. The first indication of mildew is 
manifested by brown spots on the leaves, gene¬ 
rally along the mid-ribs and larger reticulations. 
The fleshy parts, so far as affected, are soon de¬ 
stroyed, and immediately after this, the fungus 
develops its fructification in the form of a 
white down on the under side of the leaf. In 
this state the spores are ripe for future growth ; 
and so quick is this action, that in two or three 
days they will spread over a great part of the 
leaves and fruit, causing the entire vines to be 
irreparably injured for the season. 
Our own native kinds, such as Isabella, &c., 
having a hardier constitutional power, are only 
slightly, and sometimes not at all affected, but 
owing to our extreme changes, we are not able 
to cultivate the exotics in the open air to perfec¬ 
tion, excepting in the best sheltered city yards. 
They are, primitively, natives of the more tem¬ 
perate parts of the Asiatic continent, where the 
climate and meteorological conditions of the at¬ 
mosphere, during the growing season, are more 
genial than with us, which conduces to a steady 
action in the plants, and renders them less liable 
to injury from external influences. Our sudden 
transitions are the cause of mischief. For a 
time we have fine warm and clear weather, 
which brings the circulation of the fluids briskly 
forward, and abundant exhalations of the watery 
portions are going on, thereby depositing the 
more solid material in the internal structure ; 
when in a few hours the sun is obscured, and the 
air becomes saturated with moisture. Under 
these conditions, the leaves or drawing reser¬ 
voirs from the roots cannot separate and dis¬ 
charge the aqueous fluid, when a portion of the 
unelaborated juices are forced out through the 
stomata , and become just the kind of food for 
the fungus to subsist upon, besides furnishing a 
clammy substance for it to adhere to. After 
many years close observation, I have invariably 
found that a sudden check to the circulatory me¬ 
dium of plants renders not only the grape-vine, 
but most others, very liable to be infested with 
mildew, while, if a healthy and vigorous growth 
be maintained, they are comparatively free. For 
this reason, it is advisable to keep the doors and 
lower ventilators closed, and admit air only by 
the upper openings until the fruit begins to lose 
its acidity, after which, there is no danger. 
The antidotes to mildew are a warm and dry 
atmosphere, and sulphur. Whenever it is de¬ 
tected, do not use any water inside the house 
during cloudy or damp weather, and sprinkle sul¬ 
phur over the floor in the proportion of one pound 
to each fifteen square yards. There is no occa¬ 
sion to throw it over the plants inside the house, 
but in the vineyard or out-doors, it will be requi¬ 
site to dust it in an upward direction, so as to ad¬ 
here to the under side of the leaves, and prevent 
the rains from washing it oft'. The fumes given 
out by slow combustion are the remedy, and care 
should be taken that it is not ignited. Mistakes 
have frequently been made by persons introduc¬ 
ing burning sulphur into graperies and plant- 
houses, as well as using it under the leaves of 
trees out-doors, the consequence of which is, a 
total destruction of the foliage, if not death to the 
plant. 
OUT-DOOR CULTURE. 
Continue to keep the ground clear from weeds, 
using the hoe freely, but do not injure the roots. 
Remember that every weed draws moisture out 
of the earth, while every stroke of the hoe ena¬ 
bles the dews to penetrate. Wherever it is pos¬ 
sible, a good mulching of barn-yard manure, or 
any kind of vegetable refuse that is free from 
weeds, ought to be spread over the whole sur¬ 
face, which will assist in keeping the soil moist, 
and promote the vigor of the vines. Do not let 
the growth become crowded. Nip out the side 
laterals on the young canes down to the lowest 
leaf upon dach, and the new growth of the fruit 
spurs in the same way to where last stopped. 
Soap-suds and chamber-ley are of great benefit, 
applied in dry weather, when the vines are grow¬ 
ing freely. They ought, however, to be diluted 
with one-half water, particularly the former, 
which may be readily done by sinking a large tub 
in the ground in a convenient place, so as to re¬ 
ceive the liquid as it is made, mixing as used. 
When the ground is very wet, do not add more 
moisture ; but, generally speaking, at this season 
there is a want of it, and when it is applied, pour 
down in pailfuls over the surface as far as the 
roots extend, but not. against the base of the 
stem, as many people very ignorantly do. The 
feeders are not here ; they penetrate to a- con¬ 
siderable distance, and water applied to the stem 
does more harm than good, sometimes rotting the 
trunk. 
