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LTURt 
EXCELSIOR 
•11 Park Row, New York 
82 UulTuIu bt., Uoclit'Hter, 
NEW YORE CITY AND ROCHESTER, N, Y, 
jingle i\o. f Eight Cents, 
FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, MAY R, 1863 
[Entered iiocordir.K to Act of Congress, in the year 18d9, by D. D. T. Moore, in the Cleric's Ollice of the Dlstricff Court of tho United 3tatos for tho Southern District of Naw York.] 
GRAPE GROWING 
BY F. It. ELLIOTT. 
intervening post, is driven home, so as to 
fully secure tho wire and cause a certain 
amount of strain to rest on each post. 
Third Your. 
Having the posts ancl wires up, the spring 
of the third year is commenced with the 
vines, when pruned the previous year to one 
stem, as shown in Figure 4. During this 
season all that are permitted to grow are the 
three buds shown in the drawing. The 
laterals areatopped, the first that sets pinched 
off, and the dose of this, the third, season 
will show the vine as in Figure 7. 
The practice of many vignerons from Ger¬ 
many Is to pull away entirely all laterals, 
leaving only one leaf at each bud, as shown 
in Figure 5; but such practice in our cli¬ 
mate, and with our native vines, is liable to 
force the. dormant bud that lays at the point 
of junction with the lateral and main cane 
into action and growth, and often even to 
set, fruit late in tin; season. As this lute set 
fruit cannot ripen, it follows that all sup ex¬ 
pended in its growth is so much lost, and 
consequently extracted from the regular 
system. The destruction in this manner ot 
all laterals also lessens the number of healthy 
early matured leaves and the perfect elabora¬ 
tion of sap, and hence reduces the size of the 
canes. Whenever a dormant bud is swollen 
to bursting by any error, in pruning, just so 
much of the vitality and value of that shoot 
or cane is destroyed for another season, 
bor of tying is saved, 'flic size of wire gen¬ 
erally used is classed as No. 9. It should be 
annealed in order to make it tough. 
Row** of Trellis. 
“ The rows of the trellis,” say some vig¬ 
nerons, “should run north and south, be¬ 
cause at the period that the grapes are ripen¬ 
ing they obtain more of the direct rays of 
the sun than when they run east and west; 
the sun being low at that season, part of tho 
vines are always in the shade.” Other prac¬ 
tical men urge the east and west lines, “ be¬ 
cause,” they say, “ at the season of ripening 
of the grapes, the midday suns heat and re¬ 
flect from the ground much stronger upon 
the full face of the vine, than when the rows 
are north and south.” 
1 have seen the perfect ripening of both 
lines, and consider that more is due to the 
cultivation, soil and pruning than the posi¬ 
tion of the trellis. 
Putting Up the Trellis. 
Strong posts are to be set at each end of 
the rows and braced, as shown in Figure 8. 
These braces are from eight to twelve feet 
long, and fastened at the bottom to a post 
set final in the ground ; then at distances of 
eighteen to twenty feet on the line of the 
every year. it must uu a ouu yuur, mueou, 
that will not ripen it. Get the Hartford, 
then, one or two vines, or as many us you 
wish, and tiy a Clinton. 
The Clinton is a good bearer; grows fine, 
close bunches, and will stand all the winter 
yon can expose it to. We have never known 
one to be hurt, and wc have thrust them into 
the face of the worst cold. You have two 
hardy and prolific kinds in these two sorts. 
Keep on the trellis, or stake, or tree, or 
wherever you run them—and they will go 
anywhere, especially the Clinton—and prune 
in the fall as you want them In the spring, 
so that when spring comes you have nothing 
to do but to note tho prosperity of your vine, 
save the little piuching that is necessary. 
This is simply to dip off the shoots that 
have grapes on at the second leat irom the 
last cluster, that is, count two leaves or 
joints from the cluster furthest out. Home 
leave a leaf more, others one less. But try 
two leaves. 
As shoots put forth from these joints,—for 
they cannot grow where pinched off, the 
pinching off arresting it,—serve these in the 
same manner — pinch off, however, after the 
first instead of tho second loaf; do not let 
tho second leaf appear. 
Eacli fall you should cut away the old 
vine, or part of it, and let a new vine—cane, 
as it is called—take its place. To this end 
you must let as many new shoots grow us 
you want lor this purpose. This is on a trel¬ 
lis or stake. If you ran into a tree or on a 
large trellis, less prunang is required— f. a. 
Figure 9.—Vine with Laterals Rubbed Out 
ber of buds, etc., but from which all the 
laterals were rubbed out.—[Concluded next 
week. 
ters; is a fair table grape; and stands the 
cold; no trouble in the winter. 
Besides, this grape is a cheap one, andean 
be purchased ulmost anywhere. It will 
grow if any, and in almost or quite any part 
of the country in our Northern latitude. 
Get this grape. If you live far enough 
Bouth, or in a warm place, a favorable lo¬ 
cality, where the Concord will ripen, get, 
that grape, us it is somewhat better than the 
Hartford. In such a locality the Delaware 
might do also; and the Diana and Clinton, 
both good keepers, and the Clinton improv¬ 
ing with keeping. You should have this 
grape, if you can possibly ripen it, on this 
account, as then you can have grapes the 
winter through, and the best eating (or drink¬ 
ing) in March. We rarely have them excel¬ 
lent in April. 
But, unless you can ripen a grape, what 
HAVE A GRAPE VINE OR TWO 
This lias often been urged in the papers. 
Why ia it that people do not. heed it more? 
The principal reason is that they do not 
know the value of it. Another is, they see 
so much failure; either tho vine will not 
bear, or it will not 
ripen its fruit. 
Besides, there is 
“ mucli trouble to at¬ 
tend to it,” and still 
greater ignorance. 
Now, all this is but 
a bugbear to frighten 
people. A little 
knowledge is all that 
is necessary to get 
the people right. 
In planting a vine 
and attending to it 
right there is but lit¬ 
tle risk. There is 
some, as there is with 
everything, even 
with corn ; the frost 
will sometimes take 
that. The same frost 
generally takes the 
grape. But this can 
be avoided better 
with grapes than 
with corn. AH that 
is necessary is, secure 
the early kinds. The 
Hartford Prolific is 
of this kind, perhaps 
tho best, all things 
considered. It is a 
veiy great bearer; a 
yearly bearer; lias 
large, handsome clus- 
at the required height. Next, the wires are 
drawn as tight as possible and fastened at the 
opposite end, and then each staple on the 
Figure s. — Vinh at Close of Third Season 
