vif]eel for. and all these should be presented to 
the architect before he commences the design. 
Architects have their own ideas as to what 
form the building ought to take, and should be 
allowed to use their own cultivated taste, 
which it has taken years of constant study to 
acquire, and this should not be thrown away 
for any momentary caprice, which the clieut 
would be sorry for in the end. 
£jjr lltncprii. 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL FARM. 
About rapes. 
For the better than twelve years that we 
have owned this farm, a hunch of grapes has 
never been raised hero, that one would care to 
show to a neighbor as a specimen hunch. Some 
of our vines arc trained against the house ; 
others over a double arbor, 75 feet in length, 
that covers a thoroughfare. These vines have 
rarely been pruned, never manured, and have 
been serviceable chiefly fur their shade. In 
our journeyiugs over the country we have seen 
hundreds of such vines similarly uncared for, 
and we have found that many people from 
such unfair tests have concluded that Grapes 
would not thrive with them. When, seven 
years ago, we laid out the Rural Grounds, in 
Bergen Go., New Jersey, our neighbors told 
us, when they saw we were planting many 
different varieties of Grapes, that nothing but 
the Concord would pay us for our trouble. 
Bat when we saw the negligent manner in 
Avhich the Concord was '•cultivated" by them, 
it seemed somewhat remarkable that even that 
accommodating Grape should "pay,” There 
are at this time not less than 100 magnificent 
kinds that have been produced within the past 
leu years, that are known to be prolific, hardy, 
and. in fact, in most respects improvements 
upon well-known sorts, inhere they Originated. 
While, on the one hand, it may be taken for 
grauted that those 100 kinds will not "pay" 
-Frtf. J. 
everywhere, or even under widely different 
conditions of growth, on the other hand, there 
can be no doubt that they will, all of them, 
“pay" in some other parts of the country be¬ 
sides those in which they originated. Where 
these other parts are, is the thing for people to 
flud out. They can never fiud it out by saying 
the "Concord is the only kind that will pay 
with us.” They can never find it out by stick¬ 
ing grape-cuttings, or even roots, in the ground, 
and then leaving them to struggle with weeds 
and grass. We urge it upon onr readers to 
plant. Grape-vines and to give them the little 
care they need. Let those who ean afford to 
do so,purchase the new varieties and test them. 
Let those who cannot afford to make 6uch ex¬ 
periments plant those which are known to 
thrive best in their localities, even though they 
be but Concords. The Concord itself is too 
excellent a fruit to justify anybody in not rais¬ 
ing grapes at all. 
Grape-Arbors. 
Several weeks ago we. prepared a plot of 
ground, about 3ft feet square, for nine different 
kinds of vines. The ground was thrown out 
about 20 inches in depth; t lie poor earth carted 
away; the good mixed with ashes, muck and 
stable manure, aud replaced. Three arbors 
were constructed as shown in fig. 4; set par¬ 
allel to each other, 10 feet apart, as shown in 
fig. 4a. The wood is red cedar, cut down from 
hedge-rows in various parts of the farm. Ar¬ 
bors of this sort are very durable, and, as they 
require little mechanical skill, may be quickly 
‘Thrown together" so as to be decidedly orna¬ 
mental, as well as useful. The bark is left 
upon the i ices and the lateral branches cut off 
Only to within two or three inches of the main 
stem These stumps add to the rustic appear¬ 
ance or the arbor, and are handy projections 
upon wjnen to fasten or tie the growing canes. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Arbors are often made as in fig. 3 with wire 
supports. Or, the braces are sometimes sunk 
beneath the surface of the ground. A more 
convenient and less expensive design, how¬ 
ever, is shown at fig. 1. in which the wood 
strip across the top renders bracing quite 
unnecessary. Fig. 2 merely shows an easy 
method of tightening or loosening the vines, 
as needed. 
It is unusual for us to speak of horticulture 
under "Notes from the Rural Farm.” As a 
rule, our tests of different grains and roots are 
as much as, indeed, more than, we can well 
attend to here, so that horticulture in all its 
branches, has been hitherto entirely neglected. 
