162 
THI RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
5 
and can detect no change whatever in leaf or 
general habit. The only deviation, besides 
that of color in th e fruit, is in the color of the 
tendrils, three of the so-called white varieties 
—Scuppernong and Peedee—having pale 
greenish tendrils, while the purple kinds have 
purple tendrilB. 
There is undoubtedly a good field here open 
for experimenting and improving the vigorous 
and prolific Southern grape. In every case 
that has come under my observation, the seed¬ 
lings of Scuopernong have reverted to the 
original black grape. Of some 50 or 60 seed¬ 
lings that I have raised from selected fruit, all 
were black and inferior to the parent. I have 
no doubt, however, that with systematic and 
persevering endeavors, better varieties may be 
obtained. Taking advantage of the tendency 
to variation in this as in other grape seedlings, 
some variely may yet be found of better quality 
and earlier habile, so as to be capable of culti¬ 
vation further North. 
Aiken County, S. C. 
THE GOOSEBERRY. 
The editor of this paper has oefore now 
given his opinion that it is sometimes as use¬ 
ful to tell our failures as our successes, and 
with us the gooseberry is only a partial suc¬ 
cess. In the early days of our horticultural 
experience, when we were more sanguine 
than now, our garden wub planted with Crown 
Bob, Whitesmith and Roaring Lion. For some 
years they grew well and bore a fair crop of 
enormous berries? but one unfavorable sea¬ 
son brought mildew and, strange to say, the 
fruit was never afterward clear of the pest, 
which seemed to settle down into an incurable 
disease. So, to my regret, the strong-growiug 
bushes were uprooted, and in their places the 
Houghton Seedling was planted. Thie, though 
small, has several good qualities, it is very 
prolific, clear of mildew, almost free of 
treacherous thorns, and the fruit can be 
quickly and easily stripped from the bushes. 
But it brings only half price in the market, 
and during a hot, dry season at the time of 
ripening, the whole crop scalded on the 
bushes, although there was pleniy of leaves, 
as we are not overwhelmed by the ravages of 
the caterpillar. For this there is no remedy 
unless mulching would be of avail, which 
would be quite an expensive operation, our 
system being one of clean culture. My atten¬ 
tion has been attracted by a variety called 
Smith’s Improved, and last season, in the cat¬ 
alogue of a reliable dealer, I saw it 
noticed as “quite free from mildew." The 
temptation to purchase was strong, and but 
for heavy expressage I should have done so, 
but concluded to wait till Spring. The new 
catalogue of the same dealer says “almost free 
from mildew,” and I wait farther develop¬ 
ments. But we want a large, hardy, prolific 
gooseberry, as good in its place as a Concord 
among grapes. It is well known that in the 
vicinity of large, cities this fruit is not liable to 
mildew—is it owing to the dryness of the air, 
or some peculiar property of the smoke and 
gas ? If any one has had experience on this 
point, I shall be glad to learn, Meanwhile, 
what shall we plant for profit ? 
Annie L. Jack. 
-- 
GRAPES IN CALIFORNIA. 
CHAKI.ES H. SHINN. 
MANT’persons believe that the leading and 
most profitable industry in California will ulti¬ 
mately be viniculture in all its branches. They 
point to the extent of territory adapted to this 
purpose, and to the opportunities made for us 
by the comparative failure of the French 
vineyards, For two years past the one re¬ 
markable feature of horticultural talk on this 
coast has been the grape question; and it is 
good to see the real courage and positive en¬ 
thusiasm of the grape growers as a class. 
They have outlived their fears and conquered 
their earlier difficulties. Time, labor and pa¬ 
tience. so we believe, are now the only ele¬ 
ments needed to make California, for good or 
for evil, a great grape-growing 8tate, 
Most of the progress made has been within 
the past five years. In 1876 about 4,000 acres 
of vines were plauted out in addition to the area 
already in vineyard ; in 1877, 5,000 acres ; in 
1878, 7,000 acres ; in 1879, 9,000 acres; and in 
1880, 10,000 acres. This added acreage is sup¬ 
posed to represent about 35,000,000 vines. 
