Mf! 
MDCHtiN BUBAL HB'W-TOBEm 
cTs) r w 
liecp ¥jusb<tnfrrii. 
H. S. RANDALL, LL. D-, EDITOR, 
Or Cortland Villhik, Cortland Copntt, N*w York. 
- » ~ — -- 
MERINO TESTS OP SUPERIORITY 
At Now York State Fair. 
A. letter from H. D. Tellkampf, Esq., 
Chairman of the Viewing Committee on 
Merino Sheep at the last New York Slate. 
Fair, was published in these columns Nov. 
5, in which lie stated that his “reasons” for 
deciding the Silesian Merinos entitled to the 
first prize (over American Merinos), were 
that the Society had passed a resolution 
“ making the quality of the wool the test as 
to the superiority of the sheep.” We ex¬ 
pressed the hope, when the letter was pub¬ 
lished, that Mr. Tellkampf and his asso¬ 
ciate, Mr. IIofkman, “ acted under an erro¬ 
neous impression" In regard to the existence 
of such a resolution of the Society. And 
such turns out to lie the fact, as the follow¬ 
ing correspondence shows: 
Cortland Villaou. N. Y., Nov. I t, 1870. 
T. L. JTaiiison, Se.o’y N. V. State A#. Society 
—Dear Sir: You hnvoaeun In tho Rural N tew- 
Yokickr of Nov. 6 a lot tor of H. t>. Tellkampf, 
Esq., containing the following statement: 
"As to tho reasons tor deciding Mr. Chamber¬ 
lain's Dock entitled to the llrst prize (at the 
New York Siuto t'Vli ), I have only to refer you 
1 a> the resolution of tlio Society making the 
quality of wool the tost us to the superiority of 
tho sheep." 
Allow me to Inquire If such a rule of the So. 
rimy exists, nppHcahie to all tlus Merinos ex¬ 
hibited, mid, if so, whether it is, as Mr. Tkll- 
UAMPF seems to suppose, the only rule estab¬ 
lished by the Society prescribing “tests" of 
“superiority ” in regard to Merino sheep. Will 
you bo good oiiongli to furnish mo with copies 
of all rides or resolutions of tho Society on tills 
subject iu loro© at tho iltno of the last State 
Fair? Very truly you is, 
Henry S. Randall. 
N. Y. State Anttioct/rmtAt. Society,! 
Albany, Nov. 15,1870. )" 
Hon. II. S. It AND A LI* Cortland Village— Dear 
Sir: [ii reply to your letlor of 11th, I have to 
siy that. T believe there is no resolution or rule* 
upon the records of tho Society making tho 
quality of the wool Hit: te*t of superiority in 
Merinoand that ! am not aware of any rules 
or resolution- of the Society on this subject in 
force at. the time of thO last State Fair, other 
than those printed with tho prize list. 
I hielosu a m!i< dulo of prizes for wool and cir¬ 
cular just received from Sydney, N.S, W., which 
may he of interest to you. 
Yours truly, T. L. IIAIUSON, Soo'y. 
Wo should do violence to our own feel¬ 
ings, mid, we. believe, great injustice to Mr. 
Tellkampf, if we dismissed this subject 
without saying that we have not a particle 
of doubt that be acted with entire good faith 
in this matter—fully believing that such a 
resolution us that mentioned by him had 
been passed by the Society and was still in 
force. 
