75*1 7:*- , >■:■■:■ •iVy,,: ■, •-. '■ : ; . - :- ■ ■ .•■• • i. ^W: i v)^ '^v^: ;;>;^ .-4"ii'- ■ •^v-.^^-;^s' -^ ■■•.M- .'--■" ■;• ■■ '■S^*"";i^-^--<^/^--;^ ^■^:;': .-'.";, ■".■,:;- ■ • ii: ^•,^,? •.•>v^. ''^■ H^'. >'. ■. '■'>■■ ■u^K^- ^'»%v(^ THE CULTIVATION OF THE NATIVE GRAPE, AND MANUFACTURE OF AMERICAN WINES. BY GJ^KORGrE JJlTJSJyLA.'NN, OF HERMANN, M1S80UKI. NEW YORK: GEO. E. & F. W. WOODWARD, 37 PARK ROW, Office of the HorticuUurist, 1866. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1866, by GEO. E. & F. W. WOODWARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District of New York. PRINTER, ^*'- eo Fulton Sttee^* TO THE GRAPE GROWERS OF *'0UR COUNTRY, ONE AND INDIVISIBLE,' THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED BY THEIR FRIEND AND FELLOW- LABORER, THE AUTHOR. SP!^' iisriD e::^^. PAGE. Introduction 9 grape culture. Remarks on its History in America, especially at the West ; its Progress and its Future, 13 PROPAGATION OF THE VINE. I. — From Seed 27 II.— By Single Eyes 30 The Propagating House 31 Mode of Operating 32 III. — By Cuttings in Open Air 37 IV. — By Layering 39 V.~By Grafting 40 THE VINEYARD. Location and Soil 43 Preparing the Soil 45 WHAT SHALL WE PLANT? Choice of Varieties 47 The Concord 48 Norton's Virginia 48 Herbemont 49 Delaware 49 Hartford Prolific 49 Clinton. . .' -^- ^0 Vi INDEX. PLANTING. PAGE. Planting 51 Treatment of the Vine the First Summer 56 Treatment of the Vine the Second Summer 57 Treatment of the Vine the Third Summer 03 Treatment of the Vine the Fourth Summer 69 Training the Vines on Arbors and Walls 71 Other Methods of Training the Vine 75 Diseases of the Vine 78 Insects Injurious to the Grape 80 Birds 84 Frosts 85 Girdling the Vine to Hasten Maturity 86 Manuring the Vine 91 Thinning of the Fruit 91 Renewing Old Vines 92 Pruning Saws 93 Preserving the Fruit 95 Gathering the Fruit to Make Wine 96 VARIETIES OF GRAPES. CLASS I. VARIETIES MOST GENERALLY USED. Concord (Description) 97 Cnncord ( Plate) Ill Norton's Virginia (Description ) 98 Norton's Virp;inia (Plate) 87 Herbemont ( Plate) 99 Herbemont ( Description) 101 Hartford Prolific (Description) i 101 Hartford Prolific (Plate) 105 Clinton 102 Delaware ( Description) 102 Delaware (Plate) 81 CLASS II. HEALTHY VARIETIES PROMISING WELL. Cynthiana 103 Arkansas 104 Taylor 104 Martha 107 Maxatawney (Description) 107 Maxatawney (Plate) 177 Rogers' Hybrid, No. 1 107 Cre.veling (Description) .- » 108 Creveliug (Plate) 117 INDEX. VU PAGE. North Carolina Seedling .....«.« 108 Cunningham 109 Rulander 109 Louisiana 110 Alvey 110 Cassady 110 Blood's Black 113 Union Vilhige (Description) 113 Un^on Village (Plate) 1G7 Perkins 113 Clara (Description) , 114 Clara ( Plate) 127 Ive's Seedling , ,,..,.,,,.,.. 114 CLASS III. — HEALTHY VARIETIES BUT INFERIOR IN QUALITY. Minor Seedling 116 Mary Ann 119 Northern Muscadine 119 Logan 119 Brown 119 JHyde^s Eliza 119 Marion Port ".. . 120 Poeschel's Mammoth 120 Cape 120 Dracut Amber 120 Elsinburgh 120 Garber's Albino 121 Franklin 121 Lenoir 121 North America 121 CLASS IV VARIETIES OF GOOD QUALITY, BUT SUBJECT TO DISEASE. Catawba 121 Diana 122 Isabella 1 22 Garriguos 123 Tokalon 1 23 Anna , 123 Allen's Hybrid 123 Cuyahoga 123 Devereux 124 Kingsessing 124 Rogers' Hybrid, No. 15 . ; 124 Vm . INDEX. CLASS V. — VARIETIES UNWORTHY OF CULTIVATION. PAGE. Oporto 124 Massachusetts White 125 WINE MAKING. Gathering the Grapes 131 The Wine Cellar 133 Apparatus for Wine Making. — The Grape Mill and Press.. . 136 Fermenting Vats 137 The Wine Casks 138 Making the Wine 140 After Treatment of the Wine 140 Diseases of the Wine and their Remedies 147 Treatment of flat and Turbid Wine 147 Use of the Husks and Lees 148 Dr. Gall's and Petoil's Method of Wine Making 148 The Must Scale or Saccharometcr 150 The Acidimeter and Its Use 151 The Change of the Must, by Fermentation, into Wine 157 Normal Must ICl The Must of American Grapes 162 Wine Making Made Easy 173 STATISTICS. Cost of Establishing A Vineyard 179 Cost of an acre of Concord 179 Cost of an acre of Herbemont 179 Cost of an acre of Norton's Virginia 180 Cost of an acre of Delaware 180 Cost of an acre of Catawba 180 Product 181 Produce Fifth Year ' 182 Yield of Mr. Michael Poeschel's Vineyard 184 New Vineyard of Mr. M. Poeschel, Planted in 1861 ; First Partial Crop, 1863 ; Second Crop, 1864 ; Third Crop, 1865, 184, 185 Yield of Vineyard of Mr. William Poeschel, 1857, 1858, 1859, 1860 ■. . 185 Yield of Vineyard of Mr. William Poeschel, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864 186 Yield of Vinpyard of Mr. William Poeschel 1805 ... 187 Yield of Delaware Vineyard of John E. Mottier . . c 189 INTRODUCTION. It is with a great deal of hesitation I undertake to write a book about Grapes, a subject which has been, and still is, elucidated every day ; and about which we have already several works, which no doubt are more learned, more elaborate, than anything I may produce. But the subject is of such vast importance, and the area suitable for grape culture so large, the diversity of soil and .climate so great, that I may be pardoned if I still think that I could be of some use to the beginner; it is for them, and not for my brethren of the craft more learned than I am, that I write. If they can learn any- thing from the plain talk of a practical worker, to help them along in the good work, I am well repaid. Another object I have in view is to make grape grow- ing as easy as possible ; and I may be pardoned if I say that, in my opinion, it is a defect in all books we have on grape culture, that the manner of preparing the soil, training, etc., are on too costly a plan to be followed by men of little means. If we are first to trench and prepare the soil, at a cost of about $300 per acre, and then pay |200 more for trellis, labor, etc., the poor man, he who must work for a living, can not afford to raise grapes. And yet it is from the ranks of these sturdy sons of toil that I would gain my recruits for that peace- ful army whose sword is the pruning-hook ; it is from 10 introduction; their honest, hard-working hands I expect the grandest results. He who has ah-eady wealth enough at command can of course afford to raise grapes with bone-dust, ashes, and all the fertilizers. He can walk around and give his orders, making grape culture an elegant j^astime for his leisure hours, as well as a source of profit. But, being one of the first class myself, I had to fight my Avay up through untold difficulties from the lowest round of the ladder ; had to gain what knowledge I possess from dear experience, and can therefore