306 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
graperies are often applied. 
Mr. Crane, who is an intelligent and enthusias¬ 
tic amateur, grows his vines on the renewal sys¬ 
tem, or by taking a shoot from the bottom of the 
sash, and running it to the top of the house ; this 
is for fruiting next year, the wood that fruited this 
year being entirely cut off so that his pruning is 
mostly done by a single stroke of the knife. The 
shoots intended for fruiting next season are now 
from twenty-five to thirty feet long, being round, 
short jointed, and as handsome wood as one would 
wish to see. The grapes are well set, and look 
promising. The bunches are well placed, and the 
air circulates freely all round the vines ; and we 
saw no signs of mildew nor of insects of any kind. 
There has been so little need of tying, that we 
doubt whether two yards of twine have been used 
in the whole house. 
SUMMER FfiUIIS, 
GATHERING AND RIPENING THEM. 
It is no exaggeration to say that full one half 
the fruit eaten in Summer is unfit for the human 
stomach. Else, why is it that that which in its 
proper state, science and experience prove to be 
a source of health and vigor, is so often the occa¬ 
sion of disease and death ! Cholera and its affili¬ 
ated diseases spring, we believe, not more from 
a tainted atmosphere than from unripe and tainted 
fruit. And here, the market-gardener and fruit 
grower are not more to blame than their custom¬ 
ers. People are so greedy to taste the first fruits 
of the season, that they let their appetite run 
away with their judgment. Cost what it may, in 
money or health, their craving must be appeased. 
No universal rule can be laid down as to the 
time when fruits should be gathered. Some 
should not be plucked until perfectly ripe and 
ready for the table ; others should be gathered 
several days before. Among the first are straw¬ 
berries, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, cur¬ 
rants, gooseberries, plums and some varieties of 
the peach. If eaten before fully ripe, they are 
hard, sour and indigestible. If gathered when 
perfectly ripe, but not eaten the same day, fermen¬ 
tation sets in and they are fit only for the pigs. 
Currants are seldom gathered at the right time. 
They are picked as soon as they begin to change 
color, and the whole stem is taken, though only 
half of the berries on it are fully grown and ripe. 
What wonder that the children who love them so, 
have a good many aches under their aprons ! The 
raspberry requires care in picking. There are 
several shades of color between a green and a 
“ dead ripe ” berry, and as many flavors. Gather 
when fairly ripe, not when just falling from the 
stem, and infested with insects. (And we will add, 
in parenthesis, that he who gathers the Brin- 
kle’s Orange, will gather delicious fruit.) 
It might seem, at the first view, that this rule 
could have no exceptions, viz., that fruits should 
ripen completely on the tree or vine before gath¬ 
ering ; for does not Nature know best how to 
ripen her own productions 1 There are excep¬ 
tions, however. The great object with Nature, 
if we may so speak, is to ripen her fruits so per- 
perfectly as to insure a reproduction of the species. 
If man wants some of her products, he must take 
them, not always when they are just falling to 
the earth ready to beget their kind, but when 
they are in the best state for eating. With some 
fiuits, that point is just before their last stage of 
ripening. When they have passed this stage, 
they become juiceless, mealy and insipid; Na¬ 
ture has robbed the fruit of its finest flavors in 
order to perfect its seeds. Is not this partly so with 
ordinary Winter apples 1 They are mature when 
gathered in the Autumn, but do not pass to the 
last stage of complete ripeness and incipient de¬ 
composition, until sometime during the Winter. 
Many of the Summer apples become dry and al¬ 
most tasteless, if allowed to ripen completely on 
the tree. So with Summer pears. Almost every 
variety should be gathered just as it begins to 
ripen, or ten days before perfect ripeness. If on 
lifting the fruit lightly with the hand, it parts read¬ 
ily from the stalk, it is then time to gather it for 
house-ripening. An experienced and successful 
fruit-grower says ; “ When Summer pears have 
attained their full growth, a change in the color 
and feeling of the skin immediately begins to take 
place; the green becomes paler, the red, if it 
have red, lighter ; the surface becomes smoother 
and finer; the base of the stalk at the union with 
the branch enlarges ; and these are the indica¬ 
tions of fitness for gathering.” We have eaten 
some sorts of Summer pears which, when ripened 
on the tree were mealy and rotten at the core, 
while others of the same kind, when picked ten 
days earlier and ripened in the house, were juicy 
and delicious. 
The best place for ripening such pears is a cool 
drawer in a closet, which should be seldom opened 
until the fruit is wanted for eating. Drafts of 
air, and changes of temperature and all contusions 
of the fruit should be avoided. 
GRAPE CULTURE-NO. IX. 
BY WILLIAM CHORLTON. 
All cultivators of the Grape, whose present crop 
has escaped the diseases to which the vine is sub¬ 
ject in our climate, may consider themselves lucky, 
for it has been one of the most perverse seasons that 
we have ever known. Many are the complaints of 
spot, rot, and mildew, both out of doors and among 
the later crops under glass. We now have an ad¬ 
ditional proof that abundant moisture with a low 
and changeable temperature, is detrimental to the 
vine when in full growth, whether native or exotic. 
We think, however, that where the vines have been 
attended to as recommended in this series of month¬ 
ly articles, there will be a satisfactory return, not¬ 
withstanding nature has been so opposed to our 
wishes. W e may further say that nothing has been 
recommended that we do not individually practice.* 
OUT-DOOR CULTURE. 