We might as xvcll take this occasion to 
say that we led it our duty respectfully to 
decline a communication wo have received 
on the “Action of tlie Slate Agricultural 
Society in respect to Merino Sheep,” from 
one of tho most prominent sheep breeders of 
Western New York. He strikes bis blow 
manfully, for he appends his name to his 
communication. But be states nothing 
against the justice of the Merino classifica¬ 
tion and prize list adopted by the Society 
which has not already been ns distinctly set 
forth by us in tlie.se columns, while bis im¬ 
putations on the motives mid conduct—the 
“selfish machinations” ho terms them—of 
two members Of the Executive Committee 
whoso names tiro given, exceed those boun¬ 
daries which, in our judgment, should be 
permitted to personalities, unless they are 
accompanied by positive proof, or rest on 
circumstances which admit of no more fa¬ 
vorable construction. In tho present case, 
tho circumstances do, in our view, admit of 
u more favorable construction. The State 
Society has tried several modes of classify¬ 
ing Merinos, and found them all defective 
iu practice. The present was but another 
exiieriment. We believe it was adopted 
without sufficient consideration — that its 
necessary effects were not foreseen. Butwu 
no more believe the Executive Committee 
intentionally adopted a classification “de¬ 
signed to favor some of their own number” 
or to “ injure the reputation of llm favorite 
variety of Merinos throughout the Slate,” 
or “chose judges whose action was well un¬ 
derstood by each and all of them in ad¬ 
vance,” than we believe the same gentlemen 
would have been guilty of petty larceny. 
After observing its effects, there can lie no 
danger that the experiment will bo repeated 
by upright and sensible men. While wo 
will not refuse to publish temperately word¬ 
ed communications on the subject, wo con- 
less we would prefer now to let this matter 
sleep until the next year's classification of 
sheep, and choice of judges, is made by the 
Slate Agricultural Society. 
-»♦» ■. - - 
WISCONSIN SHEEP SHOW. 
Madison, Wis., Nov. 14, 1870. 
I Ion. II. S. IUnoai.l, LL. D., Cortland 
Village, N. Y .—Dear Sir: In answer to 
your request in Rural New-Yorker of 
Nov. 12, we send you the inclosed slip from 
the Western Farmer:—We regret that there 
was nothing else to report than tlic election 
of officers. A regular meeting with an ad¬ 
dress was announced, but not held. As has 
been the case with many similar associa¬ 
tions, our Wisconsin W. O. A. has been 
mainly maintained by the keepers of Mrri- 
nos.. We hope to see a more general in¬ 
terest in it by the friends of all classes of 
sheep, in future. The show of sheep at Ibe 
Stale Fair in Milwaukee was very creditable. 
Merinos were shown in fair number, and of 
good average excellence. The long wools 
were very good, except the usual mixing of 
the Cols wolds and Leicester#. A consider¬ 
able number—say fifty or more—of these 
breeds were shown by parlies who bad 
brought them from Canada for sale. They 
were in high condition, but many were really 
good sheep. One party lias, in this way, 
distributed nearly one hundred head through 
Wisconsin and Iowa this fall. Messrs. 
Parks of Waukegan, III., made a line show 
of long wools and South Downs — tho latter 
breed was represented by generally excel¬ 
lent specimens. At the Northern Wiscon¬ 
sin Fair the sheep show was much helped 
by Mr. Eli Btilbon, who brought in a con¬ 
siderable number from his flock of 1,500 
Merinos. 
Wincoiiniu Wool Growers’ Amorim ion. 
The Wisconsin Wool Growers’ Associa¬ 
tion did not hold its annual meeting at the 
time announced, but held a meeting on the 
Slate Fair Grounds, at 2 P. M,, Sept. 2!), 
and re-elected Hie former officers: Presi¬ 
dent— Eli Sttt.soN, Oshkosh. Vice I ’resi¬ 
dents—G, F. Wheeler, O. Cook. Secretary 
—Titos. Goodhue, Whitewater. Treasurer 
—C. K. Stewart, Danville. Executive Com¬ 
mittee—If. Richards, Racine; W. B. Kings¬ 
bury, Ripon; E. S. Hammond, Fond tin 
Lac; C. A. Lewis, Sun Prairie; II. II. Dixon, 
Ifipon. 
-♦♦♦- 
FOOT-ROOT IS IT INFECTIOUS? 
The National Live Stock Journal pub¬ 
lished a portion of the prize essay by Mr. 