Nearly 65.000 acres are now planted to vines 
in this State. It is difficult to estimate how 
much will be planted this year; but the season 
is very favorable, and the growers report an 
astonishing sale of cuttings. Thousands of 
small farmers are preparing to set out five or 
ten acreB apiece. Many persons of means de¬ 
sign to plant large vineyards. The work has 
already begun. February is considered the best 
time to plant. To guard against the phyllox¬ 
era some use cuttings of American vines; oth¬ 
ers are testing our wild grape (Vitis Califor- 
nica) as a resistant stock; others depend on 
winter-flooding the soil, or choose isolated 
spots and propose to fertilize well, and use 
bi sulphide of carbon on the first appearance of 
evil. If, on this pleasant morning in later 
January, sunlit and beautiful, one might over¬ 
look the whole State from Modoc to 8at. Diego, 
wheat-sowing and the planting of vineyards 
and orchards would appear the most salient 
features of the spring-time land, fresh with 
countless flowers and glad with hopes unnum¬ 
bered. 
I have spoken of 65,000 acres now planted in 
vines. Arpad Haraszthy, President of the State 
Vinicnltural Association, and one of the lead¬ 
ing grape-growers and wine-makers, thinks 
that the vines at present planted ought to pro¬ 
duce 20,000,000 gallons of wine within four 
vears from now, or, allowing for the raisins, 
brandy, and table grapes used, they cau safely 
be counted on for 15,000,000 gallons. The wine 
product of last year was 11,000,000 gallons, 
worth $3,500,000. The 400,000 gallons of 
brandy made are worth $600,000. The raisin 
crop counts for $100,000, and the table grapes 
for as much more. Definite encouragement as 
this gives, it seems Btnall enough when com¬ 
pared with what is hoped for in the near future. 
Investigators generally agree that about 40,- 
000,000 acres of land within the limits of this 
State are adapted to grape culture. Much 
of this is government land, or railroad land, 
for sale at a low price. Some of it was wheat 
land, but the continuous robbing of the soil for 
thirly years has exhausted it for the cereals. 
California, though only six-sevenths as large 
as France, has six or eight times as much land 
suited to grape-growing purposes. We should 
have to plant vineyards at the rate of 10,000 
acres a year for more than 50 years, before the 
Iobs occasioned in France by the phylloxera 
would be supplied. The wine product of Cali¬ 
fornia now is only ont-380 th part of that of the 
world. Switzerland produces as much as this 
State, and 6ome of oar counties are larger 
than Switzerland and have twenty times as 
much grape land. Some men who plant vine¬ 
yards will choose unsuitable soil or poor kinds 
of grapes, or will neglect to give them proper 
care. The result will be failure. The culture 
of ether fruit and vegetables, will occupy the 
attention of many horticulturists. So, on the 
whole, the grape growers do not think that the 
business can be overdone for matiy years to 
come. 
The phylloxera is undoubtedly a danger here, 
though it travels slowly and is only known in 
a limited belt north of the Bay of San Fran¬ 
cisco, and in a few isolated vineyards else¬ 
where. The pest can be kept within its present 
limits and gradually destroyed. So far the 
vine-growers have agreed to levy a sufficient 
lax for inaugurating this good work. A gradu¬ 
ate of the State University has established a 
factory to make bisulphide of carbon. 
