lo; 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[March, 
Society, the Standing Committee on Grapes made 
a report, in which they say: 
“ The Concord not only keeps its place in 
public favor, but is gaining ground every year. 
The Committee congratulate Dr. Warder and 
other members of the Committee, on their moral 
courage in awarding to the Concord the Gree- 
ley prize of one hundred dollars, as the best 
grape for general cultivation. It makes a good 
wine, and as a table grape is generally preferred 
to the Catawba, and sells for more mone}", all 
the time. It is easily propagated, not subject to 
disease, and will endure a greater degree of cold 
and neglect, and bear more fruit than any other 
grape known to this Committee. 
“ We would say to persons Avishing to plant a 
few vines to raise grapes for family use—plant 
mostly of the Concord.” Again; “At Dr. War¬ 
ner’s vineyard. Sept. 20th, the Concord, gather¬ 
ed from the lower wire, six inches to one foot 
from the ground, Aveighed 66 degrees. From 
the second wire, three to four feet from the 
ground, Aveighed 76 degrees. From the top 
Avire, five to six feet from the ground, weighed 
78 degrees. This result is an instance to the 
contrary of the old theory that ‘ the nearer the 
ground the heavier the must.’ On Oct. 15th, 
the grapes off the same vines, all pressed to¬ 
gether, yielded a must aAmraging 82 degrees. 
* * * In conclusion, Ave Avould advise every 
one that has a home to plant grapevines. If 
they have not room for vines, plant a vine, and 
let that be a Concord. Give it plenty of room 
and sunshine, and it will bear grapes CA^ery year. 
—Geo. B. Worthen, Christian Laislee, 
William Bander.” 
Within a day or two after the receipt of this 
report, there came a communication from Mr. 
C. J. May, of WarsaAV, Hancock Co., Ill, the 
same place in Avhich the above meeting Avas 
held, who speaks of the Concord as folloAvs : 
“ Tlie Concord has been quite extensively 
planted. Many persons have planted largely of 
it, because men in whom they lia-ce had confi¬ 
dence recommended it through our agricultural 
papers, as being a first-class grape for the table, 
and that in the West it so changed its natural 
qualities as to make a wine better than Cataw¬ 
ba, and that there was a greater demand for it 
at better prices. Those Avho have fruited it for 
the past tAvo years knoAV that it Avill not make a 
Avine equal to the Catawba; in fact, that it Avill 
not make wine at all—that is, Avine that Avill keep 
even through the first summer, unless extraor¬ 
dinary means are used to prevent its acetous 
fermentation. Sugar is generally used to brino- 
the must up to 75 or 80, it weighing in its nat¬ 
ural state about 60. The Catawba often weighs 
85. It is well known that a must Aveighiug only 
60 Avill not make even a passable Avine. Had 
the Concord all the sugar necessary to make a 
good Avine, it Avould still be worthless because of 
its intense foxy flavor, which Avould alone de¬ 
stroy its value for Avine. Concord Avillnot make 
wine. It is an impossibility. As a market grape 
it has some value—noAV selling at a fair price in 
all our city markets, but selling for a compara¬ 
tively larger price in our Western cities, 
Avhere such grapes as the Delaware are as yet 
little known. As soon as the taste of the people 
has been educated by the use of good grapes 
the Concord will find its level, and sell for its 
true value only. I have planted the Concord 
quite largely, and have many vines in full bear¬ 
ing. I believed, as others have done, that the 
Concord Avould make a passable wine, and plant¬ 
ed it for that purpose. I believed it, because 
men in Avhom I had confidence—men who were 
said to have grown it for some years, positively 
stated that itAVOuld make a wine of good quali¬ 
ty. But finding that it will not do what has 
been claimed for it, I think it full time that the 
truth should be known. It has been put before 
the people as our best native grape—as a grape 
possessing qualities that it never had a shadow 
of claim too. Many will plant it because those 
qualities have been claimed for it by men who 
should know its true \Rlue, and the result Avill 
be that every man who plants Concord vines 
Avill, within four years, find he has made a mis¬ 
take, and Avill be badly disappointed. Is it not 
necessary to real suecess in any and evavy call¬ 
ing that our aim sliould be high ? If success in 
Iho cultivation of tlie Concord is our hi<.diest 
aim, shall we reach a shining mark though Ave 
are successful ?-“ It has indeed been a ‘noble’ 
grape—royal even to those engaged in the pro¬ 
pagation ot it, and with every facility for reap- 
ing a grand harvest in this way, ought not I 
also to thrust in my sickle ? leaving the truth to 
come out afterwards.” 
Such contradictory testimony as this, coming 
from one and the same locality, is certainly puz¬ 
zling to one Avho knows nothing about fruit, and 
yet wishes to plant vines. The great trouble in 
the whole matter is, that grape culture is in that 
tentative state that it requires considerable 
more knowledge than individuals or even com¬ 
mittees are supposed to possess, to say with 
confidence that any one of our grapes is the 
best for any State or county. That Ave have yet 
the universal grape, no one believes; indeed one 
of the very committee Avho decided the Greeley 
Prize said to us, a fcAV days ago, that he kncAv of 
a grape that in five years Avould quite supersede 
the Concord; and Ave knoAV of several grapes 
that are accumulating strength to enter the con¬ 
test for eminence. Our opinion Avith regard to 
the many varieties now offered is already record¬ 
ed. We doubt not that the Hartford and Con¬ 
cord will more generally succeed than any 
others ; but they are inferior in quality to Ca- 
taAvba, Iona, and a dozen others Ave could name. 