Hugh Borthwick, in which the position is 
taken that loot-root in sheep is not, infec¬ 
tions, but, that, the disease is attributable to 
tile inllucnco of soil and pasture. It may 
possibly be that in Scotland and England 
(the, experience of Mr. Borthwick we believe 
is confined to the flocks of those countries) 
the disease is not disseminated by the con¬ 
tact of infected animals vvitli healthy ones, 
though we by no means accept it as settled 
that such is the ease. It certainly would 
prove a great misfortune to have so erro¬ 
neous an impression obtain to any extent 
among the sheep raisers of tho United 
States. The publication of tho views of Mr. 
B. called forth the following reply from (lie 
editor of this department of the Western 
Rural: 
“Tho views of Mr. Borthwick are, by no 
means, peculiar to himself, being entertained 
by several other English writers, and occa¬ 
sionally finding an advocate in this country 
—among them, if memory serves me aright, 
the veterinary editor of a leading agricultu¬ 
ral journal of Gliicago. Now, my decided 
conviction, based upon an experience of over 
ten years—handling during that time an 
average of 5,000 sheep—is, that foot-rot is 
contagious—highly so—ami that, so far as 
our North wester u Slates are concerned, the 
disease is contracted in no other manner. 
“ A recent conversation with Messrs. (j. T. 
and !). T. Iloppin, Hie McConnells,and sev¬ 
eral other gentlemen who are recognized as 
the pioneers of sheep husbandry in Illinois, 
and as conducting the business on a large 
scale, elicited the information that their 
flocks were eufircly free from foot-rot. for 
some twenty years, and that no inconve¬ 
nience was experienced from that disease 
until the years 1803 and 1803, when the Stale 
was Fairly overrun with diseased sheep from 
Ohio, Pennsylvania, and other Eastern 
Slates. To wluit peculiar condition of soil, 
or herbage, or atmosphere, can the presence 
of foot-rot in the (locks of Central Illinois in 
1801 he traced, that in all probability did not 
exist at some time during the preceding 
twenty years? The manner of handling the 
stock had not changed. No more than the 
usual depth of winter’s mud, or the annual 
average growth of summer’s herbage, (con¬ 
ditions most favorable to the spread of the 
disease,) had been encountered. And to-day, 
though more than five times the labor is 
yearly bestowed upon the feet, of the flocks of 
this State, there was before the disease be¬ 
came so generally disseminated, ‘ the trail of 
the serpent is over them all’—with excep¬ 
tions few and far between. 
“ Again, the opinion of most writers on 
the diseases of the sheep is against Mr. Borth¬ 
wick and Ilia school. Youalt, who left so 
little unsaid concerning the diseases of do¬ 
mestic animals, says, on page MO of his work 
on the sheep," There can be no doubt that 
the foot rot is contagions.” And then goes 
on to give the peculiar conditions and cir¬ 
cumstances that ho deemed “more than 
sufficient for the absorption of' the vims and 
the production of the disease.” His first 
step toward the eradication of the disease 
from a flock, is " the removal of every sheep 
that begins to halt," and forbids their return 
to the flock until they are perfectly healed. 
“Dr. 11 B. Randall, the recognized Amer¬ 
ican authority on all matters relating to (lie 
sheep and sheep liusbaudry, on page 370 of 
“ The Practical Shepherd,” says“ 1 should 
esteem that man out, of his senses, who, 
after having very extended opportunities for 
observing its origin, and for tracing its his¬ 
tory in any particular region, should doubt 
its direct, decided, and (after sufficient ex¬ 
posure of healthy animals to its virus) uni¬ 
form contagiousness.” The late Mr. Samuel 
P. Boardnmn, as his writings and speeches 
abundantly testify, entertained views identi¬ 
cal with those of the writers above quoted ; 
and if there is a flock-master in the United 
States who has had any experience with the 
disease, that dissents from them, l have 
never heard of him. For my own port, I 
would as readily consent to have half a 
dozen hungry dogs—yes, wolves or she 
bears—let loose in a flock, as an equal num¬ 
ber of foot-rot. sheep.”— A. M. Garland , in 
Westarn Rural. 
n lUnxmtrtr. 