The largest vineyards in California are in 
the counties of Sonoma, Napa. Santa Clara, 
Yolo, Los Angeles, aud San Barnadino, though 
almost every county has bearing vines of, at 
least, the old Mission variety. Some of the 
largest vineyards cover 500 or more acres, aud 
are managed with great skill aud energy. The 
grape belt of the Slate lies along the Coast 
Range, from San Diego to Mendocino, occupy¬ 
ing numbers of small valleys aud extending 
over uplands and slopes, but seldom lying lcs6 
than ten miles from the sea. It crosses the 
great central valley of California skirting the 
boundary hills, sometimes extending entirely 
across the lowlands, and in a measure it occu¬ 
pies the region from Kern to Shasta. It also 
winds in an irregular ribbon along the Sierra 
foot-hills, extending np the gradual slopes till 
the climate becomes too cold for European 
giapeB. Above thiB limit there are extensive 
tracts where Clintous, Catawbas and other 
Americau varieties flourish. In this extensive 
territory each vintner can be suited. Here are 
places in which to plant the favorite vines of 
Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Madeira, and 
more northern favorites. It is fair to suppose 
that time will discover here and there locations 
of unique merit, vineyards of almost inex¬ 
pressible value. Dr. James Blake, an acute 
observer, thinks that parts of Lake County 
may possibly produce wine of unusual quality. 
Little has yet been done. Those who choose 
the volcanic soils on the hills mu6t not expect 
to raise crops nearly 60 heavy as are raised in 
the valleys. 
Mai y calculations have been made as regards 
the cost of starting a vineyard in California. 
On land costing $5 > per acre, near to market and 
in a good neighborhood, a vineyard can be plant¬ 
ed aud cared for through the fifth vear for $125 
per acre, including first cost of the land. After 
that, cultivating, gathering and hauling ought 
to be done for $20 per acre per year. Four 
tons of grapes per acre—which is a low aver¬ 
age—at $25 per ton, give a profit of $S0 per 
acre, from which, however, the interest on the 
cost, $125, must be taken. In authenticated 
cases yieids of eight, ten, and even fifteen tons 
per acre are reported. Since the prices paid 
for grapes were last year often as high as $30 
per ton, it will be seen that large profits have 
been secured. Men have paid for vineyards 
from the profits of two years’ crops, and wine¬ 
makers have in several cases rented vineyards 
for a term of ten years at a cash rent of $50 
per acre per year. Some of the cases reported 
by local lournals border on the fabulous ; but 
the true and unbiased thing to say is, that 
in the last three or four years the vine-growers 
have undoubtedly been the most prosperous 
class on the coast, and are doing all they can 
to prepare for still greater victories. 
The various societies, local and State, de¬ 
voted to horticultural matters are taking np 
the subjects of diseases of trees and vines, cul¬ 
ture, and varieties, and each day brings ont 
some new experiment of iuterest. Nomencla¬ 
ture is rather mixed, owing to confusion 
among different importations and the loss of 
labels, and the State Vinicultural Society is 
wrestling with this problem. As regards dis¬ 
eases. Professor Hilgard, of the State Univer¬ 
sity, is doing good work through correspond¬ 
ence and personal observation. Among ratber 
recent importations of varieties of grapes was 
the noted Almeria, a fine shipping grape for 
table use, and grown cbitfiy in Portugal. Some 
experiments, not yet far advanced, are being 
made with seedlings and hybrids of the be6t 
foreign grapes. 
San Francisco Co., Cal. 
-» ♦ » 
GRAFTING GRAPE-YINE8. 
In various ways the attention of the public 
has been specially drawn of late years to the 
relations of stocks and cions of grape-vineB, but 
nothing has stimulated investigation so much 
as tbs loss of millions of money all over West¬ 
ern Europe from injuries inflict'd by the phyl¬ 
loxera. Experiments with all kinds of grape¬ 
vines have been tried, and all 6orts of remedies 
employed, but, in spite of the largest rewards, 
the evil has not aa yet been overcome. The 
attention given to the foreign problem by all 
nations of Western Europe and America has 
naturally given a new impetus to the interest 
taken in grafting vines in the United States. 
