to the profit realized from vineyards, from 
$100 to $200 net per acre. The Flame 
Tokay vines, it is said, sometimes yield a 
product of 12,000 pounds to the acre. The 
White Tolmy, the Muscat of Alexandria, the 
Black Hamburg, the White Hamburg, the 
Golden Chasselas, the Rose of'Peru, and the 
Ulack Malvoisie, are reported to have yield¬ 
ed more than $200 per acre. But as vine¬ 
yards become largely extended it is evident 
prices must decrease. The average yield of 
the vineyards is put at about 8,000 pounds 
to the acre, and from this some estimate can 
he made of prospective profits. 
tal matters, and finally pronounces such crops 
among the most difficult to cultivate. Neither 
is it an uncommon occurrence for horticul¬ 
turists to make a complete failure one year, 
upon the same soil where success attended 
their efforts during a preceding year, and 
what is more frequent, the plants after hav¬ 
ing obtained a favorable start, and dry, hot 
weather coming on, with an application of 
water to the surface of the soil where the 
plants take root, result, in most cases, in se¬ 
curing their entire destruction. 
For the purpose of securing a better gen¬ 
eral understanding of the causes of such 
failures and to point out the path to success, 
we propose to present some fuels regarding 
the proper mode of treatment and manage¬ 
ment, and to show them how to cultivate 
melons, citrons, cucumbers, etc., even if 
need be upon roofs of buildings, locks and 
barren places, with equal, if not better, suc¬ 
cess than can be obtained in the most highly 
cultivated fields or gardens. 
In cultivation the cucumber ordinarily re¬ 
quires a deep and rich soil, an abundance of 
moisture and continued heat 
be ilincmtrtr 
m\\txn tyoxtmxhmt 
MARKETING GRAPES, 
I noticed an article in your valuable paper, 
a few weeks since, on the above subject, 
over the signature of C. W. I., who made it 
appear that one of the greatest obstacles in 
the way of grape growers receiving better 
prices for their fruit was to he found in the 
carelessness of transportation companies, 
railroads in particular. We almost know 
that Greenwich St., in New York, is a go..d 
place to send grapes to be sold on commis¬ 
sion, and we are sure it is the duty of every 
business man to make an honest effort 
to succeed—to provide for his and his 
family’s reasonable wants. It, is also com¬ 
mendable to the intelligence, perseverance 
and shrewdness of any gentleman engaged 
in selling produce on commission to call the 
attention of the public to defects in existing 
rules and regulations of public carriers; but 
while evils are suffered by grape growers, in 
consequence of the faults of carriers of pro¬ 
duce to New York and other markets, there 
are some things not fully understood by 
them, connected with the manner commis¬ 
sion men dispose of fruit. 
It is not understood why a grocery mer¬ 
chant at the foot of Crooked Luke can afford 
to ship grapes from Penn Yann, for the 
growers thereabout, by express, too, to New 
York, without charge to grower, and make 
a profit at it, while the grape grower had 
special rates as well as the grocer who at¬ 
tended to the shipments for him. It has 
been more than hinted that the grocery man 
received five per cent, on the sales of these 
orintlfnrc 
BIGN0NIA VENUSTA. 
This is an old and beautiful climbing 
plant, but its cultivation lias been much 
neglected. The plant requires age before 
it blossoms in perfection. The cluster here 
represented is from a plant now grown at 
Fuost & Co.’s Genesee Valley Nurseries, in 
one of their green-houses. Tt is planted in 
the border or pit and ascends to the roof, 
Its nature is 
to support itself by its tendrils in an upright 
position upon pieces of brushwood, in which 
manner the cleanest and best fruits arc thus 
obtained 
This, by the way, will he found 
to lie a good practice too, where there is hut 
little room for a horizontal growth upon the 
ground. 
Cucumbers also, like most varieties of 
melons, have been found to possess in the 
leaves immense perspiratory power, so that 
they require a greater supply of fluid than 
those of most other plants; which accounts 
for the singular fact that they seem to thrive 
best where the roots find their way to an 
abundant supply of water. Such a supply 
of moisture is requisite under exposure to an 
intense sunshine, the heat and bright light 
of which decompose and alter the fluids of 
the plants and elaborate from-them an abun¬ 
dance of sweet juices. This is peculiarly so 
wit h melons in hot climates; and experience 
has demonstrated that the moisture should 
he applied to the roots and not upon the 
surface of the soil in which they glow, so as 
not to cool the surface, check the growth, 
and kill the plants. 
The plan recommended, is to take a tight 
barrel or cask, remove one head and partially 
fill the barrel or cask with large pebbles or 
stones, say half full; upon these stones place 
a mixture of compost with rich alluvial soil, 
or fine fresh vegetable mold, until the barrel 
or cask is filled to within three or four inches 
of the top; in which plant the seed and 
cover to the requisite depth. This barrel or 
cask may be placed in any convenient situa¬ 
tion where sufficient room or space can be 
obtained, and around which arrange latliee 
work or brush to sustain the outspreading 
plants in whatever manner may he found 
most convenient for affording access at all 
times to both the barrel and the plants. 