The Rural Grounds, however, are at present 
so full of experiment things that we are now 
obliged to send hither plants that can no longer 
be accommodated there. 
-- 
GRAPE ROT AND ITS CAUSES. 
Discussion at the lnte Pomologicol Meeting. 
M. B. BA.TEITAM. 
Manj readers, and some editors, of agri¬ 
cultural papers, do not appreciate the impor¬ 
tance of this topic, or understand what gr*?Ui 
losses are annually sustained by the people of 
the country at large, and especially ot Western 
States, from the malady called grape rot. I 
have noticed that a majority of the writers 
who have given reports of the discussions at 
the late meeting of the American Pomological 
Society at Rochester, have passed over what 
was said on this subject, as of very little ac¬ 
count, or, with the remark that nothing new 
in relation to it was elicited, and that the 
speakers disagreed, etc. This, to my mind, 
only shows that these reporters did not give 
attention to what was said, or were uot pres¬ 
ent at the time, and only picked up the items 
for their reports from the city papers. 
To correct these impressions, and to afford 
those who were not at the meeting Borne idea 
of what was said, I give the following ab¬ 
stract from ray notes; and I am convinced 
that those who have suffered from grape rot, 
and are familiar with what has heretofore been 
published on the subject, will admit that more 
progress was made at this meeting than ever 
before towards solving the. vexed problem as 
to the causes of the malady. 
Mr. Isidor Bush, a very intelligent grape 
grower, from Missouri, read an essay giving 
the results of many years’ observations and 
experience with grape rot, correcting some 
popular errors in regard to the nature and 
causes of the mischief aud showing that it does 
not result from any disease of the vine or de¬ 
fect In the soil or cultivation, hut that in some 
way it arises from atmospheric influences—un¬ 
favorable states of the weather—that, as a 
rule, it makes its appearance during hot, sul¬ 
try and damp weather, such as usually ac¬ 
companies thunder storms. Mr. Bush did not 
attempt to explain how Buch weather might 
cause the disease, aud the manner in which he 
alluded to an article of mine on thi6 subject, 
showed that he misapprehended my language, 
in that he supposed I attributed the rot to de¬ 
bility of the viue. On the contrary, I have 
found in all my observations that the more 
luxuriant, the vine, the greater the liability of 
the fruit to rot. 
Alter the close of the essay, I took occasion 
to say a few words on the subject—first dis¬ 
tributing to the audience clusters of Catawba 
aud iona grapes, cut from my vineyard the 
day previous, showing the effects of au attack 
of rot the past summer, three-fourths or more 
of the berries being black and dried up, while 
the rest remained sound, though in some cases 
all are often destroyed by one or more attacks 
of the disease. I said, in substance, that this 
malady had been troublesome to grape grow¬ 
ers iu Ohio for the past thirty years. It first 
caused the destruction of a thousaud acres, or 
more, of promising Catawba vineyards iu the 
neighborhood of Cincinnati, planted by Nich¬ 
olas Longworth and other citizens of that 
place. Afterwards it was thought the Ives’s 
Grape was proof against the disease, and this 
was planted largely for wine making; but 
after bearing a few good crops these vineyards 
also succumbed to the rot, and the wine mak¬ 
ers commenced planting on the lake shore and 
islands us sources of supplies of grapes. 
Iu the mean time it was generally believed that 
the Concord Grape was proof against all dis¬ 
eases. and although not good for wiue, it was 
“the grape for the million,” and its culture for 
the markets was profitable. Hence many vine 
yards, of a few acres each,were planted indiffer¬ 
ent parts of the State, making several thousand 
acres in the aggregate. Within the past four 
or five years the fatal rot has also attacked 
these, excepting iu a few hilly localities, and 
also near the lake shore, and after repeated 
failures of the crops, very many of the vine¬ 
yards have been grubbed out, and grape grow¬ 
ers are, of course, much discouraged through¬ 
out a large porliou of the State. 