People are beginning to think of the advantage 
it would be to the Delaware and other grape¬ 
vines of moderate vigor in most sections, it 
they could be sustained and strengthened by a 
strong-growing stock like the Concord and 
Clinton. Others go even farther and ask them¬ 
selves why health and endurance as well as 
vigor of growth might not be communicated 
by the stock to the cion—why a variety liable to 
mildew might not be kept pure and unblighted 
by grafting it on a rugged kind. These are, of 
course, as yet mooted questions, not exactly 
in regard to the fact that stocks and cions 
affect each other, but in regard to the char¬ 
acter and results ot special unions of stocks 
and cions. Why people have not grafted 
grape-vines more, both in Europe and America, 
must be explained by the fact that we are ap¬ 
parently forced, or think ourselves forced, to 
employ cheap methods; but the time is fast 
approaching when the value of grafting grape¬ 
vines with skill aud intimate knowledge of the 
idiosyncrasies of special kinds, is bound to 
force itself into notice. 
This subject of grafting grape-vines cau 
hardly receive too much attention, for there is 
reason to hope that some of the most difficult 
problems of grape growing will eventually be 
solved, at least in part, by a happy selection 
and union of stock and cion. 
S. PAH 80 N 8 , Jr. 
TWO PECULIAR BLACKBERRIES. 
Crystal White.— This is so very different 
from all other blackberries, it may be regard¬ 
ed as a veritable prodigy. What it is or where 
it orignated is as yet an unanswerable ques¬ 
tion. The best information I have been able 
to obtain is to the effect that it was found 
growing wild in Eastern Illinois, and it appears 
to be an example of albinism in the blackberry 
(just as the Yellow Cap Raspberries are albinos 
of the Black Cap species); but of what species 
I am unable to determine. The cants are of 
strong, upright growth; are in no way an 
exception to those of the popular cultivated 
varieties in thorniness; are of a pale yellowish- 
green color and are abundantly furnished with 
light-gray foliage—quite distinct in color aud 
shape from any of the cultivated black varie¬ 
ties. Berries, of medium size, rather long, as 
shown by Figure 111, nearly always perfect, 
and regular in form, clear, translucent white; 
exceedingly sweet, quite spicy but somewhat 
insipid. I would not class the fruit as “ best” 
or even “very good” in quality, it resembling, 
in this respect, the common white mulberry. 
Like those of some varieties of strawberries, 
the blossoms are deficient in, if not destitute 
of, stamens, and it needs to be planted con¬ 
tiguous to a stamen-bearing variety to fer¬ 
tilize it, when it is excessively productive, set¬ 
ting fruit in Bueh masses as oflen to cause the 
stout canes to break or bend to the earth with 
the weight. Having passed unharmed the 
Winter of 1S79-S0, which was notable tor its 
many sudden changes in temperature, I had 
thought it hardy ; bat the past Winter I find 
has been too severe for it, for its laterals have 
killed back considerably. While it is striking¬ 
ly beautiful in fruit and intensely interesting, 
it will, I am disposed to think, ever be valued 
more as a curiosity than anything else. 
French Thornless.— There are a score or 
more of so-called "Thornless” varieties of the 
blackberry, such as Hoosic Thornless, Dodge’s 
Thornless, Wachmett ThornleSs, etc., none of 
which are thornless, correctly speaking, and 
which have given rise to the assertion, 
“Thornless Blackberries produce more thorns 
than berries.” There is little room for doubt 
hut the “Thornless” of which I now write (see 
Fig. 133. p. 150) is a variety of the European 
6pecies (Rubus fruticosus) and its caues are 
as free of thorns as willow twigs. It is the 
only truly thornless variety I have yet. seen. 
In habit it is of vigorous but slender, droop¬ 
ing growth. Barries small, very dark purple 
or black, sparkling; are formed of many small 
droops closely wedged together, and are pro¬ 
duced in the greatest profusion. It ripens 
quite early; the berries are sweet aud rich but 
of a rather mawkish flavor. In hardiuess it is 
quite remarkable, not having been injured the 
past severe Wiuter, even at the tips of its 
little wiry branches. On the whole, it u per¬ 
haps more ornamental than useful, although 
a claim of both may justly be made for it. 
