THE CULTIVATOE. 
71 
an& tl)^ ®rcl)arb. 
CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —In further reply to 
your inquiries and those qf your correspondent, in re- 
;gard to iny mode of cultivating the Grape, I offer the 
following remarks: 
The native grapes, particularly the Isabella and Cataw¬ 
ba, having changed their character by the ameliorating 
influence of cultivation, begin to be appreciated by our 
own citizens, who may be presumed to be less familiar 
with the good qualities of grapes as an article of food or 
luxury, than the residents of those countries where they 
have been known for ages; and yet, even the latter es¬ 
teem the fruit of these vines highly, and deem it worthy 
of their patronage. A few years since, the imported 
Lisbon and Madeira grapes were thought so much supe¬ 
rior to our own, that the people of this city could not be 
induced to use the latter, when the former could be ob¬ 
tained. But the public taste has changed. The Isa¬ 
bella and Catawba grapes, from the improvement 
which cultivation has produced in their qualities, are 
now more highly esteemed for the use of the table, 
by most persons, than the former; indeed, few per¬ 
sons can be prevailed upon to use the “ imported fo¬ 
reign grapes,” when the improved Isabella or Catawba 
can be procured in our markets. This is a very important 
fact, and should have its due weight upon the minds of 
those who are now, or intend at some future time to be, 
-engaged in the cultivation of our native grapes, possess¬ 
ing the full assurance that the more pains and care they 
-bestow upon the native vines, and the more highly they 
cultivate them, the finer will be the flavor of the fruit, 
and their productiveness will be increased a hundred 
•fold. 
Nothing has so much retarded the successful culture 
of the grape in this country, as the misdirected efforts 
of those who have had the enterprise to engage in this 
branch of horticulture. Their predilection for foreign 
grapes, induced them to plant these in preference to our 
own, and the consequence has been, that hundreds of 
thousands of dollars have been expended upon them, to 
the great pecuniary loss of all who engaged in this un¬ 
dertaking. 
The discouraging effects of their unsuccessful experi¬ 
ments have been severely felt; and unfortunately, after 
the first failure of their efforts, instead of turning their 
attention to those kinds of our native grapes with which 
they could succeed, they abandoned the culture altogeth¬ 
er as a hopeless experiment. Another cause of the failure 
of many who have made a proper selection of native 
grapes, (and in the first i-ank of these I place the Isabel¬ 
la an i Catawba,) has been a want of practical experience 
to direct them in the best mode of preparing the ground, 
planting the vines, pruning, &c., so as to ensure a vigor¬ 
ous growth of bearing wood, and keep this from extend¬ 
ing too far from the roots of the vines, when they are 
planted with the design of forming a vineyard. Some 
have studiously adopted the European method of pru¬ 
ning and cultivating the grape. This is not altogether 
correct. The natural vigor of our native vines is much 
greater than the foreign, and they require different treat¬ 
ment. The more variable nature of our climate, the 
greater heat experienced for three or four months in the 
year, and the comparative coolness of the nights during 
the same period, have a great influence upon the vines: 
as do also the severe drouths with which we are occa¬ 
sionally visited ill the heat of summer. A proper pre¬ 
paration of the ground, will have a very important influ¬ 
ence in preventing an 5 r injury that might otherwise arise 
from these causes. Indeed, after having selected good 
plants, the success of the vineyard depends so much upon 
the manner in which the ground is prepared and the 
vines are planted, that I will here give some directions 
to those who may wish to enter upon the vineyard cul¬ 
ture of our native grapes the present spring, and with 
whom I may not have an opportunity of a personal inter¬ 
view. In selecting the ground for a vineyard, give that 
kind the preference which is free from clay within 15 or 
18 inches of the surface, and is perfectly dry. Ground 
abounding in springs, after thorough under-draining, is 
sometimes used for this purpose, but such land should 
not be selected for a vineyard, if a preferable kind can 
be obiained. Sand, slate, limestone formation, will an¬ 
swer well for vineyards. Side hills with a southern, 
south-eastern, or eastern aspect ai’e generally preferred, 
leaving the north (northeast near the sea coast,) and 
west winds broken off by trees, hedge, stone or board 
fence. 