Never take off any leaves from the branches 
to “ let in light to the fruit,” which is another 
evil practice. The fruit is naturally shaded 
by the leaves, and so situated, it is always of 
better quality, provided there is a free circula¬ 
tion of air and overcrowding prevented, which 
may be done by following the advice above. 
COLD GRAPERY. 
The same practice of stopping the laterals and 
ends of the shoots, as described in the foregoing 
paragraph, will apply here. Maintain the tem¬ 
perature at 90° to 95° with sunshine, and gradu¬ 
ate as advised last month. Continue to syringe 
the vines overhead, if the weather be dry and 
clear; but if mildew make its appearance, cease 
to use any water inside the house, and apply the 
sulphur as directed. Do not admit any more ex¬ 
ternal air than is necessary to reduce the heat, 
and be careful under the circumstances to have 
the lower ventilators closed. This course, if ad¬ 
hered to strictly, and persevered in until the fruit 
begins to color, will most assuredly immediately 
check, and finally entirely destroy the mildew, 
while the introduction of any preventive in a li¬ 
quid state is, to say the least, of a very doubtful 
utility; all such, which I have known, only in¬ 
crease the evil. See that the outside borders are 
well mulched, if not already attended to ; and 
should there be drouth, a good soaking of wate 
in which is dissolved one pound of guano to thirty 
gallons ; or, still better, the diluted drainings of a 
dung hill will be of material service. As the ber¬ 
ries progress in size, lose no time in commencing 
to cut out the superfluous ones, according to pre¬ 
vious directions, and when it is desired to retain 
them upon the vines after becoming ripe, reduce 
the quantity of berries so that they may hang 
loosely, and the air be enabled to circulate 
through the bunches. 
FORCING-HOUSE. 
The only care required hereafter in this de¬ 
partment will be the eradication of insects, and 
shortening-in the extra growth. Let the house 
remain open at all times, excepting during 
storms, to preserve the fruit, and prevent the 
vines from pushing a second growth, which would 
seriously injure them for another season. 
RETARDING-HOUSE. 
The same treatment recorded for the Cold 
Grapery last month will now apply to this, ex¬ 
cepting that the thermometer may range some 
five degrees lower at mid-day, and great care 
should be exercised in using water. If mildew 
shows itself, keep the house dry, apply the sul¬ 
phur, and employ the heating apparatus just suffi¬ 
cient to rat ify the air. Lift the upper ventilators 
at the same time to reduce the temperature. 
ASPARAGUS CULTURE. 
[The following article was in type for a previons num¬ 
ber, but, like many other good things, crowded out. We 
always prefer articles written in the plain, detailed, straight 
forward style of this. Mr. Wright’s method differs a little 
from that recommended in our editorial chapter on aspar¬ 
agus, at page 19, (Jan. No.,) but a variety of experience 
and practice is desirable.—E d.] 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist. 
This delicious vegetable is easily grown ; and 
by a little labor and expense is soon brought to 
maturity. Wherever a plant makes its appear¬ 
ance in the garden, if cut down in the fall, well 
manured and faithfully salted early the next 
Spring, following it up from yeartoyear.it will 
root out the grass and weeds around it, and 
spread in every direction. I have in my garden 
a productive little patch of this vegetable, which 
has made its appearance in the thick grass near 
the roots of an old plum tree. I have never done 
anything for it but to cut it down in the Fall, and 
manure it after burning the tops, and in the 
Spring fork the ground and salt it. It is 
spreading yearly, and encroaching upon the 
ground on every hand. 
My firsfasparagus bed in this country was made 
in the year 1819, after the old-fashioned mode, by 
digging two or three feet and covering the bottom 
with old shoes, bones and small flat stones ; re¬ 
turning the earth intermixed with a good propor¬ 
tion of good rich manure. The curbing was 
made of thin smooth stones, some 18 inches in 
depth, nicely fitted by a stone-mason. This old 
bed is still somewhat productive, furnishing many 
a good meal, in the season of it, for my own fam¬ 
ily, and some for my neighbors. A bed made this 
way brings the vegetable rapidly forward, and it is 
ready to cut in three years. Let none of the 
stalks be cut down during the Summer season, 
for fly-traps or otherwise ; this is injurious. And 
none should be cut for eating after the first of 
July. 
Some 12 years since I made another small bed 
on a different plan, which, although requiring a 
longer time to bring it to perfection, I like better, 
as it is more easily made, and will improve from 
year to year for a longer period. This bed was 
made as I would make a celery bed I dug about 
