AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
147 
widely disseminated throughout the northern and 
middle States, until in most localities it has be¬ 
come a standard fruit—delicious in flavor, abund¬ 
ant in bearing, and the tree itself free from dis¬ 
ease. In many places, however, either the soil 
or climate, or both, have proved uncongenial, and 
its cultivation has measurably been abandoned. 
Such has been partially the case in the fat, heavy 
soils of the western States, in many parts of 
which it thus far proves altogether refractory. 
Not so in New-York. Finer cherries of all the 
choice varieties never grew, than we have had 
for many years in all the lake regions of our State, 
extending into Ohio along the Lake shore, and in 
Western or Upper Canada. 
Last year, however, many large, full bearing 
cherry trees began to die, over a wide district of 
country, their previously favorite localities. Many 
complaints have been made of their dying about 
Rochester and Cleveland, and the last Summer I 
saw several dead ones in and about Buffalo. Of 
near forty hitherto thrifty bearing trees, one of 
my own died out last Summer, being two years 
about it, one side at a time. What the cause of 
this mortality may be, or the disease, if it be one, 
is yet unknown ; but following suit with the plum, 
it will not be strange if the cherry, too, is taken 
off in part, or in whole. 
Other stone fruits, as the Nectarine and Apri¬ 
cot, it is not worth while to discuss. They are 
more delicate than either the peach or the plum 
—a sort of hybrid, practically, between the two— 
and more vulnerable to insects, as well as less 
hardy to the influences of climate and soil. 
Failures in Grape Growing. 
We are a little surprised at the reports which 
occasionally reach us, of the ill-success of per¬ 
sons in cultivating the grape. They complain of 
the slow growth of their young plants, of rot and 
mildew on their large vines, and the dropping of 
berries before complete maturity. From some 
inquiries that we have made, we suspect that the 
reasons of such failures are of this sort: 
Many of the feeble-growing young vines are of 
the newer varieties, (such as Diana, Delaware 
and Rebecca,) which have been weakened by 
forced culture. There is such a demand for them 
by the public, and nurserymen are so desirous to 
reap the benefit of that demand, that they are 
propagated too rapidly for the health of the vines. 
The propagation is carried on in dung-beds, un¬ 
der glass, producing a very succulent growth. 
When these plants are removed from this artifi¬ 
cial soil and climate, and set out in the open air 
and in common earth, it is no wonder that they 
fail to grow well. It may take several years for 
them to recover their proper vigor. 
Another and more general cause of failure, is 
the careless planting and training of vines. In 
soils having a substratum not naturally porous, it 
is absolutely essential that the ground should be 
trenched and well drained. The most experienced 
and successful vine growers now understand this. 
They know that the vine is a gross feeder and 
rank grower below ground ; hence, they give the 
roots ample space to spread themselves and to 
forage on whatever they like to eat. They know 
that the vine can not endure to have wet feet; 
and so they trench the ground and often put into 
the holes beneath the roots all sorts of rubbish 
for drainage, and then they make ditches to car¬ 
ry entirely away the water which colleets in the 
sub-soil. 
Some persons seem to think that planting a 
grape-vine consists in crowding the roots into a 
little hole and covering them up. A plant so 
treated may live, for the vine loves life wonder¬ 
fully—but it will not thrive and bear abundantly. 
Oh, no ! let us be generous to this generous fruit; 
make wide, deep holes, give the roots a rich warm 
soil, and keep up its fertility from year to year. 
High manuring is not needed ; light dressings 
every year of ashes, chip-dirt, muck from the 
woods, or a little barn-manure is all that is ne¬ 
cessary. 
Of course, pruning should not be neglected, both 
in the Fall and Summer. This is hardly less im¬ 
portant than proper planting. Of pruning in Sum¬ 
mer we will speak next month, when our sug¬ 
gestions will be more timely. 
- ($ tarn »•»> 
Hints on Planting Grape Vines. 
As we have often said in former numbers, 
every one with a few feet of ground may have 
one grape vine at least, and train it to a pole, upon 
the fence, over an arbor, or up the side of the 
house or other building. Scanty indeed must be 
the premises not affording room for several vines. 
From a single vine in a city yard we have seen 
several bushels of the finest grapes gathered dur¬ 
ing a season. But on the farm, how many va¬ 
cant spaces, even beside good natural arbors or 
training conveniences, are well suited to the 
growth of the vine. It is in such places we urge 
the owners to plant grapes this very Spring. 
Plant plentifully of them too, so that a good supply 
may grace the dessert table, not only during what 
is ordinarily termed the grape months, but for the 
entire Winter and into Spring, unless the neigh¬ 
boring grocer, by an offer of 25c. to 30c. per 16., 
should tempt you to sell your remaining stock, 
after feasting for months upon them yourselves. 
We have already written at length of the kinds 
adapted to different localities, and we will only 
mention a few sorts especially desirable. 
