102 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[March, 
Notes on Grapes and Grape Culture. 
Pots vs. Broad Borders .—Last August -we set 
fortl), as fair! 3 ’as we could, the advantages whicli 
tlie advocates of border culture claim for their 
metliod of growing young vines, and in Janua¬ 
ry last, “A iSTurseiyinan” presented the case for 
the advocates of pot culture. These two arti¬ 
cles liave called forth several others, which, as 
they are only re-assertions of former statements, 
we are obliged to decline publishing. What is 
w.anted now, is the results of actual experience 
with both kinds of vines in the vineyard, in the 
same soil, and under the same treatment. 
A Beat Garden Trellis .—A correspondent, 
‘‘U. C. C.,” at Dracut, Mass., mal res a very neat 
and durable trellis by the use of old steam or 
gas pipe, 14 inch in diameter. He buys second¬ 
hand' pipe at a cheap rate, .and inserts pieces of 
proper length in .large stones bedded for the 
purpose. A hole of the proper size is drilled in 
the stone, and the pipe cemented in b}' means of 
melted brimstone. Holes about a foot apart are 
drilled in the pipe to receive telegraph wire 
which runs from post to post. Mr. C. wishes to 
know if such a trellis would be safe near the 
house, as some of his neighbors tell him that 
there is danger from lightning on account of it. 
We should say it is perfectl}^ safe, and not half so 
dangerous as the partly insulated tin roofs which 
probably some of them have on their houses. 
Training upon Artors .—While the practice 
of growing vines upon arbors is not to be com¬ 
mended as the best, yet there are many instan¬ 
ces where the fob,age is desirable as a screen, and 
it is often wished to cover the naked side of a 
building with a vine. When vines are grown 
in such places, thc}^ generally produce but a mod¬ 
erate quantity of inferior fruit, and if neglected, 
soon become a matted mass of weak shoots. 
By beginning right, and judiciously pruning 
each year, the vine may be made both to serve 
as a screen and give a fair amount of fruit. To 
effect this, Mr. Husinann, the distinguished 
vine 3 mrdist of Hermann, Mo., gives a veiy good 
plan : The first step is to get a strong vine: 
plant it in rich soil, and grow but a single cane 
the first year. This is in autumn cut back to 
three buds, each of which will throw out a 
strong shoot the second spring, and in the fol¬ 
lowing autumn will present the appearance of 
fig. 1. These three canes are to be pruned, leav¬ 
ing three buds upon each, as indicated by the 
cross-lines. The third 3 'ear, 9 strong canes will 
grow, and at the close of that year the vine will 
be in the condition represented in fig. 3. There 
are now three principal divisions or branches, 
each of which bears three canes. The pruning 
at the close of the third 3 'ear is done at the 
points indicated by the cross-lines. One of 
each of these three canes is cut back to two eyes; 
the other two are shortened, according to their 
strength, and tied up. The fourth summer the 
buds from the canes which were severely short¬ 
ened, will produce strong shoots to continue the 
spreading of the vine, while the buds upon the 
long canes will produce numerous side branch¬ 
es, which, during the summer, must be kept tied 
in and evenly spread over the trellis. At the 
end of the fourth 3 'ear, the appearance Avill be 
like that of fig. 3, which, to save space, shows 
only half of the vine. In pruning at this time, 
the growth of the season is cut back to one, 
two, or five eyes, the weakest branches being 
cut back the most. By the use of judgment 
in pruning and supplying the vine w'ilh plent 3 ’- 
of nourishment, a large space may be kept cov¬ 
ered with new and healthy wood, which will 
give a dense sheet of foliage, and at the same 
time a supply of fruit, though of a quality infe¬ 
rior to that from vines grown expressly for fruit. 
The Bof .—The disease Avhich is known as the 
grape rot, has proved thus far more untractable 
than the mildew. Some have ascribed it to an 
unhealthy condition of the root of the vine. 
This would seenr to be Doct. Schroeder’s view 
of the matter, and he proposes, in a communi¬ 
cation which M'e print elsewhere, a constant re¬ 
newal of the root by la 3 'ering. Doct. S. is a 
great enthusiast in grape-culture, and being an 
extensive cultivator, every thing that he writes 
will be sure to command general attention. 
The Fruitgroicers' Society of Western Mw 
York took a vote upon the best varieties of 
hardy grapes. Thirty-one persons voted, and 
those grapes which had over ten votes were, 
in the order of the number of votes they re¬ 
ceived, as follows : Delaware, Diana, Isabella, 
Hartford Prolific, Concord, Creveling. 
Do You Have Salsify? 
“How main' of the readers of the Agricultur¬ 
ist know Salsify by sight, and how man 3 ', or 
rather how few of them have it in their gar¬ 
dens ?”—“ I wonder if potatoes and turnips were 
as long in making themselves popul.ar as are 
Salsifj', Cauliflower, Savo 3 'S and other good 
things.”—“ Why don’t 3 'ou tell people what a 
nice vegetable it is ?” was a part of the talk 
over some delicious salsify 
soup. We have had some¬ 
thing to sa 3 ' about this vege¬ 
table, and now figure it, so 
that our readers may know 
what it is like. It is one 
of the few articles of food 
furnished b 3 ' the great fam¬ 
ily of Compositse. It is a 
biennia], w'ith narrow leaves, 
and produces the second 
3 'ear a solitar 3 ' flower on a 
stem 3 or 3 feet high. The 
flower is shaped somewhat 
like that of the Dandelion, 
but is purplish. The seeds 
are nearl 3 ' an inch long, rib. 
bed, and are not to be re¬ 
lied upon after they are two 
3 'eai's old. The treatment is 
the same as for Parsnips. 
Sow in Ma 3 ', in drills 15 
inches apart, and thin to 4 
or 5 inches in the row. The 
usual size of the roots is 
about a foot long and an inch 
in diameter, but larger ones 
may be had in a rich mel¬ 
low soil. The roots ma 3 ' be 
used whenever the 3 ' are large 
enough. Sufficient for use 
during the time the ground 
is frozen, may be taken up 
and buried in the cellar; it 
will keep in the ground in 
the same manner as a parsnip, and is fit for 
use in spring until the flower-stalk commences 
to push. This plant unfortunately has re¬ 
ceived the name of oyster plant, or vegetable 
03 'Ster, which doubtless prejudices man 3 ' against 
its use. As singular as it ma 3 ' seem to those 
living near the sea, there are man 3 'persons away 
from the points where oysters are common, who 
look upon them with aversion. It is not neces- 
sar 3 ' to compare salsif 3 ' with an 3 'thing else, for 
to our notion it is good enough in itself, and 
probably any one fond of parsnips, and man 3 ’- 
who are not, would esteem this as a valuable 
addition to their variety of vegetables. 
-^ I —i 
The Hepatica or Liver-lea£ 
The disappearance of the snow is the signal 
for the true lover of nature to commence his 
rambles in the woods. He does not wait for 
the trees to be in leaf, for he knows that there 
will be an abundance to interest those who 
have appreciative e 3 'es—even though to the 
dull observer the woods still appear wintry. 