sympathize with those who must commence without means. It is my earnest desire to save them some of the losses which /had to suffer, to lighten their toil by a little plain adviee. If I can succeed in this, my object is accomjDlished. In nearly all our books on grape culture I notice an- other defect, especially in those published in the East ; it is, that they contain a great deal of good advice about grape culture, but very little about wine-making, and the treatment of wine in the cellar. For us here at the West this is an all-important point, and even our Eastern friends, if they continue to plant grapes at the rate they have done for the last few years, will soon glut the market, and will be forced to make them into wine. I shall therefore try to give such simple instructions about wine-making and its management as will enable every one to make a good saleable and drinkable wine, better than nine-tenths of the foreign wines, which are now sold at two to three dollars per bottle. I firmly believe that this continent is destined to be the greatest wine-producing country in the world; and that the time is not far dis- tant when wine, the most wholesome and purest of all stimulating drinks, will be within the reach of the com- mon laborer, and take the place of the noxious and poi- sonous liquors which are now the curse of so many of INTRODUCTION. 11 our laboring men, and have blighted the happiness of so many homes. Pure liglit wine I consider the best temper- ance agent ; but as long as bad whisky and brandy con- tinue to be the common drink of its citizens we can not hope to accomplish a thorough reform ; for human nature seems to crave and need a stimulant. Let us then try to supply the most innocent and healthy one, the exhilara- ting juice of the grape. I have also endeavored throughout to give plain facts, to substantiate with plain figures all I assert; and in no case have I allowed fancy to roam in idle speculations which cannot be demonstrated in practice. I do not pre- tend that my effort is " the most comprehensive and prac- tical essay on the grape," as some of our friends call their productions, but I can claim for it strict adherence to truth and actual results. - I have not thought it necessary to give the botanical description of the grape-vine, and the process of hybridiz- ing, etc.; this has already been so well and thoroughly done by my friend Fuller, that I can do no better than refer the scientific reader to his book. I am writinsj more for the practical farmer, and would rather fill what I think a vacancy, than repeat what has been so well said by others. With these few remarks, which I thought due to the public and myself, I leave it to you, brother- winegrowers, to say whether or not I have accomplished my task. To all and every one who plants a single vine I would extend the hand of good fellowship, for he is a laborer in the great work to cover this glorious land of the free with smiling vineyards, and to make its barren spots flow with noble grape juice, one of the best gifts of an all-bountiful Creator. All hail to you, I greet you from Free Missouri. Hermann, Missouri, January, 1866. GRAPE CULTURE. UEMARKS ON ITS HISTORY IN AMERICA, ESPECIALLY AT THE WEST ITS PROGRESS AND ITS FUTURE. In an old chronicle, entitled, " The Discovery of America in the Tenth Century," by Charles C. Prasta, published at Stralsund, we find the following legend : " Leif, son of Eric the Red, bought Byarnes' vessel, and manned it with thirty-five men, among w^hom was also a German, Tyrker by name, wh6 had lived a long time with Leif's father, who had become very much attached to him in youth. And they left port at Iceland, in the year ofour Lord 1000. But, when they had been at sea several. days, a tremen- dous storm arose, whose wild fury made the waves swell mountain high, and threatened to destroy the frail vessel. And the storm continued for several days, and increased in fury, so that even the stoutest heart quaked with fear ; they believed that their hour had come, and drifted along at the mercy of wind and waves. Only Leif, who had lately been converted to Christ our Lord, stood calmly at the helm and did not fear ; but called on Him who had walked the water and quieted the billows, with firm faith, that He also had power to deliver them, if they but trusted in Him. And, behold ! while he still spoke to them of the wonderful deeds of the Lord, the clouds cleared away, the storm lulled ; and after a few hours the sea calmed down, and rocked the tired and exhausted 14 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. men into a deep and calm sleep. And when they awoke, the next morning, they could hardly trust their eyes. A beautiful country lay before them, green hills, covered with beautiful forests ; a majestic stream rolled its billows into the ocean ; and they cast the anchor, and thanked the Lord, who had delivered them from death. A delightful country it seemed, full of game, and birds of beautiful plumage ; and when they went ashore, they could not resist the temptation to explore it. When they returned, after several hours, Tyrker alone was missing. After waiting some time for his return, Leif, with twelve of his men, went in search of him. But they had not gone far, when they met him, laden down with grapes. Upon their enquiry, where he had stayed so long, he answered: "I did not go far, when I found the trees all covered with grtpes ; and as I was born in a country, whose hills are covered with vineyards, it seemed so much like home to me, that I stayed a while and gathered them." They had now a twofold occupation, to cut timber, and gather grapes; with the latter, they loaded the boat. And Leif gave a name to the country, and called it Vinland, or Wineland." So far the tradition. It is said that coming events cast their shadows before them. If this is so, may we not re- cognize one of those shadows in the old Norman legiend of events which transpired more than eight hundred ye'ars ago ? Is it not the foreshadowing of the destiny of this great continent, to become, in truth and verity, a Wineland. Truly, the results of to-day would certainly justify us in the assertion, that there is as much, nay more, truth than fiction in it. Let us take a glance at the first commencement of grape culture, and see what has been the progress in this comparatively new branch of horticulture. CULTURE OF THE GRAPE, 15 From the very first settlement of America, the vine seems to have attracted the attention of tlie colonists, and it is said that as early as 1564, wine was made from the