Little Silver, N. J. J. T. Lovett. 
The Eumelan Grape — Among all the grapes 
that grow in my collection (aud I have tried 
many varieties the last thirty years), the 
Eumelan, or one that I bought for that grape, 
is one of the best for the table, for the palate 
and for the stomach. Oue may eat of it to 
fullness and no unpleasantness i6 felt. The 
stomach never loathes this grape, but, on the 
contrary, is soon ready for more. As a Winter 
grape, it is unsurpassed. It needs but little 
care to keep it nicety until Mid-winter. It 
keeps well lying ou shelves and only covered 
with two or three thicknesses of paper. The 
room in which it is stored should be dark aud 
cold, but not freezing. It keeps well in three 
or four-pound boxes. If packed in cork dust 
it will keep through the Winter. I left some 
in a room last Fall where they froze and 
thawed three or four times, and in December 
they were quite palatable. For keeping, this 
grape should be thoroughly ripened. 
Glens Falls, N. Y. e. w. k. 
-- •»« » - 
STRAWBERRIES FOR FAMILY USE. 
It seems strange that while the families of 
village and city people usually have a fair sup¬ 
ply of this, the most delicious, the most health¬ 
ful and most easily grown of all the small 
fruits, not one farmer’s family in five has even 
a taste, of the cultivated varieties at any rate, 
to say nothing of a good supply through the 
season; and yet each family might have an 
abundance at one-half or one-fourth the price 
the villager haB to pay for them. If you ask 
householders why they don’t raise strawberries 
for their families, the most common excuse 
is that they cause too much trouble or cost 
more than they are worth. Nothing that is 
worth havingean be had without some trouble 
and a crop of strawberries need not necessarily 
cost more than a crop of cabbageB or potatoes. 
Wishing to know just how much it cost to 
raise a small plot, I kept au account of the ex¬ 
pense of five square rods, on which strawber¬ 
ries were grown for family use last year. The 
plants were set early in the Spring of '79, in 
rows four feet apart, one foot apart in tbe rows. 
They were hoed and weeded outlive times dur¬ 
ing the season, and the runners allowed to 
grow and root all they would, and the ground 
was nearly covered with plants by Fall. 
EXPENSE. 
Plowing and fitting; land.$ .34 
Taking up and netting plants.38 
Cultivating, hoeing and weeding. 2.20 
Commercial fertilizer.60 
Picking fruit. 2.72 
80.14 
The plot produced 186 quarts of berries, 
which supplied a family of eight persons with 
au abundance through the season aud left 65 
quarts to be Bold, which brought, at wholesale, 
13 ceuls per quart, or $8 45—more thau enough 
to pay for the work done on the whole plot. 
But, taking no account of those 60 ld, our ber¬ 
ries cost only about three aud one-third cents 
per quart. No account is made of the plants 
set, because they were of my own growing and 
cost comparatively nothing; but supposing 
they had been purchased at the usual prices, 
the berries would have cost only about five 
cents per quart. It should be remembered 
that the same plot will probably bear a good 
crop this year, with no further expense except 
that for picking the berries and a dollar or 
two for fertilizer. I should add thut the va¬ 
rieties were Downer’s Prolific, Charles Down¬ 
ing and Kentucky ; and if there are three more 
reliable sorts for family use that will cover the 
strawberry season and be so valuable in other 
respects, it remains, I think, yet to be proved. 
It is well to test the new varieties, and there is 
a good deal of pleasure in it, if one does not 
mind disappointment; but the main depen¬ 
dence had better be placed on the old well- 
tried sorts. L. W. Gooiiell. 
Hampshire Co., Mass. 
— - »♦« - 
Caroliue llaapberry. 
1 noted in a recent number of the Rural the 
remarks of some of your contributors in re- 