There is not much to do in this department at 
present, further than keeping the continually ex¬ 
tending growth in check by pinching out the ends of 
the shoots, and the ground free from weeds’as pre¬ 
viously advised. In some localities the fruit will be 
ripening, and a Word of caution may be of service 
with respect to gathering the bunches. Grapes are 
never in their best state, either for present use or 
late keeping, or wine making, until they have hung 
some time after they appear ripe. The flavor is 
thereby very much improved, and the acid in a great 
measure removed. Never gather a bunch of grapes 
until a portion of the stalk nearest to the branch is 
quite brown and partially shrivelled, which is a sure 
indication that nature has perfected the fruit. Af¬ 
ter this there is nothing to be gained in quality by 
leaving them longer, but for winter keeping it is ad¬ 
visable to let them remain on the vine until they be¬ 
gin to shrivel and fall. A few remarks on preserv¬ 
ing grapes will be given next month. 
FORCING HOUSE. 
Keep this house as open as possible, and be care¬ 
ful not to let it become unduly heated. Do not use 
any water further than is necessary to prevent the 
increase of insects. An occasional watering with a 
syringe or force pump, will not only preserve the 
leaves in a healthy state for the remainder of the 
season, but considerably assist in keeping the vines 
clear of insects by dislodging them from the corners 
and crevices. This will prevent their increase, and 
obviate the necessity of using those strong washes 
which 6ome persons consider indispensable, and 
which, from their caustic nature, frequently injure 
the cellular organs of the vines. Do not remove 
any more of the young growth than is necessary to 
give free light to the main leaves attached alter¬ 
nately on the ripened shoots, as too close cutting 
at this time has a tendency to burst the buds which 
are intended to remain dormant until the next 
forcing period. 
COLD GRAPERY. 
It is expected that all the fruit is ripe excepting 
the very latest varieties. Leave the house open at 
all times, closing the ventilators only sufficiently to 
prevent the grapes from being spoiled during rains. 
Maintain a dry atmosphere, withholding water the 
remainder of the season. Last month we gave a 
calculation of the expenses and profits of a Forcing 
House, and now proceed to do the same with a 
Cold Grapery. It will probably be considered by 
many, that this latter is the most profitable, con¬ 
sidering it is done with the least expense, but we 
shall find this an error when the difference of the 
market price of the fruit is taken into account. It 
must be recollected, however, that forcing requires 
much the most skill, and is attended with more 
danger than where fire heat is dispensed with. 
This difference is alluded to, that there may be no 
disappointment to the novice attempting grape 
growing. The house here spoken of is a curvili¬ 
near, double span, and was planted in the Spring 
of 1850, with seventy-four one year-old vines, for¬ 
ty-eight on the two sides, and twenty-six to the 
supporting pillars on each side of the central path¬ 
way. After the fourth crop these latter were re¬ 
moved, being too much shaded by the roof vines 
for further profit. This will explain why, for the 
last three years, the number of bunches are less 
than the season previous. It may be further stat¬ 
ed that the crop of this summer, which is the 
seventh bearing season, is quite equal in all respects 
to those preceding. The following list is the num¬ 
ber of bunches cut in the respective years named : 
1851 .262 bunches 1855.868 bunches 
1852 .618 “ 1856.864 « 
1853 .918 “ 1857.882 « 
1854 .1147 “ _ 
Total .5559 bunches 
The average weight may be put down at one 
pound per bunch, and the wholesale price at sixty- 
two cents per pound. This calculation, considering 
the quality of the fruit, is sufficiently low, and if 
the most profitable sorts had been planted’ the ac¬ 
tual gain would sum up much more. The labor is 
reckoned at §2 per day, and the other expenses in 
proportion: 
5559 lbs. at 62 cents. $3,446 58 
Labor 1st year.$50 66' 
“ 2d y ear .100 00 
“ 3d year.150 00 
“ 4th year.200 00 
“ 5th year.225 00 
“ 6th year.200 00 
“ 7th year.200 00 
“ 8lh year.200 00 
Dressing.160 00 
Repairs, painting, &c.300 00 
$1,785 00 
Profit.$1,661 58 
The above calculation shows $1661 68 clear 
profit for capital invested, which in this particular 
instance was in the aggregate about $2,000, and all 
was done in the most finished and costly style for 
the sake of having an elegant house. The same 
might have been accomplished as efficiently for 
half the money, consequently it is readily seen 
thafthis department of grape growing will return 
a good profit, if practiced in the right manner. 
/Wo can testify to the successful practice of Mr. Chorlton. 
As early as about the 24th of July we received from him a 
single cluster of Cannon Hall Grapes which weighed full two 
pounds, after several graphs had fallen off in the basket in 
which they were carried. A large number of he grapes 
weighed half an ounce each. The flavor could not bo ex¬ 
celled.Speaking of grapes, we must notice some flno 
specimens of Black Hamburg and Golden Chasselas 'or Fon- 
tainbleau, brought to our office by Mr. John Ellis, of Fox 
Meadow Gardens. The Hamburg cluster which weighed 29 
ounces, was produced on a vine planted in March last, and 
is now only 15 months from the eye. The Chasselas cluster 
weighed 18 ounces, and was from a vine of the same age. 
These vines, of which Mr. Ellis has a large number in forc¬ 
ing houses, though only 15 months from the cuttings, now 
measure 2 , 5 £ inches in circumference, and have yielded an 
average of 6 pounds of grapes each this season. Tho bor¬ 
der is simply muck mixed with sandy loam.—[E d. 