The Isabella is well known and holds its cha¬ 
racter for excellence, productiveness, etc., where 
the season is long enough for it to thoroughly 
mature, or say south of 42° or 43°. North of 
that it is too late. The Catawba ripens still la¬ 
ter, and is only in perfection when fully ripe, so 
that 42° is the extreme northern latitude we 
would advise its planting. Of late years it lias 
not succeeded in this vicinity as well as the Isa¬ 
bella. The Concord is particularly desirable for 
the north, as it ripens somewhat earlier than 
the Isabella, is of strong growth, hardy, and very 
productive, with a little of the foxy flavor. The 
Hartford prolific, quite similar to the above, both 
as to hardiness, productiveness, and period of 
ripening, with a little less perfume, is ra¬ 
pidly gaining favor. The Diana is a first class 
grape, ripening about one week earlier than the 
Isabella, and superior to that variety in point 
of flavor, with berries of a smaller size. It 
hangs on the vine late, and is well adapted to 
Winter keeping. The Rebecca is nearly a white 
grape which, with the Delaware, was described 
last month. They are both quite early, and 
there is no discount in point of flavor. 
In selecting a site for the grape vine, choose 
a dry subsoil, or at least a porous one. A 
heavy or clay hard-pan is illy suited to the 
wants of the vine. Where it must be planted 
in a soil of this kind a drain should be opened 
from the bottom of a wide, deep planting hole, 
to carry off the water. In addition, old bones, 
horns, hoofs, and a few stones, or decaying 
wood may be put in to assist the drainage, 
Upon this put leaf mold (rotten leaves from the 
woods), muck, garden or road side loam, turfs 
and rotten manure, well mixed together, leav¬ 
ing the surface after the vine is set, a little 
higher than the surrounding ground. If the 
land is too level to drain, and there is no other 
situation for a vine, we would not despair of 
raising good grapes, by making a foundation 
upon the surface, with small stones or coarse 
gravel and plenty of broken bones, covering 
with good soil, muck, and manure, as above, so 
that the vine should stand on a sort of mound, 
some two feet higher than the surrounding land. 
While preparing the ground for one plant in 
this way, it is better to extend it, and make a 
sort of border for several vines. 
But as we before remarked, we would prefer 
gravely or sandy ground, with a dry subsoil on 
a hill-side, if we could choose. Of course, the 
ground should be well manured. We repeat, if 
you have no grape vines planted, set them out 
somewhere. As to the lime, the earlier the 
better now. They may be set any time in May, 
but the sooner now the better. 
• -- *-«» - . 
Training 1 Blackberries 
The Blackberry is such a rampant grower, and 
so productive of new shoots, that when once 
well established, it is difficult to keep it within 
bounds. Many of the garden-patches we have 
seen are almost impenetrable thickets, and scores 
of clusters ripen only for (he birds, or to fall upon 
the ground, no one choosing to risk their hands, 
face, and clothes in reaching them. Even when 
tied to stakes, their long and armed side branch¬ 
es forbid a near approach, and the ground is very 
liable to become overrun with plants. To remedy 
this, we have seen an iron wire trellis- used to 
good advantage. 
To prepare for this mode of training, we ad¬ 
vise planting in rows six feet apart, each way— 
which will take about 1,200 canes to the acre— 
and set small posts firmly in the ground, at a dis¬ 
tance of 20 feet, in the direction the nearest 
North and South. These posts should be in the 
row of plants, and about feet in hight above 
the ground. Two feet from the bottom, stretch 
a small-sized fence wire, (say No. 9 or No. 10.,) 
fastening it firmly to the posts. Stretch three 
more wires one-and-a-half feet apart, the upper 
one being at the top of the posts, and the whole 
is complete. 
The wires should be well fastened, by winding 
around the posts, or passing through staples driven 
in them, and the posts themselves should be 
firmly set; for when fully covered with branches 
and leaves, the trellis must be strong enough to 
resist powerful winds. Having set the posts and 
fastened the wires upon them, arrange and tie up 
the leading shoots with soft strings or lead wire. 
Draw in the main side branches and confine them 
in the same manner, so that the plant shall pre¬ 
sent a fan shape when properly adjusted. 
By this method the canes can be more secure¬ 
ly kept in place, with little danger of being torn to 
pieces or threshed about by heavy winds, and the 
side shoots need never split down by excessive 
bearing. Free admission will also be afforded 
for sun and air to thoroughly ripen the fruit 
A plow, cultivator or horss-hoe can also be run 
between the rows to assist in cultivation. 
We would also suggest that if blackberries be 
trained upon an ordinary wire fence, or one built 
higher than usual, you combine two requisites, as 
a much more effectual barrier will be interposed, 
and a useful purpose subserved at the same time. 
---- 
We agree with N. P. Willis in his dislike of a 
trotting sulky, with a driver looking as if his spine 
was screwed into the axletree—a man with 
wheels put to him. 