GRAPE TESTS. 
Rrpovtol'llie Scrrriiiry o( tin- Cnminiltoc of 
flic I’lennnnt Vnllry llrttpi! (Ji'OWCVk 1 Afi- 
noeltitioii, ili«• (inniv TchIn, itt Ilnm- 
nioii'Npnrl, X, Y„ Oi l. I’Z, IN7IL 
fOnicliiilcjil from a"gn IU8, hist Nn.| 
Concord. 
Pleasant Valley Wine Go.—Sugar, 171 lbs. 
Acid, 550 100,000. Soil, and all oilier things 
the same as in Emnolans, except that there 
was no summer pruning, and they were set 
8 feet apart. 
Arilrontfnc* 
Pleasant Valiev Wine Co.— Sue/ar, 181 lbs. 
Acid, 500 100,000. All other particulars the 
same as for Eumclans. 
TIicndoMin. 
E. S. Salisbury, Adams, N. Y.—This va¬ 
riety is newly introduced to tho public, 
though Air. Salisbury 1ms fruited it, for six 
years past, lie states that the original vine 
lias this year borne 70 lbs. of grapes, lie 
also says that it is hardy amt hears well, ma¬ 
king a pleasant red wine. It is named Theo¬ 
dosia, filler his wife. Huffar, 137 lbs. Acid , 
1,133-100,000. Picked, Sepl. 12 Uj. No other 
particulars. 
RECAPITULATION OF AVERAGES 
Vaiuetv. 
Sugar, by 
Twit, bull’* 
fecalo. 
Sugar bv 
* ><•. (min'* 
Scuio, 
Add. 
rntu vr Du. 
. 202 . 2:1 is* 
0014* 
720 100.000 
Isabella. 
.1711.28 Him 
7!H<* 
MSI a o.i Km 
Dili im. 
.101 
ib« 
87“ 
Ml 100,000 
a mil. 
. eio.uu a,* 
06 q* 
urn um,mm 
Dolawuco. 
. 2U.6U 
lb* 
Ins ■ 
w;i Hm.mm 
Winter. 
.lau 
III* 
in;,:, ’ 
:i7i, loo.ooo 
Itiii llnn .. 
. ‘i'll 
IIih 
600 1011,000 
Kiimijlnii . 
,l»tn 
ib* 
jor 
nm lot),am 
I’lllMillll. 
lb* 
:mv 
um lim.imn 
Norton's Viralnlu. 
.210 
ib.* 
07 S" 
um hhi.ooo 
Clinton. 
. 2irY 
lb* 
OIS* 
imo too,am 
I'nneard. 
.LI 
Ib* 
7il“ 
xv) iim.ooo 
Tim,,S ,.-.hi. 
.iiar 
II,* 
Hasp 
li:d inn,non 
I.iniellii. 
..Ms 
Ib* 
70S 
:mn iim.mm 
Adll’nlplm 1 .. 
1*1 
li,:. 
82 V 
Hin loo ,000 
1 Sint.m Hoclling. 
, am 
is* 
n".;-; 1 
Rank of CriipCM 
Willi 
UcHFcei io Smear 
till* Year. 
1. Raritan; 2. Delaware; 11. Walter; 4. 
Emnelan; 0. Pulliam; 0. Iona; 7. Nor¬ 
ton’s Virginia; 8. Clinton; 0. Catawba; 10. 
Diana; 11. Clinton Seedling; 12. Adiron- 
dac; 13. Isabella; 14. Istaella; 15. Con¬ 
cord ; 10. Theodosia. 
Rank «>f Gi'itpvi* with Respect to Acid. 
I. Walter; 2. Emnelan; 2. Putnam; 3. 
lamella; 3. Adirondac; 4. Concord; 5. 
Raritan: 5. Delaware; 0. Isabella; 7. 
Diana; 8. Iona; 0. Catawba; 10. Norton's 
Virginia Seedling; 10. Clinton; II. Theo¬ 
dosia. 