Fig. 3. 
Eemedy for the Canker Worm 
The Phalcena vernata of the naturalists, or 
Canker Worm of Hew England, belongs to the 
order of Lepidoptera, and the class of Geometers, 
or earth measurers, so named from their habit 
of walking by successive spans. The male 
moth of the canker 
worm, as described by 
Harris, (Fig. 1), has 
very narrow antennae, 
and almost downy 
edging on each side, 
hardly to be seen Avith 
the naked eye. The 
minute feelers do not extend beyond the mouth. 
The AAdngs are large, very thin and silky; and 
when the insect is at rest, the fore wings are 
turned back, entirfily cover the hind Avings, and 
overlap on their inner edges. The fore wings 
are ash colored, with a distinct whitish spot on 
the front edge near the tip; they are crossed by 
two jagged whitish bands, along the sides of 
which there are several blackish dots. The 
Avings expand about one inch and a quarter. 
The female moth is wingless, (Fig. 2), and its 
antenna} are short, slender and naked. 
Its body approaches to an oval form, 
but tapers, and is turned up behind. It 
is dark ash colored above, and gray 
beneath. It is now knoAA^n, contrary 
to the former opinion, that these moths 
•come out of the ground in the autumn and dur¬ 
ing the Avinter, under favorable circumstances; 
but the general time is about the middle of 
March. If the Aveather continues very soft and 
mild they may all be expected to come out of 
the ground in about a Aveek. If there are cold 
snaps, and long intervals of frozen Aveather, 
their rising Avill be delayed until better Aveather. 
A little observation Avill teach the fruit groAAmr 
Avhen to expect them, and when to apply his 
remedies. The sluggish females instinctively 
seek the nearest tree, and crawl up the trunk 
to deposite their eggs. They are followed a few 
days after by the males for the purpose of pair¬ 
ing. Soon after this the females lay their eggs, 
Avhich are shown in Fig. 3, of the natural size 
and magnified. These are laid upon the ends 
of the branches, close by the buds, for the con¬ 
venience of feeding the broods Avdien they 
hatch out. The eggs are set on end, in rows, and 
foim clusters of from sixty to a hundred or 
more. They are glued to 
each other, and to t^ie bark, 
by a grayish varnisli, Avhich 
is watez'-proof. This being 
done, the moths soon die. 
The eggs hatch from the first to the middle 
of May, or about the time the currant blooms 
and the apple shows its first leaves. When in 
sufficient numbers they devour the young leaves 
as fast as they groAV, and by June the whole 
orchard presents a russet, burnt appearance, as 
if scorched by fire. They are terribly destruc¬ 
tive. The seem to like flie apple and elm trees 
best, but are found upon the cheriy, plum, and 
lindens, and other cultivated trees and shrubs, 
when their favorite food is Avanting. ThCAvorms 
feed for about four Aveeks, and 
when full groAvn measure 
about one inch in length. (Fig. 
j,. ^ 4.) They are ash colored on 
■ the back, and black on the 
sides, Avith a yellowish line on the belly, but 
vary someAvhat in shades of coloring, depend¬ 
ing perhaps upon the quality of their food. 
When full grown, they either crawl down the 
trunk, or descend by a Aveb, and immediately 
bui'row in the soil if they find it soft enough, and 
turn to chrysalids in their cells. The chrysalis 
(fig. 5) is of a light brown color, and 
varies somewhat in size according 
to the sex, the female being the lai'ger. 
It Avill be seen fi-om the character of the 
insect here desci-ibed, that the most available 
method of desti'oying it must be by attacks upon 
the Avingless mother, as she ascends the trees in 
spring. Vai’ious methods are given to accom¬ 
plish this, but we like best that pi'esented by 
Ralph W. Robinson, of Hampton, member of 
the Connecticut State Board of Agriculture. 
It involves a good deal of labor, but that is the 
price of good apples by any or all methods. 
He Avho will not take the trouble must go with¬ 
out apples—and ought to. Mr. Robinson says: 
“ I take a sufficient quantity of common tar, 
and an equal quantity of urine, (the latter to 
be increased or diminished, according to cir¬ 
cumstances, or the judgment of him who ap¬ 
plies it.) Heat it in an ii'on kettle, and stir it 
until well mixed. I then, Avith a brush, or swab, 
made of old rags for the pui'pose, apply it 
ai’ound the trunk of the tree, on a space about 
thi’ee inches wide, in the best place I can find 
between the ground and the limbs. The females 
stick fast in this tai', and the millei's coming to 
pair Avith tliem, stick fast also, whei’c their de¬ 
struction is sure. The application should be re¬ 
peated every evening (unless the ground be 
frozen), until they have done running, which 
is usually in from one to four Aveeks. 
“Last year the ground did not IhaAV out until 
late in March, and kept so until they finished 
their running, Avhich v/as five days. The reason 
of mixing ui'ine with the tar is this : If tar is 
put on clear, it .lardens so rapidly that the grubs 
crawl over it; Avhereas if softened Avith urine, it 
remains soft for a longer time, and completes 
the Avork of destruction more effectually. 
“ I think also that clear tar is more liable to 
injure the trees. It is recommended by some to 
put a strip of cloth about three inches Avide 
around the tree, and put the tar upon that, but 
mixing it as I do, and then scraping it all clear 
from the tree as soon as they liaA^e done run¬ 
ning (whicli may bo done advantageously on a 