In this latitude, (south of the Highlands of the Hud- 
■son,) I find that the Isabella grapes ripen quite as well 
when planted in a level field, protected from the north 
and west winds by woods or hedges, as on declivities. Se¬ 
veral of my vineyards are thus located, and as far as I 
can perceive, the fruit ripens at about the same time, 
and is of the san\e quality as when the vines are planted 
on steep side hills. I think, however, that north of the 
Highlands side hills vrould be preferable. 
To prepare the ground for a vineyard, the best way is 
to turn under the whole of the surface soil from 15 to 18 
inches in depth, early in the spring, soon after the frost 
is out of the ground, by plowing twice in the same fur- 
rovv.^ This will place the richest part of the soil, in a 
position where it will give the g’reatest supply of nour¬ 
ishment to the vines. Few vineyards in this country 
have been planted in this way; but the cost is so small 
and the advantages so great, that it should be done 
wherever there are no rocks or large stones to prevent 
it. Instead of adopting this method of preparing the 
ground, many persons have been content with dig¬ 
ging pretty large holes where they intended to plant the 
vines; and placing in the bottom of these, six or eight 
inches of good’soil previous to putting in the plants. A 
still greater number of those who have attempted to lay 
out vineyards, have not taken the ti'ouble to resort to 
either plan, but have planted the vines with the same 
carelessness that they would a common annual, instead 
of giving them the attention and care each plant should 
receive—especially, when it is expected to produce a fine 
crop of fruit every season after it has commenced bear¬ 
ing, for a hundred years. Respectfully, 
R. T. Underhill, M. D., 400 Broadwayj 
P. S. The Isabella grape ripens its fruit two or three 
weeks earlier than the Catawba, and is therefore more 
sure to produce a perfectly ripe crop in a short season. 
The Isabella, with me, is more certain to give a ripe 
crop every year than any other fruit with ■which I am ac¬ 
quainted. R. T. U. 
New-York, March 16, 1843. 
Every farmer, and indeed every person who has a yard, 
and the side of a building on which it may be trained, 
should have an Isabella grape vine. Now is the time to 
procure them, and we hope the season will not be allowed 
to pass without the planting of a large number of these 
vines. Where they are not to be procured in the neigh¬ 
borhood, let half a dozen persons or more unite in send¬ 
ing an order to Dr. Underhill, or some nurseryman for 
the required number of plants. Fifty cents, appropriated 
to this purpose now, will in a few years furnish an abun¬ 
dant supply of grapes for any family. —Eds. 
CULTURE OF THE STRAWBERRY. 
Messrs. Editors —I early turned m)^ attention to Hor¬ 
ticulture, and in one department of that, the cultivation 
of strawberries, I think I can show by facts, that I have 
been truly successful. I have not failed to have a good 
crop every year, for ten years; and last year, from 1,371 
plants only a year old, I sold eighty gallons, besides what 
was consumed in my family, and some choice parcels, 
perhaps from vanity, sent as presents to my friends. My 
garden is a light loam, nearly level, but high and dry, 
not remarkably rich, it having been taken from a wheat 
field and enclosed the year before. 
My mode of cultivation is to set out the plants or run¬ 
ners at equal distances of 18 inches, and if planted in the 
spring, keep them constantly worked and the runners off. 
This may be done wilh a garden scraper, quickly and 
neatly. In the month of November, if the season does 
not set in cold sooner, I manure with well rotted manure 
and work it in, putting my betls in nice order. I then 
cover them about one or two inches deep with pine shat¬ 
ters, (having an abundance of them,) straw, chaff—per¬ 
haps tanner’s bark would do as well, though I object to 
the chaff because it has more or less wheat, which will 
vegetate, and give your beds an unsightly appearance. 