The difference between Raritan, which is 
first on the list and Theodosia, which is the 
lowest, is 114 IDs. of sugar in the 100 gallons 
of juice. It contains 7 more lbs. of sugar 
that) the Delaware, and 17 fits, more than 
the Waller, which stand next below it upon 
the list. 
Tim difference between Waller (which 
stands first) ancl Theodosia (which stands 
last in rank) with respect to acid, is 758- 
100 000. It contains 25-100,000 less acid 
than Emnelan and Putnam, which stand 
next below it on the list. 
The Raritan being a new grape, not hav¬ 
ing been tested before, can only he said to 
bo a very promising variety, leaving its 
value In be finally settled by the results of 
following years. This caution is shown to 
lie necessary by the anomalous development 
of sugar in the Delaware during the present 
season, it living far ahead of all previous 
records. Any one who should estimate its 
value by its record of the present year, 
would be most, cgregiously deceived, as in a 
series of years it would fall very far below it. 
Tho cultivation of the Walter has been 
greatly extended during the past year, and 
all accounts concur iu showing that it is a 
hardy and vigorous grower. Still, as tho 
present year lias been so exceptionally favor¬ 
able to tDo growth of ail sorts of grapes, wc 
must suspend our final judgment with regard 
to its hardiness, and its adaptation to differ¬ 
ent soils and climates, until it has been li sted 
further under more unfavorable circum¬ 
stances. We can only say at present that it lias 
not vet been known to sutler from mildew 
and rotnslonas and Delawares have suffered 
in former years. Bo far, the Walter, with re¬ 
spect to sugar and acid, has been singularly 
uniform; it has been neither depressed by 
adverse influences or elevated by favorable 
ones; it appears the least likely to fluctuate 
in its qualities, and to remain true to one 
standard of excellence through all tho vicis¬ 
situdes of seasons of uny grape now known 
to the vincyardist. 
As compared with tho Iona, its chief com¬ 
petitor for public favor, it has— 
1. A thicker skin. This makes it less desira¬ 
ble as a dessert grape; hut, on the other hand, 
it makes it more valuable for vineyardists 
Who live at considerable distances from mar 
ket, as it will bear transportation much 
better. 
2. A tougher pulp; this gives the Iona 
the advantage over it as a dessert grape, as it 
has very little pulp. 
3. Its skin is absolutely tasteless, and can 
he chewed any length of time without ex¬ 
hibiting any sapidity whatever. This is a 
very great advantage, as it is well known 
that the taste of the skin of the Catawba, for 
example, is exceedingly unpleasant, and 
makes the tongue sore if any considerable 
number arc eaten, and alwnys leaves an un¬ 
pleasant taste in tho month. The Iona lias 
far less taste in the skin than the Catawba, 
hut more Ilian the Waller, which, us wo have 
said, is tasteless. 
4. Its odor is more agreeable than most 
other kinds, but to ns the odor is not quite 
as pleasant ns that of the Iona. 
o. its flavor is very rich ami delicious, 
more sprightly Hum Hie Delaware or Hie Kit 
melan, biu |e . o, in our judgment, I lian the 
Iona, indeed, we think that, for a racy, 
sprightly, agreeable flavor, the Iona has 
never been surpassed. 
0. It ripens at the center as soon ns it 
does at the cireumferaiice. The same can 
ho said of the Iona, and very nearly of the 
Delaware, hut of no others that now occur 
to us. In this respect, the Walter and the 
Iona stand on the same level. 
7. They stand very much alike with re¬ 
spect to size of Imncli and berry, to should¬ 
ering and compactness. 
8. With respect to sugar and acid the 
Waller lias uniformly stood above, tin: Iona. 
9. So fur as it has been tried the Waller 
has proved unusually hardy, vigorous, and 
prolific. In previous years the Iona has 
proved deficient in these respects; during 
the present year it has been surpassed by 
none in the luxuriance of its growth, or the 
ripening of its wood. 