native grape in Florida. The earliest attempt to establish a vineyard in the British North American Colo- nies was by the London Company in Virginia, about the year 1620 ; and by 1630, the prospect seems to have been encouraging enough to warrant the importation. of several French vine-dressers, who, it is said, ruined the vines by bad treatment. Wine was also made in Virginia in 1647, and in 1651 premiums were offered for its production. Beverly even mentions, that prior to 172'2, there were vineyards in that colony, producing seven hundred and fifty gallons per year. In 1664, Colonel Ricuard Nicoll, Governor of New York, granted to Paul Kichards, a privilege of making and selling wine free of all duty, he having been the first to enter upon the cultivation of the vine on a large scale. Beauchamp Plantagenet, in his description of the province of New Albion, published in London, in 1648, states *' that the English settlers in Uvedale, now Delaware, had vines running on mulberry and sassafras trees ; and enumerates four kinds^of grapes, namely: Thoulouse Muscat, Sweet Scented, Great Fox, and Thick Grape ; the first two, after five months, being boiled and salted and well fined, make a strong red Xeres , the third, a light claret ; the fourth, a white grape which creeps on the land, makes a pure, gold colored wine. Tennis Pale, a Frenchman, out of these four, made eight sorts of excellent wine ; and says of the Muscat, after it had been long boiled, that the second draught will intoxi- cate after four months old ; and that here may be gathered and made two hundred tuns in the vintage months, and that the vines with good cultivation will mend." In 1633, Wil- liam Penn attempted to establish a vineyard near Philadel- phia, but without success. After some years, however, Mr, 16 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. Tasker, of Maryland, and Mr. Antil, of Shrewsbury, N". J., seem to have succeeded to a certain extent. It seems, however, from an article which Mr. Antil wrote of the culture of the grape, and the manufacture of Avine, that he cultivated only foreign A^arieties. In 1796, the French settlers in Illinois made one hun- dred and ten hogsheads of strong wine from native grapes. At Harmony, near Pittsburgh, a vineyard of ten acres was planted by Frederic Rapp, and his associates from Germany ; and they continued to cultivate grapes and silk, after their removaf to another Harmony in Indiana. In 1790, a Swiss colony was founded, and a fund often thousand dollars raised in Jessamine county, Kentucky, for the purpose of establishing a vineyard, but failed, as they attempted to plant the foreign vine. In 1801, they removed to a spot, which they called Yevay, in Switzer- land County, Indiana, on the Ohio, forty-five miles below Cincinnati. Here they planted native vines, especially the Cape, or Schuylkill Muscadel, and met with better suc- cess. But, after about forty years' experience, they seem to have become discouraged, and their vineyards have now almost disappeared. These were the first crude experiments in American grape culture ; and from some cause or another, they seem not to have been encom-aging enough to Avarrant their continuation. But a ncAV impetus was giA^en to this branch of industry, by the introduction of the CataAA^ba, by Major Adlum, of Georgetown, D. C, Avho thought, that by so doing, he conferred a greater benefit upon the nation than he Avould haA^e done, had he paid the national debt. It seems to have been planted first on an extensiA^e scale by Nicholas Longavortii, near Cincinnati, Avhom Ave may justly call one of the founders of American grape CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 17 culture. He adopted the system of leasing parcels of unimproved land to poor Germans, to plant with vines ; lor a share, I believe, of one-half of the proceeds. It was his ambition to make the Ohio the Rhine of America, and he has certainly done a good deal to eifect it. In 1858, the whole number of acres planted in grapes around Cin- cinnati, was estimated, by a committee appointed for that purpose, at twelve hundred acres, of which Mr. Long- worth owned one hundred and twenty-two and a half acres, under charge of twenty-seven tenants. The annual produce was estimated by the committee at no less than two hundred and forty thousand gallons, worth about as many dollars then. We may safely estimate the number of acres in cultivation there now, at two thousand. Among the principal grape growers there, I will mention Messrs. Robert Buchanan, author of an excellent work on grape culture, MoTTiER, Bogen, Werk, Rehfuss, Dr. Mosher, etc. Well do I remember, when I was a boy, some fourteen years old, how often my father would enter into con- versation with vintners from the old country, about the feasibility of grape culture in Missouri. He always con- tended that grapes should succeed well here, as the Avoods were full of wild grapes, some of very fair quality, and that this would indicate a soil and climate favorable to the vine. They would ridicule the idea, and assert that labor was too high here, even if the vines would suc- ceed, to make it pay ; but they could not shake his faith in the ultimate success of grape culture. Alas ! he lived only long enough to see the first dawnings of that glo- rious future which he had so often anticipated, and none entered with more genuine zeal upon the occupation than he, when an untimely death took him from the labor he loved so well, and did not even allow him to taste the 18 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. first fruits of the vines lie had planted and fostered. Had he been spared until now, his most sanguine hopes would be verified. I also well remember the first cultivated grape vine which produced fruit in Hermann. It was an Isabella, planted by a Mr. Fugger, on the corner of Main and Schiller streets, and trained over an arbor. It produced the first crop in 1845, twenty years ago, and so plentifully did it bear, that several persons were encouraged by this appa- rent success, to plant vines. In 1846, the first wine was made here, and agreeably surj)rised all who tried it, by its good quality. The Catavrba had during that time, been imported from Cincinnati, and the first partial crop from it, in 1848, was so plentiful, that every body, almost, commenced planting vines, and often in very unfavorable localities. This, of com-se, had a bad influence on so capricious a variety as the Catawba; rot and mildew appeared, and many became discouraged, because they did not realize what they had