1S66.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
101 
The Japanese Striped Corn. 
Every one knows the old striped or ribbon 
grass of the gardens, in which the leaves are 
marked with white stripes, and like the marks 
on the showman’s zebra, are “’nary one of 
them alike.” This new corn is much like the 
ribbon grass, magnified; its leaves pre- ~~ 
sent the same contrasts of color, and 
quite as great a variety in their mark¬ 
ings. Very rarely an occasional plant 
with variegated leaves will appear in 
a field of common corn, but we never 
knew one of these sports to be perpe¬ 
tuated. The Japanese, who have a 
great fancy for horticultural stripes and 
speckles, have succeeded in establish¬ 
ing the peculiarity so that it is perpet¬ 
uated with great certainty by the seed. 
Our friend Thomas Hogg sent home 
the seed of this novelty to his brother, 
who planted about of an acre with 
it. We saw the piece when the plants 
were about a foot high, and failed to 
find any in which the leaves were not 
marked. At that age, the leaves were 
striped with rose color as well as white, 
but we learn that this disappears as 
the plants get older. Prom its habit 
of growth Mr. Hogg thinks that it be¬ 
longs to a species of Zea, different from 
our ordinary Indian corn {Zea Mays). 
We judge that it will prove very effec¬ 
tive when placed in ornamental groups. 
Dr. H. Schroeder’s Ilew System 
of Treating’ the Grape Rot. 
To the Editor of the American AgriculUcrist : 
Much is said and written in regard 
to that most dreadful disease, the Grape 
Rot. Under-draining, ditching, sul5- 
soiling from 18 to 36 inches deep, long 
and Short trimming, sulphur, lime, and 
sulphate and phosphate of lime—in¬ 
deed almost everything is tried to pre¬ 
vent or to cure the Grape Rot; but all 
have failed. Hew varieties, it was 
hoped, would not be liable to the rot, 
but these also have failed in most cases. 
The vine that has rotted the most, is 
the celebrated Catawba. Wherever the 
Catawba will ripen, and is perfectly 
free from disease, it is a splendid grape 
—spicy, showy, aromatic and vinous, 
and makes a superior wine, a wine that 
speaks to our heart. Pity, that the Ca¬ 
tawba, in consequence of the awful rot, 
became so much discarded; but I do _ 
not blame its opponents amongst vine- 
yardists, as they have suffered so much 
under its culture. Years ago I noticed 
that the first crop on Catawba vines 
was not injured by the rot, observing this 
to be the case in other peoples’ vineyards, as 
well as in my own. I shall never forget the 
sight of my first Catawba crops. When the 
fruit on my neighbors’ vines was rotting, mine 
stood there in perfect health and glory. This I 
noticed on all my first-fruiting Catawbas, as my 
vineyards were planted in successive years. I 
further noticed, that the fruit on my old-wood 
layers, Avhich I used to make every year, were 
free from rot. I then laid down several old- 
■wood layers, and cut them off from the mother 
vine in the fall, and found last year-that the 
fruit on these new vines was perfectly healthy, 
while the fruit on older vines rotted entirely. 
This last year was the hardest year for Catawba 
vineyardists, and the loss can be counted at very 
near two millions of dollars, in the West alone. 
I want to say, to prove the truth of my sys¬ 
tem, that the Catawba vineyards bearing for 
first time here, (Mr. G. Lange’s and Mr. 
Schonebeck’s) were a perfect exhibition of 
NEW JAP.VNESE CORN. 
grapes, when older vines close by rotted entire¬ 
ly. Years ago it was said Hauvoo, Warsaw, and 
Alton, in our State, had a peculiar soil to per¬ 
fect the Catawba. But I always denied it in our 
public horticultural gatherings, and it has been 
found that the Catawba will rot as badly there 
as in Cincinnati and Herman, or elsewhere. 
The islands in Lake Erie, it w'as.said, were en¬ 
tirely free from rot, but the demon went there 
too, and will be worse next year when the vines 
will have become older. All the facts above re¬ 
ferred to, finally led me to a new system of grape 
culture, which I claim as-my. own discovery. 
Re JiEDY. —After preparing the land for the 
vineyard, plant with good strong layers or first- 
rate cuttings, set from 8 to 12 feet apart in 
a square, in the usual manner. When the vines 
come to bear the first full crop, say the third 
or fourth year after planting, take one strong 
cane of the bearing vine, raised for this purpose; 
and close to the root of the vine open a little 
ditch in the row with the hoe or spade, fronr 
4 to 6 inches deep, between your two 
bearing vines to a point midway be¬ 
tween the two. Lay down the cane in 
this, the end sticking out of the ground, 
and after covering the ditch, cut the 
cane off at one foot above the ground. 
This I will call the first reverse. Let 
grow from this, three strong unchecked 
vines; two of these are for fruiting the 
next year, and can be cut long, to give 
^ a good crop of fruit. The third cane 
is for the second reverse. In the spring 
cut your first reverse loose from the 
mother vine and let the mother vine 
bear a good crop, or two if you choose, 
as the case may be; then chop it away 
to give room for the second reverse or 
third reverse. Take the third cane of 
the first reverse, lay it across the row 
to the centre of the space as before de¬ 
scribed, 4 to 6 inches deep, and one 
foot above the ground cut it off. How 
you have instead of one, two rows of 
vines. Let again three canes grow on 
the second reverse (two for fruiting 
and one for the third reverse). The 
third reverse is made by layering the , 
cane of the second reverse in the new ^ 
row up to the center of the interval in 
that row; treat it in the same way as 
the other reverses. Take Hxa fourth re- • 
verse made by taking a cane (in the 
second year after fruiting), from the first 
reverse, and ,after chopping out the 
original vine, lay it to take the mother’s 
place. One-third (or one-fourth as the 
case may be) of the vines are removed 
every year, by chopping out and thus 
making room for another reverse, and 
so on. There will be in this way, by 
very little labor and without any doc-' 
toring, always a new and vigorous 
vinej^ard free from disease and paying 
■well for labor, in superior fruit and 
superior wine. It may be that in some 
slower growers than Catawbas or Con¬ 
cords, the reverses can be made only 
every two years; but good healthy 
vines in good soil and locality, will 
stand the reverses almost every year. 
This is mainly recommended for Ca¬ 
tawba, and other varieties of great 
value but inclined to rot. 'Whenever 
a variety proves free from disease, grow 
it as long as you please p'ofidably with¬ 
out reverses. But one thing is sure, the 
finest fruit yroics with me on young vines. 
I hope that every one who grows a Catawba 
vine, or any other vine inclined to rot,will give my 
new system a fair trial and report publicly the 
result. Any thing not plainly understood, I will 
explain on application with the greatest pleas¬ 
ure. My object is only to save good varieties 
of fruit (inclined to disease) for the benefit of 
my fellow-men, and to help the often discourag¬ 
ed, poor, liard--working man; and if this my new 
discovery shall do them good, it will make 
happy your friend Dr. H. ScmioEDER. 
Bloomingtonj IllinoiSy Dec*, 1865. 
We are happy to place the Doctor’s views 
and practice before the country, and commend 
them to the attention of grape growers.—E d, 