For the past six or seveu years, we have 
had. in Ohio, an aggregate of about 10,000 acres 
of vineyards. About half of these are ou the 
lake shore aud islands, aud mostly of the Cat¬ 
awba variety, the fruit being chiefly used for 
wine. The rest of the vineyards are dispersed 
over the State, and cousist mostly of Concord, 
Delaware and other varieties, chiefly for table 
or market. But, while it is known that plant¬ 
ing has been going on to the extent of not less 
than 500 acres per year, in the favorable dis¬ 
tricts, the aggregate of vineyards iu the State 
has decreased fully to the same amount each 
year for several years past, showing that about 
a thousand acres per year have been destroyed 
on accouut of the rot. In this calculation no 
account is made of the tens of thousands of 
home gardens, where once fruitful vines have 
become worthless from the disease. I say, 
then, that there is no topic of more timely im¬ 
portance than this, likely to come before this 
meeting for discussion, or on which more of 
the people are at this time desirous of gaining 
information. 
As to the causes of grape rot:—my observa¬ 
tions of more than twenty years, have led me 
to the same conclusions, in the main, as those 
of my friend, Mr. Bush. The difficulty is cer¬ 
tainly not iu the soil or cultivation, or in the 
vine, or the effects of insect ravages, though 
each of these may increase the liability to dis¬ 
ease. This is especially true of moist or rich 
soiis and sheltered locations. It has long been 
observed iu Ohio that much rain iu June or 
July is sure to be followed by grape rot, when 
succeeded by hot and sultry weather; aud the 
greatest exemption from disease is iu seasons of 
least rainfall in these two summer months, 
especially if there is an absence of close and 
hot, damp weather, as was the ease generally 
the past summer, though one or two thunder 
showers passed over portions of the State, and 
grupe rot followed in their tracks. IL is also 
understood that the peculiar exemption from 
disease, of the island and lake shore vineyards, 
is mainly owing to the small amount of rainfall 
aud the almost entire absence of dews iu that 
section during the summer months, To this 
may, no doubt, be added the greater parity of 
the atmosphere, or its freedom from the spores 
of fungus which generate the rot—the same 
being measurably true of a few elevated and 
hilly localities, which arc fouud favorable for 
Grapes, iu other paris of the State. 
With the foregoing faets admitted, 1 think 
that a little light from science will enable us to 
see what are the causes of grape rot; although 
it may not be so easy to discover the means of 
its prevention The conditions, as stated, arc: 
thrifty vines, moisture of the soil from rains, 
with hot weather, causing an abundant Uow 
of sap; thiB requiring that evaporation should 
go on rapidly from the leaves, to carry off the 
watery portion of the sap, iu order that the 
vital processes of elaboration and assimilation 
may proceed, and for this there must be sun¬ 
shine aud air. But just now occurs a day or 
so of sultry, cloudy aud damp weather, when 
clothes will not dry on the line, and fungus 
spores start into life everywhere, as is seen iu 
mildew on bread and other articles in pan- 
tries. and cellars, and the quick fermentation 
of liquids, like vegetable juices, containing 
sugar, gum, starch, etc. Of course, evapora¬ 
tion from the grape leaves is stopped, or so 
greatly cheeked that little or no elaboration 
goes on, aud a plethora of crude sap exists 
iu every leaf and berry. In the latter, especial¬ 
ly, this sap is in just the condition, while thus 
stagnant, to invite the action of fungus 
spores, which are vitalized by the heat and 
moisture outside, and penetrating through 
the skiu, their poisonous work is as rapid as 
the action of yeast plants in dough—aud rot¬ 
ting is the result. When the barometer rises, 
and sunshine or wind causes evaporation to 
proceed, presto I the vital activities are re¬ 
sumed and the rot at once ceases—often to be 
resumed the next week, or when the " muggy” 
weather occurs again. 
The questions were asked in the meeting: 
how I would account for the facts that the rot 
is so much more prevalent of late years than 
formerly, aud why do young vines commonly 
escape rot ifbTil after bearing several crops. 
1 replied, that, while I did not pretend to be 
able to account for all the faets that had been 
observed, it was my belief that the spores or 
seeds of the rot fungus had gradually become 
more abundant, and diffused over the coun¬ 
try, especially in districts where old Grape¬ 
vines exist; just as the fungus diseases of Ap¬ 
ples are found to increase where old orchards 
abound Another reason why young vines 
are less liable to the disease than old ones, 
maybe that their roots, being more superficial, 
do not find so abundant a supply of sap dur¬ 
ing the heat, of summer. 