anticipated. A number of unfavorable seasons brought grape growing almost to a stand still here. Some .of our most enterprising grape growers still persevered, and succeeded by careful treat- ment, in making even the Catawba pay very handsome returns. It was about this time, that the attention of some of our grape-growers was drawn towards a small, insignifi- cant looking grape, which had been obtained by a Mr. WiEDERSPRECKER from Mr. Heinrichs, who had brought it from Cincinnati, and, almost at the same time, by Dr. Keiir, who had brought it with him from Virginia. The vine seemed a rough customer, and its fruit very insignifi- cant when compared with the large bunch and berry of the Catawba, but we soon observed that it kept its foliage bright and green when tliat of the Catawba be- CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 19 came sickly and dropped ; and also, that no rot or mildew damaged the fruit, when that of the Catawba was nearly destroyed by it. A few tried to proj^agate it by cuttings, but generally failed to make it grow. They then resorted to grafting and layering, with much better suc- cess. After a few years a few bottles of wine were made from it, and found to be very good. But at this time it almost received its death-blow, by a very unfavorable letter from Mr. Longworth, who had been asked his opin- ion of it, and pronounced it worthless. Of course, with the majority, the fiat of Mr. Longworth, the father of American grape-culture, was conclusive evidence, and they abandoned it. Not all, however ; a few persevered, among them Messrs. Jacob Rommel, Poeschel, Langen- DOERFER, Grein, and myself. We thought Mr. Longworth was human, and might be mistaken ; and trusted as much to' the evidence of our senses as to his verdict, therefore increased it as fast as we could, and the sequel proved that we were right. After a few years more wine was made from it in larger quantities, found to be much better than the first imperfect samples ; and now that despised and condemned grape is the great variety for red wine, equal, if not superior to, the best Burgundy and Port; a wine of which good judges, heavy importers of the best European wines too, will tell you that it has not its equal among all the foreign red wines ; which has already saved the lives of thousands of suffering children, men, and women, and therefore one of the greatest blessings an all-merciful God has ever bestowed upon suffering hu- manity. This despised grape is now the rag^, and 600,000 of the plants could have been sold from this place alone the last fall, if they could have been obtained. Need I name it ? it is the Norton's Virginia. Truly, ''great oaks froan little acorns grow !" and I boldly prophecy 20 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. to-day that the time is not far distant when thousands upon thousands of our hillsides will be covered with its luxuriant foliage, and its purple juice become one of the exports to Europe ; provided, always, that we do not grow so fond of it as to drink it all. I think that this is pre-eminently a Missouri grape. Here it seems to have found the soil in which it flourishes best. I have seen it in Ohio, but it does not look there as if it was the same grape. And why should it ? They drove it from them and discarded it in its youth ; we fostered it, and do you not think, dear reader, there sometimes is gratitude in plants as well as in men ? Other States may plant it and succeed with it, too, to a certain extent, but it will cling with the truest devotion to those localities where it Avas cared for in its youth. Have we not also found, during the late war, that the Germans, the adopted citizens of this great country, clung with a heartier devotion to our noble flag, and shed their blood more freely for it, than thousands upon thousands of native-born Americans ? And why ? Because here they found protection, equal rio'hts for all, and that freedom which had been the idol of their hearts, and haunted their dreams by night ; be- cause they had been oppressed so long they more fully appreciated the blessings of a free government than those who had enjoyed it from their birth. But you may call me fantastical for comparing plants to human beings, and will say, plants have no apj)reciation of such things. Brother Skeptic, have you, or has any body, divined all the secrets of Nature's workshop ? Truly we may say that we have not, and we meet with facts every day which are stranger than fiction. The Concord had as small a beginning with us. In the winter of 1855 a few eyes of its wood were sent me by Mr. Jas. G. Soulard, of Galena, 111. I grafted them upon old CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 21 Catawba vines, and one of them grew. The next year I distributed some of the scions to om* vine-growers, who grafted them also. When my vine commenced to bear I was astonished, after what I had heard of the poor quality of the fruit from the East, to ^nd it so fine, and so luxurious and healthy ; and we propagated it as fast as possible. Now, scarcely nine years from the time when I received the first scions, hundreds of acres are being planted with it here, and one-third of an acre of it, planted five years ago, has produced for me, in fruit, wine, layers, cuttings, and plants, the round sum of ten thousand dollars during that time. Its wine, if pressed as soon as the grapes are mashed, is eminently one of those which " maketh glad the heart of man," and is evidently destined to become one of the common drinks of our laboring classes. It is light, agreeable to the palate, has a, very enlivening and invigorating efiect, and can be grown as cheap as good cider. I am satisfied that an acre will, with good cultivation, produce from 1,000 to 1,500 gallons per year. My vines produced this season at the rate of 2,500 gallons to the acre, but this may be called an extra -large crop. I have cited the his- tory of these two varieties in our neighborhood merely as examples of progress. It would lead too far here, to follow the history of all our leading varieties, though many a goodly story might be told of them. Our friends in the East claim as much for the Delaware and others, with which we have not been able to succeed. And here let me say that the sooner we divest ourselves of the idea that one grape should be the grape for this immense country of ours ; the sooner we try to adapt the variety to the locality — not the locality to the variety — the sooner we will succeed. The idea is absurd, and un- worthy of a thinking people, that one variety should sue- 