THE CULTIVATOR. 
61 
the farmer’s wife and sons and daughters proud of be¬ 
ing such, will be more deserving of the thanks of his 
country, than he who discovers how to destroy the 
grain-worm; for of a truth, this is a worm that is eat¬ 
ing out the very vitals of community. It is the very 
cause of all the importations of wheat into the United 
States, and which have blotted our fair name as an 
industrious, agricultural nation. The commercial and 
professional part of society is overburthened with use¬ 
less drones. The agricultural community are borne 
down with a consciousness that they are neglected 
by legislatures, and despised by the butterflies who 
flutter over them in British broadcloth, consuming the 
fruits of the sweat of their brows. And the mania 
that induces farmers to seek to ruin their offspring by 
seeking to make them genteel, unless soon counteract¬ 
ed, will do more to dissolve this Union, than high ta¬ 
riff and abolition united. An indolent mode of life, or 
a false pride, that makes a man ashamed to earn his 
own living with his own hands, is a fountain that will 
spread more seeds of corruption through the body po¬ 
litic, than all others. 
What then shall we do 1 For do we can—Do we 
must, and let you and I say, do we will. Every thing 
must have a beginning. Suppose then that we begin 
with an endeavor to form an 
American Society of Agriculture, 
The leading principle of which shall be to elevate 
the character and standing of the cultivators of the 
American soil; and whose members shall be pledgee 
to the promotion of domestic industry, and particular¬ 
ly the growth of American wool and silk, by wearing 
manufactures of such ; and to the promotion of agri¬ 
cultural schools, and the establishment and gratuitous 
circulation of agricultural papers. 
And now, you being agreed with me, that a great 
good may be accomplished by such a society, the 
branches of which shall extend into every county of 
the Union, will you take it upon yourself to effect the 
first organization 1 Will you draft a constitution anc. 
nominate some gentleman who will act as the first 
president? (I suggest the Hon. H. L. Ellsworth* 
Washington.) Make every editor of an agricultura 
paper, and such others as you think proper, vice-pre¬ 
sidents. A treasurer should be appointed to receive 
voluntary contributions towards forming a fund to de¬ 
fray necessary expenses of printing, &c. and sending- 
abroad agricultural publications, and printing a splen¬ 
did certificate of membership, which fathers would 
exultingly show their children as a mark of honor. A 
corresponding secretary should be appointed in every 
county and principal town, who would be active in 
enlisting members, and communicating a mass of in¬ 
formation to the principal secretary, &c. The grand 
object would be, to enlist such a mass of influential 
men in the society, that farming would become popu¬ 
lar and fashionable, so that parents would no longer 
seek to get their children into a more fashionable or 
“ more genteel employment.” 
A great good could also be accomplished by annual 
meetings of such a society. The delegates from eve¬ 
ry state, not only bringing together a vast amount of 
useful information, but rare and valuable seeds from 
every part of the Union for mutual exchange, and al¬ 
so curious specimens of vegetable and mineral pro¬ 
ducts, which in time would form a most curious and 
unique cabinet of natural curiosities. 
If the project is not visionary—if it can be carried 
into effect, do not let it rest. Your standing and in¬ 
fluence will give a weight to the matter, that I, an in¬ 
dividual but little known, cannot command. But my 
humble exertions and small means will be freely given 
to roll the ball ahead, when once started. 
I think you can associate twenty gentlemen at least, 
with you in Albany, who will be willing to lend the 
influence of their names and form a nucleus, around 
which to form this great national bond of union and 
usefulness. 
And if nothing else can be done, you can publish 
this communication, with an earnest request, that eve¬ 
ry patron of the Cultivator would say to himself, 
something can, something must, something shall be 
done, to raise the character and standing of the whole 
agricultural community, and I will begin in my own 
family. I will teach my children that no other occu¬ 
pation is so profitable, so honorable, or so “ genteel,” 
as that of a farmer. 
I do not often write so lengthy, but the manner in 
which you have honored my several communications, 
has led me to hope that I may still be useful, and I 
humbly hope withal, interesting to some of my agri¬ 
cultural friends. 
I remain, most respectfully, your friend, 
SOLON ROBINSON. 
Remark. —Mr. Robinson’s proposition meets our 
hearty approbation; and should it be favorably respond¬ 
ed to by our cotemporaries who conduct agricultural 
journals, and whose opinions upon the subject we re¬ 
spectfully solicit,—we shall give it our cordial support, 
and devise some means, if others do not do it, to or¬ 
ganize an association, “ to elevate the character 
AND STANDING OF THE CULTIVATORS OF THE AMERI¬ 
CAN soil.”— Cond. Cult. 