Having made my servants work the shatters under the 
vines, they stay on until the strawberries are done bear¬ 
ing. In this way the vines are kept warm in winter, the 
grass and weeds do not spring up, and the fruit is so clean 
when gathered, that there is no necessity of washing,&c. 
I make no alleys in my beds, my ground being porous 
anil dry. If I plant in the spring, I deem it advisable to 
renew my beds after the second year's bearing. This is 
done by simply directing the runners to the centre of the 
square formed by the old vines, throwing over the tendril 
of the runner, a little earth, to keep it in place, and when 
the runner has taken root, sever it from the parent vine. 
Then with a hoe, for the space will admit it, cut out the 
old vines. The manure which the ground has received 
in two years, will put it in fine order, and thus the bed 
may be kept up for years. I intend to try plaster on my 
vines this spring. I sold my strawberries for 50 cents a 
gallon, throughout the season, in our village market, and 
could not gratify the demand. I omitted to state that 
the 1371 plants grew on a comparatively small area, as 
any one may see by calculating it. I then had four beds. 
I now have twelve, and in every bed the plants look 
beautiful, scarcely one missing. Iliad but very few male 
plants, though it was by accident. 
Brice J. Goldsborough. 
Cambridge, Md. Jan. 28, 1843. 
TRANSPLANTING THE WHITE CEDAR, 
Or, more properly, the American Arbor vitie (Thuya oc- 
cidentalis,) known generally in western New-York by 
the name of white cedar, but distinct from the true white 
cedar, or Cupressus thyoides. 
The beauty of evergreens for door yard scenery, ren¬ 
ders the means of successfully transplanting them a mat¬ 
ter of some importance—the rriore so, from the difficulty 
and failure attending the operation. This failure is so 
general, that in many places a transplanted evergreen 
is termed, in derision, a “ nevergreen,^’ from the brown 
leaves and dead branches ’which generally follow. 
The chief requisite in removing all evergreens of 
much size, is to take up a quantity of earth with them. 
Where this is done, little care is needed to insure suc¬ 
cess. It is true, those of small size, or less than three 
or four feet in height, may be successfully managed 
without removing the earth on the roots, but as larger 
ones are desirable in forming ornamental grounds, the 
latter mode need not be considered here. 
In transplanting the white pine, except with very 
small trees, I have uniformly failed with those with the 
naked roots, and almost as uniformly succeeded where 
several pounds of adhering earth were taken. As the 
roots form a closer matting, and the earth adheres to 
them better, in low, swampy, or muck}'’ land, trees 
from such localities do better than those from dry up¬ 
land. It is important not to plant the roots much deeper 
than they stood originally; but a covering of muck is 
very useful, and it is well that a good sized hole for 
their reception be filled chiefly with the same material. 
I have been particularly successful with the white 
cedar. My first experiments were performed in the 
spring, on trees from five to eight feet high. They 
were selected from the border of ihe swamp, where the 
muck was only a few inches deep. The spade was set 
in from one to two feet from the tree, and the roots and 
turf cut off by successive strokes in a circle round it. 
Then bending it to one side, the whole mat of roots and 
muck was separated with perfect facility, a few inches 
in thickness, from the hard earth beneath. The trees 
were then conveyed to their place of destination and set 
out. Out of several so treated, none failed. I have 
since removed them in larger quantities in the depth of 
winter, taking care to procure them from the most ex¬ 
posed situations, in ortler that the change to their new 
locality might not destroy them. Equal success in this 
case was the result. Some, so removed, have been fif¬ 
teen feet high and three inches in diameter, and from 
one to five hundred pounds of earth have been taken up 
on the roots. If, after cutting round them, they were 
not easily uprooted, a horse w'as fastened by means of a 
rope to the tree, a few feet above ground, and the work 
done at once. A few minutes only were required for 
taking up such trees. A rope was then tied to the trunk, 
as closely to the ground as practicable, and a team drew 
the tree in an erect position up an inclined plane on the 
sled, to be conveyed away. The time selected was when 
the soil was but little frozen, being protected by a cover¬ 
ing of snow. Freezing the earth on the roots, after re¬ 
moval, was no injury; they may indeed be merely 
placed on the ground w'here intended to stand, till spring, 
protecting the roots slightly with straw or other litter. 