Looking over the whole field it seems 
probable to us that the Iona will l^ecome the 
chief favorite lor Hie table, and the Walter 
lor u wine grape. 
One of l lie most promising of the new va¬ 
rieties presented was a White Clinton seed¬ 
ling by Mr. Ricketts, which had a very 
agreeable flavor and was very Juicy. It is 
not unlikely that this will assume u high 
rank hereafter. 
I tilliietice of Soil on (Jolor of Cranes. 
Our aliention whs called to the difference 
of color between grapes grown on clayey 
soils and those grown on gravelly soils. 
Those on the former were invariably darker 
and more glossy, and would he pronounced 
on tl judgment rendered by the eye to he 
richer than those which hud been grown on 
gravelly soils which were lighter in color 
and loss covered with bloom. But the aac- 
eliaioineter and ncidometer reversed these 
decisions, and showed that the richest grapes 
were those which were not grown on clay 
soils. 
It seems dear that the season of 1870 has 
been more favorable to grapes than any year 
that lias preceded it since observations have 
commenced. Every kind, save Concords, 
have flourished in an unprecedented manner, 
and these have only been affected in some 
isolated localities. We have reason to believe 
that the wines made this year will long be 
famous for their delicacy and flavor. 
It seems evident that the exhibitors of 
grapes should he questioned more closely 
with respect to various circumstances af¬ 
fecting their growth, in their respective lo¬ 
calities, than they have been heretofore. 
1 n II ii cure ill' Exposure. 
It will he observed that there are great 
discrepancies among grapes of the same va¬ 
riety, which the answers to the questions 
submitted this year fail to account for. Thus 
among the Catawhas, there was a difference 
of forty-six pounds of sugar on the one hun¬ 
dred gallons. Wo can account for part of 
this difference, from the amount of water 
which hail been evaporated from Mr. Wag¬ 
ner's grapes lie fore they were brought to 
the press; hut how can wo account tor the 
difference of twenty pounds between the 
grapes of Mr. Hyatt and those of Air. 
Moore? The exposure of tho first is to¬ 
wards the southeast, and of the last towards 
the east. Does tho difference between an 
eastern and ft southeastern exposure make 
the difference iu the amount of sugar pro¬ 
duced ? 
C. II. Perry and the Pleasant Valley 
Wine (Jo. boll) have grapes having precisely 
the same amount of sugar in them. The 
first has a Southern and the latter a South¬ 
eastern exposure. It would not seem from 
this that a Southern sun Imd a very magical 
effect in augmenting the amount of sugar iu 
tho grape. The amount, of acid iu both is 
also very nearly equal. Mr, E. W. Parker's 
grapes contain live pounds less of sugar than 
those of the Pleasant Valley Wine Co.; but 
his exposure Is East by South while theirs is 
Southeastern. Tho grapes of the Urbana 
Wine Co. contain seven pounds less of sugar 
with a Western exposure than those of the 
Pleasant Valley Wine Co. with a Boulh- 
eastern exposure; but on the other hand, 
they contain six pounds more of sugar Hum 
those of Air. II. O. Fairchild which haven 
Sou thorn exposure. Mr. Perry and Air. 
Fairchild both have the same exposure 
towards the Booth, but tho former lias thir¬ 
teen pounds less sugar than the latter Mr. 
Levi Millspauoii, with an Eastern ex¬ 
posure, has twenty' pounds less of sugar than 
the Urbana Wine Co., with a Western ex¬ 
posure ; but he has 42-100,000 lrss of acid. 
In Catawhas we have seen that Mr. II. O. 
Fairchild, with a Sou thorn exposure, was 
beaten six pounds by the Urbana Wine Co. 
with a Western exposure; but in Isabellas 
the situation is completely reversed and lie 
beats them in his turn by eight pounds. Then 
in Dianas the case is again reversed; the 
Urbana Wine Co. again heat him by 8 lbs., 
and AI.&O. BaMCock, with a Northwestern 
exposure, heat him by the same amount. 