Conversion of Starch into Sugar. 
Easton , Pa. March 20th, 1838. 
Mr. J. Buel, —Dear Sir, — If not too late to reply to 
the query made by Mr. Edwards, concerning the con¬ 
version of starch into sugar, you may publish the fol¬ 
lowing answer: 
Starch of wheat is converted into sugar by boiling 
it for several hours in a dilute solution of sulphuric 
acid, (oil of vitriol.) The acid should be diluted with 
twelve times its weight of water, and starch added in 
the proportion of l-40th of the weight of the solution 
employed. Potato starch, concerning which the in¬ 
formation was particularly desired, yields sugar much 
sooner, even in two or three hours. The proportions 
are 1 to 2 parts of acid, 400 water, and 100 potato 
starch. The part performed by the acid is not precise¬ 
ly understood, as it suffers no diminution, and causes 
no evolution of gas. The only necessary change, 
however, seems to be the addition of the elements of 
water to starch, in order to make the conversion, as 
will be seen by referring to the analysis of the two 
substances; and this is produced by the sulphuric 
acid in some unknown away. 
Saussure stated, that more sugar was procured than 
the starch employed, in the proportion of 110.14 to 
100, though this has since been denied. 
As the acid remains in the liquid unchanged, it is 
removed by adding powdered chalk, the whole filter¬ 
ed, and the sugar then obtained by evaporation. 
In both cases referred to above, the sugar obtained 
is crystallizable, and resembles the saccharine matter 
obtained from the grape. 
Starch is converted into sugar spontaneously in the 
germination of grain in malting, and likewise by frost; 
hence the sweetness of a frozen potato, apple and 
some other substances. 
Respectfully yours, 
TRAILL GREEN, 
Prof, of Chemistry, La Fayette College, Easton, Pa. 
Isabella Grape Vines—Wine, &c. 
Sir,— The cultivation of grape vines and making of 
wine is getting to be so well understood throughout 
the United States, through the medium of our excel¬ 
lent agricultural periodicals, that what I am about to 
write, is probably already known to some of your 
readers ; yet the repetition of interesting facts is of¬ 
ten of much benefit, and the results of experience in 
these matters can scarcely be too often repeated. 
The very numerous attempts to raise grapes from 
foreign vines in the open air, have resulted in disap¬ 
pointment. The late Mr. Parmentier, of Brooklyn, 
Long-Island, devoted much labor and expense on fo¬ 
reign vines, to very little purpose. Mr. Loubat,*also 
near Brooklyn, planted a large vineyard, and for some 
years flattered himself with hopes, which resulted in 
loss or disappointment. In some few instances in 
Brooklyn and New-York, where the vines were pro¬ 
tected by surrounding buildings, the Chasselas and 
other foreign varieties yielded well, thereby only de¬ 
monstrating that such fruit can he obtained, if cultiva¬ 
tors will be at the trouble of erecting proper houses 
for the purpose. 
The Isabella grape vine is supposed to be a native 
of North Carolina. It first obtained its well-deserved 
notoriety at Brooklyn, in the garden of George Gibbs, 
Esq. now of St. Augustine, Florida ; and derived its 
new name from his lady, Mrs. Isabella Gibbs, who 
was instrumental in obtaining it from the south fat¬ 
her garden. The original parent of all the Isabella 
vines is now to be seen in the garden of Zachariah 
Lewis, Esq. on Brooklyn Heights. This favorite vine 
has spread itself throughout the northern states of 
the Union, in Canada, and has been imported into 
France, and drawn forth the favorable notice of the 
French cultivators. Almost every garden and door- 
yard in Brooklyn and New-York can boast of its pro¬ 
lific vine, always yielding abundance to the careful 
cultivator. 
In the year 1827, I set out, at a small place near 
Brooklyn, the cuttings for about 300 Isabella vines, 
and 50 foreign vines from France and Germany. By 
reason of careless cultivation from bad tenants, they 
did not come into bearing until 1831, in which year 
I was able to exhibit five kinds of very fine grapes 
at the horticultural exhibition in New-York. I also 
sent large quantities to the market, and made about 
fifty gallons of wine, merely as an experiment, as I 
supposed myself to be the first who had attempted to 
make wine of this grape. This wine was of two kinds, 
made in October, 1831, and in the April following was 
put into bottles, and one bottle of each kind sent to 
about fifty persons in different parts, who were sup¬ 
posed to feel an interest in the matter. One kind was 
made of pure juice, to which two pounds of sugar to 
each gallon was added. The other kind was composed 
of one-third water to two-thirds juice—three pounds 
of sugar to each gallon—one gallon of brandy to a 
cask of nineteen gallons. Some of this wine attained 
five years, and was pronounced very excellent. 