22 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. ceed equally well or ill in such a diversity of soil and cli- mate as we have in this broad land of ours. It is in direct conflict with the laws of vegetable physiology, as well as with common sense and experience. In planting our vineyards we should first go to one already estab- lished, which we think has the same soil and location, or nearly so, as the one we are going to plant. Of those varieties which succeed there we should plant the largest number, and plant a limited number also of all those varieties which come recommended by good authority. A few seasons will show which variety suits our soil, and what we ought to plant in preference to all others. Thus the Herbemont, the Cynthiana, Delaware, Taylor, Cun- ningham, Rulander, Martha, and even the lona, may all find their proper location, where each will richly reward their cultivator ; and certainly they are all too good not to be tried. Now, let us see what progress the country at large has made in grape-growing during, say, the last ten years. Then^ I think I may safely assert, that the vineyards throughout the whole country did not comprise more than three to four thousand acres. JS'ow I think I may safely call them over two millions of acres. Tlien, our whole list embraced about ten varieties, all told, of which only the Catawba and Isabella were considered worthy of general cultivation ; now we count our native varieties by the hundreds, and the Catawba and Isabella will soon number among the things which have been. Public taste has become educated, and they are laid aside in disgust, Avhen such varietiec as the Herbemont, Delaware, Clara, Allen's Hybrid, lona, Adirondac, and others can be had. Then, grape-growing was confined to only a few small settlements ; now there is not a State in the Union, from Maine to California, but has its vineyards ; and especially CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 23 our Western States have entered upon a race which shall excel the other in the good work. Our brethren in Illi- nois bid fair to outdo us, and vineyards spring up as if by- magic, even on the prairies. Nay, grape-culture bids fair to extend into Minnesota, a country which was considered too cedd for almost anything except oats, pines, wolves, bears, and specimens of daring humanity encased in triple wool. We begin to find out that we have varieties which will stand almost anything if they are only some- what protected in winter. It was formerly believed that only certain favored locations and soils in each State would produce good grapes — for instance, sunny hillsides along large streams ; now we begin to see that we can grow some varieties of grape on almost any soil. One of the most flourishing vineyards I have ever seen is on one of the islands in the Missouri river, where all the varieties planted there — some six or seven — seemed perfectly at home in the rich, sandy mould, where it needs no trench- ing to loosen the soil. Then^ grape-growing, with the varieties then in cultivation, was a j^roblem to be solved ; now, with the varieties we have proved, it is a certainty that it is one of the most profitable branches of horticul- ture, paying thousands of dollars to the acre every year. Then, wine went begging at a dollar a gallon ; mm it sells as fast as made at from two dollars to six dollars a gallon. Instead of the only wine then considered fit to drink, we number our wine-producing varieties by the dozen, all better than the Catawba ; among the most prominent of which I will name — of varieties producing white wine, the Herbemont, Delaware, Cassidy, Taylor, Rulander, Cun- ningham, and Louisiana; of light-red wines, the Concord; of dark-red wines, the Norton's Virginia, Cynthiana, Arkansas and Clinton ; so that every palate can be suited. And California bids fair to outdo us all; for there, I am told, 24 CULTURE OF THE GRAl*!!. several kinds of wine are made from the same grape, in the same vineyard, and in fabulous quantities. To cite an example of the increase in planting: in 1854 the whole number of vines grown and sold in Hermann did not ex- ceed two thousand. This season two millions of jolants have been grown and sold, and not half enough to meet the demand. It is said that the tone of the press is a fair indica- tion of public sentiment. If this is true what does it prove ? Take one of our horticultural periodicals, and nine-tenths of the advertisements will be " Grape-vines for sale," in any quantity and at any price, from five dollars to one hun- dred dollars per 100, raised North, East, South, and West. Tm-n to the reading matter, and you can hardly turn over a leaf but the subject of grapes stares you in the face, with a quiet impunity, which plainly says, " The nation is affected with grape fever; and while our readers have grape on the brain there is no fear of overdosing." Why, the best proof I can give my readers that grape fever does exist to an alarming degree, is this very book itself. Were not I and they affected with the disease, I should never have presumed to try their patience. But, fortunately, the remedy is within easy reach. Plant grapes, every one of you who is thus afflicted, until our hillsides are covered with them, and we have made our barren spots blossom as the rose. Truly, the results we have already obtained, are cheering enough. And yet all this has been principally achieved in the last few years, while the nation was involved in one of the most stupendous struggles the world ever saw, while its very existence was endangered, and thousands upon thousands of her patriotic sons poured out their blood like water, and the husbandman left his home ; the vintner his vineyard, to fight the battles of his country. What then shall we become now, when peace has smiled CULTURE OP THE GRAPE. 