Upon the outer side of the cask insert a 
pipe of convenient size, through which water 
may be introduced to the lower or under 
half of the cask daily, or as often as occasion 
may require; this portion of the cask should 
he kept constantly tilled with water. Mid- 
GRArTING GRAPE VINES, 
The very interesting article presented in 
a late Rural New-Yorker, by Mr. T. M 
Young love, oil the subject of grape graft 
ing, 1 regard as of very great importance to 
every one interested in the improvement of 
grape culture. While the mode of setting 
the cions is very clearly set forth, yet lx; lias 
not told us how the grafts are secured after 
they have been placed in the stocks; whether 
they are tied, wired, or waxed. Will you be 
so good as to obtain the required answer, and 
give it to the people in the Rural? As I 
have made many failures in grape grafting 
for the last, forty years, I still feel deeply in¬ 
terested in the subject,— II. N. Langworth v 
Probably the reason why grafting wax 
was not mentioned in Mr. Younglovk’s ar¬ 
ticle is that it is not used in grafting grape 
vines. Bass or any other kind of string 
wound around the stock is all that is re¬ 
quired. The soil, when banked around the 
cion, excludes the air, and no other covering 
is necessary. We tried grafting wax on 
grape vines in some of our earlier experi¬ 
ments in grafting vines, and thought it did 
them a positive injury. Since that time we 
have not used it. 
JJIGfJSTOiNTIA 
and extends forty feet along the glass. This 
plant has been three years planted, and has 
given a great abundance of clusters of beau¬ 
tiful, orange scarlet flowers. It. has been in 
flower over a month and is greatly admired 
by numerous visitors. For the Southern 
States this plant is indispensable for cover¬ 
ing arbors and trellises, but at the north, 
protection being necessary in winter, few 
persons can afford sufficient room in a green¬ 
house for such large and coarse growing 
plants. 
Lxtpiniu pnl]/)ili yllns .—Plants wttb very are tty fol- 
lagnnnrt flowers <>r various colors, from pure while 
to <larli-bluish purple. 
Cui-Ji nii alba plena.— Double white; IS Inches: May. 
Lycnnlt Chulrfdnulr.a pinto.- Doable scarlet; 2 feet; 
May Hod .Tunc. J.ychnis Flot-cuclM pie no. —Double 
reil; 1 foot; May, 
<>n>bu» rermw.— Early flowering orobos: flowers 
rcdilish purple: April to May: I licit, 
Pajmerr (Poppy) Urlentalr. KlowersbrlllUuit near- 
lot, t! inches in Dlumetor; 3 feel June and July. 
1‘entotemon ynm<1itl<mi. l.nrge Flowering Pcnste- 
mon, a splendid variety; 3 feet; June 
Pluila n(hum UU.iyo.—Lily-leaved snap plant; flow¬ 
ers pure wlote, in loose spikes: elegant; 2 reel: 
July. 
•P/ilw.-ld variety should not bn omitted. 
Saxtji'uoa eratnifoUn.— Deep pink, iri large clusters ; 
a very showy early blooming plant ; 0 Inches ; April. 
Scutellaria Japnuica. -Deep bluish purple; very 
pretty ; H Inches ; Jnly. 
Spirira A mucus,—The goul's-beard Rpirinu , flow¬ 
ers a dull while. In long louse spikes : 4 feet; July. 
Spirira JlUpentlulu plena.— Pure while, very double, 
Iri umbels; i fool; June. 
Spinm Japan ica, or Astilbc Japnuicn.— Pure wbite, 
in spikes; beautiful; flue for forcing in water: W 
Inches; June. 
HARDY HERBACEOUS PLANTS. 
Two New English Hoses 
arc announced, produced by Thomas Lax- 
to.v, Stamford, Eng. They arc Princess 
Louise, a seedling from Madame Vidcl, fer¬ 
tilized by Virginale, white or blush white, 
ilie flower large, full, and of flue form; and 
Prince of Wales, a seedling from Ltelia, fer¬ 
tilized by Victor Verifier, deep silvery pink, 
the flowers large and of fine quality. 
CALIFORNIA WINE AND GRAPES, 
X. A. Willard of the Rural New- 
Yorker, when in California, interviewed 
some of the wine manufacturers. From his 
notes we print the following: 
Kohler «fc Fuohling, the great wine 
merchants ol San Francisco, who are among 
the largest manufacturers of California 
Wines, way that Mission grapes cost them 
only at the rate of 75 cents per 100 pounds 
of grapes. They use from three to five mil¬ 
lion pounds of grapes per year. Their wines 
are excellent, and noted for their purity and 
flavor. Mr. Kohler estimates the wine 
crop of California this year (1870) at six 
millions of gallons. He states also that 
nearly all the imported varieties of grapes 
that have been tried succeed well iu Cali¬ 
fornia. In a country where the vine grows 
with such facility, and which may he truly 
said to be the natural home of the grape, the 
production of wine of course must develop 
into a most important interest. Mr. Kohler, 
as well as other wine manufacturers, express 
the opinion that California will in time make 
ns good wine as any part of Europe. 
\ arious statements were eiveu us in reirard 
arbcncc 
CUCUMBER AND MELON CULTURE. 
How to Obtain Good Crops of Cucumbers, 
melons, Etc.— A Barrel of Pickles from 
One Hill of Cucumbers. 
Comparatively speaking, hut very few 
persons succeed in the cultivation of cucum¬ 
bers and melons, for the simple reason that 
they have no dear conception of the natural 
requirements of the species of vegetable they 
seek to produce. 
Usually, hut little regard is given to the 
character or nature of the soil in which the 
seed is deposited, and the selection is made 
more in reference to the conveniences of lo¬ 
cation than from any other cause. 
We have seen persons of more than ordi¬ 
nary intelligence, who claimed to be authori¬ 
ty upon most horticultural subjects, utterly 
fail iu the cultivation of cucumbers, melons, 
citrons, etc,, even after having devoted much 
time and attention to the preparation of the 
soil, selection of the seed, and other hidden- 