In the year 1832, my little vineyard bore very abun¬ 
dantly, and I made, in October of that year, eight bar¬ 
rels of wine. It was made in a variety of modes, to 
test the quality of the grape, and did not all prove 
good; but far the greater part was very excellent, 
and improved with age. 
I will now proceed to describe my mode of planting 
and cultivating the vine, and of making wine. 
The cuttings intended for propagation are of any 
well ripened wood of the last year’s growth, embrac¬ 
ing three or more joints or buds. It is preferred that 
it should be connected at the lower joint with some 
small part of the old wood of the previous year. These 
cuttings are taken from the parent vine at any time 
between the first of November and first of March, and 
immediately buried in the earth, or put under earth in 
the cellar; or sometimes the ends are put in a box or 
basket with earth, and set in a green-house, and wa¬ 
ter occasionally sprinkled on them. In the spring, if 
they are not placed in their permanent locations, 
they may be carefully set out in the garden, at one 
foot apart every way, the upper bud being just even 
with the surface of the earth. If the season is dry, 
they will require to be watered several times to in¬ 
sure their growth. They will grow a foot or more in 
length the first season. In the following spring they 
may be transplanted to their permanent places, around 
buildings, fences, trees, and arbors. I trim the new 
sprout down to three or four buds, intending that two 
only shall be allowed to grow, and these to be trained 
off from the root in different directions, according to 
the circumstances of your trellis, or supporter. My 
vineyard was planted in rows, eight feet apart, and 
vines eight feet in the rows ; but after a few years 
the trellis became so burdened, that I took up and re¬ 
moved one-half the vines, and left them sixteen feet 
apart in the rows. Each vine, therefore, had sixteen 
feet of trellis, being eight feet on each side of the root. 
The two main branches were tied to the lower rail of 
the trellis, and the lateral branches tied to the rails 
above. 
My trellis was composed of four lath, open at the 
top, as I supposed it was necessary that the sun and 
air should have a good circulation among the vines ; 
but I am now convinced that a top surface, as afford¬ 
ed by an arbor, is necessary. The great exuberance 
of the vine causes the new shoots to run up into the 
air above the trellis, and the wind will prostrate and 
break them, unless they have a flat arbor to rest up¬ 
on. The fruit hangs with great weight on the branch¬ 
es, which are often broken unless they can rest on an 
arbor, or are well tied to the upright supporters. 
As there are four distinct primings, or trimmings, 
required in properly cultivating the Isabella vine, I 
will now describe them ; merely remarking, that al¬ 
though the vine will give fruit when some of these 
trimmings are neglected, yet no cultivator has aright 
to expect good fruit without bestowing the requisite 
time and attention to these prunings. 
First, the winter pruning. This is best done in 
February or March, provided the vines are not fro¬ 
zen; but may be done at any time between October 
and April. It consists in reducing the old wood ac¬ 
cording to the extent of your trellis, and the age of 
the virie, and strength of the root. All unripe wood is 
cleared off—old wood thinned out, and ripe wood of 
the last year’s growth shortened down to two or three 
buds, except such runners as shall be selected to cover 
the trellis. Much depends on judgment in this trim¬ 
ming. It is difficult to describe precise rules. Those 
who love the grape should cut boldly, and acquire 
knowledge by experience and close observation. Eve¬ 
ry branch should at this pruning be strongly tied to 
the trellis. 
The second prunning, or budding, takes place about 
the 10th of May. The buds have then thrown out 
their branches an inch or two, and generally two or 
three branches at every bud, or joint. These must 
all be reduced to one shoot, or branch, always leaving 
the stoutest or best shoot. They are disengaged with 
a slight touch, and a short time would suffice°for ma¬ 
ny vines. 
The third pruning takes place about the middle of 
June, and sometimes earlier, and is best performed 
with a pair of shears, or scissors. At this time I cut off 
what are called laterals —a branch growing out of the 
green wood on the side opposite to the fruit. These 
laterals may be broken or cut off quite down to the 
main branch at any time during the season ; but it is 
better to remove them early, before they have acquir¬ 
ed size and strength at the expense of the rest of the 
vine. 
The fourth and last pruning is called stopping, or 
shortening, and is done with a shears or a knife. It 
should be done about the middle of July, when the 
fruit has attained about half its growth. I then short¬ 
en all the_ branches having fruit on them, (except 
those retained for permanent runners,) by cutting 
them at two or three joints forward of the fruit. This 