Col. Coltuan, of 8t. Louis, said, iu his opin¬ 
ion the pear-tree blight was produced by the 
same causes as the grape rot, us it made its 
appearance during the same kind of weather, 
and when the growth of trees is most rapid. 
In this opinion I concurred, and added also, 
the apple twig blight, remarking that these 
ideas would be found set forth in the recent 
report of the Ohio State Horticultural Society. 
Palnesvllle, Ohio. 
Jam topics. 
AUTUMN WORK, C0MPLETED.-III. 
We have spoken in former articles of the 
method and order of fall work; of harvesting 
and marketing the season’s arops, and of put¬ 
ting everything iu readiness for winter. 
Now the prompt and energetic farmer will 
ofteD have this all fully done before winter even 
begins to come on; and a feeling of real satis¬ 
faction comes to him as he looks over his well 
cleaned fields, at his warm house and barn, 
aud his well filled cellar, wood-shed, barn, 
corn crib, meal room and hay mows, and says, 
"Now come on, Old Winter, we are ready for 
you !” 
But often winter delays, or begins so mildly 
that a mouth's work may yet be done on per¬ 
manent improvements or work for the future. 
Such work should be previously planned and 
laid out, 60 that it may be begun at once when 
the fall work proper is done. 
Tile draining 
may be carried on more or less all through a 
mild winter in latitude of 40, and sometimes 
even 41 degrees, provided the work is properly 
laid out beforehand. All surveying, leveling 
aud locating should be done, and the ground 
should be staked and mapped, if necessary, in 
dry, pleasaut weather. Also a very deep fur¬ 
row, or dead furrow, should be cut wherever 
a tile drain is to be sunk. This serves two 
purposes:—it saves nearly half of the liand- 
diggiug, and it makes a place for light snow to 
lodge aud prevent the ground from freezing so 
hard that it eannot be dug. Even without 
snow, the loose earth at the bottom of the fur¬ 
row is a protection, except in quite severe 
weather. The tiles, too, should be distributed 
before the ground is too wet, in sung piles of 
about 80 tiles each, at proper distauces along 
the furrows. Theu the tiling can go on when¬ 
ever the cold is not so severe as to freeze the 
earth to the tools. This will not be until the 
thermometer is three or four degrees below 
the freezing point, since the warm earth con¬ 
stantly warms the spade as it is thrust down 
through it. But iu cold or "cau hiug " weather, 
we must cut the " gutter” or "groove," lay the 
tile and fill the ditch as fast as It is dug, or at 
least before the clay thrown out has time to 
freeze. Especially at uight must we finish up 
all work beguu, put a wad of straw or grass iu 
the upper and unfinished end of the tile, aud 
dam the furrow above, so as to prevent wash 
in ease of rain. It we do this, a hard freeze 
or a heavy rain will do no harm, aud as soon 
as suitable weather returns, even if not till 
March, the wad of straw can be removed aud 
the work proceed without delay. In filling, 
only the part thrown out by the spade need be 
shoveled in. The bottom half toot, at least, 
should be thoroughly packed or " tamped.’ 1 
The surface earth thrown out by the plow may 
be plowed back iu the spring, and thus much 
hand work be avoided. 
Tile draining thus done, involves little actual 
expense, except the cash paid for tile, which 
will be from $12 to $15 per acre for two-ii:ch 
laterals aud three or four-inch mains, the 
laterals being 33 feet apart. 
Turf Plowing 
is another kind of late fall work. The grass 
protects the ground from freezing, so that this 
work may be continued till quite severe cold. 
Clay turf may be safely plowed lu the fall or 
winter, even when quite wet, as subsequent 
frosts crumble tbe soil and prevent tbe packing 
aud lumping that otherwise follow the work¬ 
ing of clayey soils when too wet. 
Fruit aud Ornamental Tree* 
may be set late in the faU, if the roots are not 