25 once more upon our beloved country ; and the thousands of brave arms, who brandished the sword, sabre, or mus- ket, have come home once more ; and then- weapons have been turned into ploughshares, and their swords into prun- ing hooks ? When all the strong and willing hands Avill clear our hillsides, and God's sim shines upon one great and united people ; greater and more glorious than ever; because now they are tndy free. Truly the future lies before us, rich in glorious promise; and ere long the words and the prophecy contained in the old legend will become sober truth, and America will be, from the Atlantic to the Pacific one smiling and happy Wineland ; where each laborer shall sit under his own vine, and none will be too poor to enjoy the purest and most wholesome of all stimulants, good, cheap, native wi7ie. Then drunken- ness, now the curse of the nation, will disappear, and peace and good will towards all will rule our actions. And we, brother grape growers ? Ours is this great and glorious task ; let us work unceasingly, with hand, heart, and mind ; truly the object is worthy of our best endeav- ors. Let those who begin to-day, remember how easy their task with the achievements and experiments of others before them, compared with the labors of those who were the pioneers in the cultivation of the vine. PE,OPAGATIO:Nr OF THE VINE. I. FROM SEED. This would seem to be the most natm'al mode, were not the grape even more liable to sport than almost any other fruit. It is, however, the only method upon which we can depend for obtaining new and more valua- ble varieties than we already possess, and to which we are already indebted for all the progress made in varie- ties, a progress which is, indeed, very encouraging ; for who would deny that we are to-day immeasurably in advance of what we were ten years ago. Among the innumerable varieties which spring up every day, and which find ready purchasers, just because they are new, there are certainly some of decided merit. But those who grow seedlings, should bear in mind, that the list of of our varieties is already too large ; that it would be better if three-fourths of them were stricken off, and that no new variety should be brought before the public, unless it has some decided superiority over any of the varieties we already have, in quality, productiveness and exemption from disease. It is poor encouragement to the grape growing public, to pay from two to five dollars a vine for a new variety, with some high-sounding name, if, after several years of superior cultivation and faithful 27 28 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. trial, they find their costly pet inferior to some variety they already possessed, and of which the plants could be obtained at a cost of from ten to fifty cents each. The grapes from Avhich the seed is to be used, should be fully ripe, and none but well developed, large berries, should be taken. Keep these during the Avinter, either in the pulp, or in cool, moist sand, so that their vitality may remain unimpaired. The soil upon which your seed-bed is made, should be light, deep and rich, and if it is not so naturally, should be made so with well decom^Dosed leaf-mould. As soon as the weather in spring will permit, dig up the soil to the depth of at least eighteen inches, pulverising it well ; then sow the seed in drills, about a foot apart, and about one inch apart in the rows, covering them about three-quarters of an inch deep. It will often be found necessary to shade the young plants when they come up, to prevent the sun frem scalding them, but this should not be continued too long, as the plants will become too tender, if protected too long. When the young plants have grown about six inches, they may be supplied with small sticks, to which they will cling readily ; the ground should be kept clean and mel- low, and a light mulch should be applied, which will keep the soil loose and moist. The young plants should be closely Avatched, and if any of them show signs of disease, they should at once be pulled up ; also those which show a very feeble and delicate growth ; for we should only try to grow varieties with good, healthy constitutions. In the Fall, the young plants should be either taken up, and carefully heeled in, or they should be protected by earth, straw, or litter thrown over them. In the Spring, they may be transplanted to their permanent locations; the tops shortened in to six inches, and the roots shortened in to about six inches from the stem. The soil for their CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 29 reception should be moderately light and rich, and loose- ened up to the depth of at least eighteen inches. Make a hole about eight inches deep, then throw in soil so as to raise a small mound in the centre of the hole,, about two inches high ; on this place the young vine, and carefully spread the roots in all directions ; then fill up with well pulverized soil, so that the upper eye or bud is even with the surface of the ground ; then press the soil i down lightly ; place a good stake, of about four feet high, with the plant, and allow but one shoot to grow, which .should be neatly tied to the stake as it grows. The vines may be planted in rows six feet apart, and three feet apart in the rows, as many of them will prove worthless, and have to be taken out. Allow all the laterals to grow on the young cane, as this will make it short-jointed and stocky. Cultivate the ground well, stirring it freely with plough, cultivator, hoe, and rake, which generally is the best mulch that can be applied. With the proper care and attention, our seedlings will generally grow from three to four feet, and make stout, short-jointed wood this second season. Should any of them look particularly promising, fruit may be obtained a year sooner by taking the wood of it, and grafting strong old vines with it. These grafts will generally bear fruit the next season. The method to be followed will be given in another place. At the end of the second season the vines should be pruned to about three eyes or buds, and the soil hilled up around them so as to cover them up completely. The next spring take off the covering, and when the young shoots appear allow only two to grow. After they have grown about eighteen inches, pinch off the top of the weakest, so as to throw the growth into the strongest shoot, which keep neatly tied to the stake, treating it as 30 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. the summer before, allowing all the laterals to grow. Cultivate the soil well. At the end of this season's growth the vines should be strong enough to bear the following summer. If they have made from eight to ten feet of stocky groAvth, the leading cane may be pruned to ten or twelve eyes, and the smaller one to a spur of two eyes. If they Avill fruit at all, they will show it next sum- mer, Avhen only those promising well should be kept, and the barren and worthless ones discarded. 11. — BY SINGLE EYES. As this method is mostly followed only by those who propagate the vine for sale in large quantities, and but to a limited extent by the practical vineyardist, I will give only an outline of the most simple manner, and on the cheapest plan. Those wishing further information will do well to consult " The Grape Culturist," by Mr. A. S. Fuller, in which excellent work they will find full in- structions. The principal advantages of this mode of propaga- tion are the following : 1st. The facility with which new and rare kinds can be multiplied, as every well ripened bud almost can be transformed into a plant. 