As a general rule, there should be a body of earth taken 
up with the roots, large enough to hold the tree firmly 
in the wind without staking. The weight of so much 
earth will not render the labor great, even where the 
trees are carried many miles, if it is done on the snow. 
The white cedar, though commonly found in swamps, 
appears to do even better on upland, and to grow denser 
and of a richer green than in its original soil. 
J. J. T. 
Maccdon, Wayne Co., N. Y. 3 mo. 16, 1843. 
HOVEY’S MAGAZINE OF HORTICULTURE. 
Horticulture in Indiana.— Among the good things 
in Hovey’s Magazine of Horticulture for March, is a let¬ 
ter from the Rev. H. W. Beecher of Indianopolis, on 
the progress and state of Horticulture in Indiana, which 
we have read with great interest. He gives a flattering 
IJicture of the present condition of Horticulture in this 
new state, the climate of which is admirably adapted to 
the growing of fi’uit to perfection. At a Fair in Oct. last, 
at Indianapolis, from 55 to 60 varieties of apples were 
shown, and forty-three new seedlings competed for a 
premium, three of which were named the Tariff, Red 
Jacket, and Osceola, and specially recommended for cul¬ 
tivation. The number of seedling apples in the state, is 
very large, and some of them are esteemed more highly 
than the old standard fruits. There are 18 nurseries in 
the state, and apple trees sell for 10, and pears for 20 cts. 
Almost every farm has an orchard, and pears are begin¬ 
ning to be much sought for. Much attention is also paid 
to gardening. The Hort. Society has offered a premium of 
$50, fpr seedling apples. Otl’ier premiums to encourage 
gardens—the obtaining of choice fruit trees,—introduc¬ 
tion of hardy shrubs, flowers, &c. “Our great design,” 
says Mr. B. and a most laudable one it is—“ is to awaken 
in the body of the people—among farmers, artizans, and men 
of small means, a taste for fruits and floiocrs, and to fill 
the slate from the beginning, with the most select varie¬ 
ties.” We commend their example to our friends in 
Michigan, Illinois, Wiskonsan, &c. 
This number of the Magazine also has a very valuable 
paper on the Culture of the Grape, under glass, without 
fire-heat, from the pen of the editor, Mr. C. M. Hovey. 
Culinary Vegetables. —From “ Notices of Culinary 
Vegetables, new or recently introduced,” we select the 
following: 
“ Seymour's Superb White Celery. —We were enabled 
the last season to procure a small quantity of seed of this 
valuable variety, and thus test its merits. We have not 
been disai)pointcd; it is all that it has been recommend¬ 
ed. It is of the most delicate white, the stalks all solid, 
and the. roots grow to the great weight of from 5 to 13 
lbs. It must eventually be considered as the best that has 
yet been raised. We can confidently recommend it for 
extensive cultivation. 
“ Cuthill's Solid Celery, is a new variety of much me¬ 
rit, scarcely, if any, inferior to Seymour’s Superb; we 
cultivated a small quantity of this the last season, and 
think highly of it as a hardy, large and tender kind. 
“ Beets.—A new variety called the Bassuno, has been 
recently introduced into France, and extensively cultiva¬ 
ted ; and it is said to be found in all the markets from Ve¬ 
nice to Genoa, in the month of June. It is remarkable 
for the form of the root, w'hich is flattened like a turnep. 
The skin is red, the flesh white, veined with rose; it is 
very tender, very delicate, preserving its i-ose-colored 
rings after cooking, and from 2 to 2.*: inches in diameter. 
This description is from the Bon Jardinier for 1841. The 
edition for 1842, states that this variety is highly esteem 