With Diana "rapes llie Pleasant Valiev Wine 
Co. with a Southeastern exposure, heal C. 
LI. Perry with a. BoiUlioni exposure nine 
pounds, and Elisha A. Roff, with an 
Eastern exposure, fifteen poll mV-. 
The lonas afford some good examples ( f 
this matter. The Pleasant Valley Wine Co 
boats E. A. Roff thirty-one pounds iu ur ir, 
both having an Eastern exposure; C. II. 
Perry sixteen pounds, with a Southern < \ 
posure, and the Urbana Wine (Jo. twelve 
pounds, with a Western. exposure. Outlie 
other hand the latter Company heat Mr. 
Perry with a Southern exposure, four 
pounds. 
But it is noedloss to pursue this subject 
farther as our readers will doubtless make 
these, minute comparisons for themselves. 
On carefully collating and comparing all the 
results obtained this year, it would seem that 
in the long run and iu the greatest number 
of cases, Eastern and Southern aspects have 
an advantage over Northern and Western 
ones. But, it is subject, to so many modi ly¬ 
ing circumstances that its influence is pro¬ 
bably less than has been generally supposed. 
Hudson River Valley C rant's. 
We hope to see a more numerous repre¬ 
sentation of the grapes of the Hudson River 
Valley next year; the representatives were 
not, numerous enough from that region this 
year to establish any very decided results; 
but as far as it went it appeared to.show that 
tho grapes of Central New York were richer 
than those of the Hudson River Valley. 
There was no intimation in any of the 
reports that any fertilizers had been applied 
to the vineyards. We think this should ho 
distinctly stated hereafter. 
All the circumstances of cultivation seem 
very similar in all the reports. None of the 
vines are trained to posts, and all are trained 
to wine trellis. Alostof the vines are young; 
the distance between the vines is wry yen 
orally eight feet both ways. In some eases 
the cultivation is done wholly with tho lme. 
Ill the greatest number of eases they me 
hoed and plowed twice; hut in a number of 
instances, besides plowing and hoeing, the 
rows are repeatedly run through with the 
cultivator, which, we think, will he found to 
he the best way No weed should ever he 
allowed to obtain a foothold in u vineyard. 
We cannot, close the report without an 
allusion to the pleasant social enjoyment 
which marked the gathering. Aluch useful 
inlormation was exchanged between the 
visitors and the visited, and tho graceful and 
genial hospitalities of Ihr people of Ham 
mondspoi't were never more pleasantly ex 
cruised. To Mr. Chaaipi.in, President of 
the Pleasant. Valley Wine Co.; Air. Davis, 
President, of the Urbana Wine C’o.; Dr. 
Van Reuben, Mr. Young love, and Air. 
Banter our thanks and acknowledgments 
are especially due. 
At, our last meeting we were offered a new 
wine, made from a difleront combination of 
grapes, and by a different process front soy 
that lias been attempted before. It met with 
the hearty ami unanimous approbation of 
the whole company, the flavors of all tho 
grapes being so harmoniously blended that 
no one of them predominates; and the 
whole forms ft Combination of Such exquisite 
richness and delicacy that it, can hardly ho 
surpassed. We think tliat, those who Jove 
good wine have a most unexpected treat iu 
store, and it would not surprise us if it was ad¬ 
mitted by unanimous consent to he not only 
the heat wine ever made in America, lint 
bettor than uny Unit lma been made iu 
Europe. 
Tlierinomctvlcnl A driotuln. 
I append a statement of the range of tho 
thermometer the past season at Pleasant. 
Valley, prepared liy T. M. Younglovk: 
Time Taken. 
0 A.M. 
12 M. 
0 I*. ,M.| 
A aril. 
.him) .. 
July. 
August. 
September,... 
.'IK' 
51 K° 
AR¬ 
BS’ 
IS)'’ 
no* 
67* 
or.K* 
70” 
7»" 
77" 
70‘ 
46* 
W.V 
l!8* 
711 " 
Iff* 
ffl 
John Stanton Gould, 