2d. As the plants are started under glass, by bottom heat, it lengthens the season of their growth from one to two months. 3d. Every variety of grape can be propa- gated by this method with the greatest ease, even those which only grow with the greatest difficulty, or not at all, from cuttings in open ground. As to the merits or demerits of plants grown under glass from single eyes, to those grown from cuttings or layers in open ground, opinions differ very much, and both have their advocates. For my part, I do not see why a CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 31 plant grown carefully from a single eye should not be as good as one propagated by any other method; a poor plant is not worth having, whetlier propagated by this or any other method, and, unfortunately, we have too many of them. THE PROPAGATING HOUSE. I will only give a description of a lean-to of the cheap- est kind, for which any common hot-bed sash, six feet long, can be used. Choose for a location the south side of a hill, as, by making the house almost entirely underground, a great deal of building material can be saved. Excavate the ground as for a cellar — say five feet deep on the upper side, seven feet wide, and of any length to suit conve- nience, and the number of j)lants you wish to grow. In- side of the excavation set posts or scantlings, the upper row to be seven feet long above the ground, and two feet below the ground ; the lower row four and one-half feet above the ground, so that the roof will have about two and one-half feet j)itch. Upon these nail the rafters, of two-inch planks. Then take boards, say common inch-plank, and set them up behind the posts, one above the other, to prevent the earth from falling in. This will make all the wall that is needed on both sides. On the ends, boards can be nailed to both sides of the posts, and the intervening space filled with spent tan or saw-dust. Upon the rafters place the sash on the lower side ; the upper side may be covered with boards or shingles, where also the A^entilating holes can be left, to be closed with trap-doors. The house is to be divided into two compartments — the furnace-room on one end, about eight feet long, and the propagating house. The furnace is below the ground, say four feet long, the 32 CULTURE OP THE GRAPE. flue to be made of brick, and to extend under the whole length of the bench. To make the flue, lay a row of bricks flat and crosswise ; on the ends of these place two others on their edges, and across the top lay a row flat, in the same way as the bottom ones were placed. This gives the flue four inches by eight in the clear. The flue should rise rather abruptly from the furnace, say about a foot ; it can then be carried fifty feet with, say six to nine inches rise, and still have sufiicient draft. Inside of the propagating room we have again two compartments — the propagating bench, nearest to the furnace, and a shelf for the reception of the young plants, after their first trans- planting from the cutting-pots or boxes. Make a shelf or table along the whole length of the house ; at the lower end it should be about eighteen inches from the glass, and five feet wide. To a house of, say fifty feet, the propagating bench may be, say twelve feet long, and the room below it and around the flue should be inclosed with boards, as it will keep the heat better. MODE OF OPERATING. The wood should be cut from the vmes in the fall, as soon as the leaves have dropped. For propagating, use only firm, well-ripened wood of the last season's growth, and about medium thickness. These are to be preferred to either very large or very small ones. The time to commence operating will vary according to climate ; here it should be the early part of February. The wood to be used for propagating can be kept in a cool cellar, in sand, or buried in the ground out doors. Take out the cut- CULTURE OP THE GRAPE. 33 tings, and cut them up into pieces as represented in figure 1. Fig. 1. Throw these into water as they are cut ; it will prevent them from becoming dry. It will be found of benefit with hard-wooded varieties to pack them in damp moss for a week or so before they are put into the propagating pots or boxes; it will soften the alburnous matter, and make them strike root more readily. They should then be put into, say six-inch pots, filled to about an inch of the top with pure coarse sand, firmly packed. Place the cuttings, the buds up, about an inch aj^art, all over the surface of the pot; press down firmly with thumb and forefinger until the bud is even with the surface ; sift on sand enough to cover the upper point of the bud about a quarter of an inch deep ; press down evenly, using the bottom of another pot for the purpose, and apply water enough to moisten the whole contents of the pot. In- stead of the pots, shallow boxes of about six inches deep, can also be used, Avith a few holes bored in the bottom for drainage. After the pots have been filled with cuttings they are placed in a temperature of from 40° to 45°, where they remain from two to three weeks, water being applied only enojigh to keej:) them moist, not wet. As roots are formed at a much lower degree of temperature than leaves, they should not be forced too much at the begin- ning, or the leaves will appear before we have any roots to support them. But when the t3utting has formed its 2* CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. roots first, the foliage, when it does appear, will grow much more rapidly, and without any check. Then re- move them to another position, plunging the pots into sand to the depth of, say three inches, and raise the tem- perature at first to G0° for the first few days, then gradu- ally raise it to 80°. When the buds begin to push, raise the temperature to 90° or 95 '^, and keep the air moist by fre- quent waterings, say once a day. The best for this purpose is pure rain-water, but it should be of nearly the same temperature as the air in the hous«e, for, if applied cold, it would surely check the growth of the jDlants. The yoimg growth should be examined every day, to see if there is any sign of rotting ; should this be the case, give a little more air, but admit no sudden cold currents, as they are often fatal. The glass should be whitewashed, to avoid the direct rays of the sun. When the young vines have made a growth of two or three inches shift them into three-inch pots. So far we have used only pure sand, which did not contain much plant food, because the groAvth was pro- duced from the food stored up in the bud and wood, and what little they obtained from the sand, water, and air. Now, however, our young vines want more substantial food. They should therefore be potted into soil, mixed from rotten sod, leaf-mould, and well-decomposed old barnyard manure. This should be mixed together six months before using ; add, before using, one-quarter sand, then mix thoroughly, and sift all through a coarse sieve. In oj^erating, put a quantity of soil on the potting bench, provide a quantity of broken bricks or potsherds for drainage, loosen the plants from the pots by laying them on their side, giving them a sudden jar with the hand, to loosen the sand around them; draw out the plant carefully, holding it with one hand, while with the other you ])lace CULTURE OP THE GRAPE. 35 a piece of the drainage material into the pot ; cover it with soil about an inch ; then put in the plant, holding it so that the roots s^Dread out naturally ; fill in soil around them until the pot is full ; press the soil down firmly, but not hard enough to break the roots. "When the plants are potted give them water to settle the earth around the roots, and keep the air somewhat confined for a few days, until they have become established, when more air may be given them. Keep the temperature at 85° to 95° during the day, and 70° to 80° during the night. When the plants have made about six inches of growth they can either be placed in another house, or in hot-bed frames, if they are to be kept under glass. The usual manner of keeping them in 2)ots during summer, shifting them into larger and larger sizes, I consider injurious to the free development of the plants, as the roots are dis- torted and cramped against the sides of the pots, and can- not spread naturally. I prefer shifting them into cold frames, in which beds have been prepared of light, rich soil, into which the young plants can be planted, and kept under whitewashed hot-bed sashes for a while, Avhich, after several weeks, may be removed, and only a light shading substituted in their place, which, after several weeks m.ore, can also be removed. Thus the young plants are gradually hardened, their roots have a chance to spread evenly and naturally, without any cramping ; and such plants, although they may not make as tall a growth as those kept under glass all the season, will really stand transplanting into the vineyard much better than those hot-house pets, which may look well enough, but really are, like spoiled an(ikpampered children, but poorly fitted to stand the rough vicissitudes of every-day life. The young plants should be lightly tied to small sticks provided for the purpose, as it will allow free circulation 36 CULTURE OF TllK GRAPE. of air, and admit the sun more freely to the roots. In the fall, after their leaves have dropped, they should be carefully taken up, shortened to about a foot of their growth, and they are then ready either to sell, if they are to be disposed of in that way, or for planting into the vine- yard. They should, however, be carefully assorted, making three classes of them — the strongest, medium, and the smallest — each to be put separate. The latter generally are not fit to transplant into the vineyard, but they may be heeled in, and grown in beds another year, when they will often make very good plants. Heeling in may be done as shown in figure 2, laying the vines as Fig. 2. close in the row^s as they can conveniently be laid, and then fill the trench with well-pulverized soil. They can thus be safely kept during the winter. I have only given an outline of the most simple and cheapest mode of growing plants from single eyes, such as even the vineyardist may follow. For descriptions of more extensive and costly buildings, if they desire them, they had better apply to an architect. I have also not given the mode of propagating from green w^ood, as I do not think, plants thus propagated are desirable. They are apt to be feeble and diseased, and I think, the country at large would be m.uch better oif, had not a single plant ever been produced by that method. Plants from single eyes may also be grown in a com- mon hot-bed ; but as in this the heat can not be as well CULTUllE Oi'' THK GJIAI'E. 87 regulated at will, I think it, upon the whole, not desirable, as the expense of a j^i'opagating house on the cheap plan I have indicated, is but very little more, and will certainly in the long run, pay much better. Of course, close attention and careful watching is the first requisite in all the operations. III. BY CUTTINGS IN OPEN AIR. This is certainly the easiest and most simple method for the vineyardist ; can be followed successfully with the majority of varieties, which have moderately soft wood, and even a part of the hard wood varieties will gener- ally grow, if managed carefully. MODE OF OPERATING. There are several methods, which are fol- lowed with more or less success. I will first describe that which I have found most suc- cessful, namely, short cuttings, of two or three eyes each, which are made of any sound, well ripened wood, of last season's growth. Prune the vines in the fall or early winter, and make the cuttings as soon as convenient ; for if the wood is not kept perfectly fresh and green, the cuttings will fail to grow. Now, cut up all the sound, well-ripened wood into lengths of from two to four eyes each, making them of a uniform length of say eight inches, and prepare them as shown in figure 3. .J Fu;. 38 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. These should be tied into convenient bundles, from 100 to 250 in each, taking care to even the lower ends, and then buried in the ground, making a hole somewhat deeper than the cuttings are long, into which the bundles are set on their lower ends, and soil thrown in between and over them. In spring, as soon as the ground is dry enough, the cutting-bed should be prepared. Choose for this a light, rich soil, which should be well pulverized, to the depth of at least a foot, and if not light enough, it should be made so by adding some leaf mould. Now draw a line along the whole length of the bed ; then take a spade and put it down perpendicular along the line or nearly so, moving it a little backwards and forwards, so as to open the cut. Now take the cutting and press it down into the cut thus made, until the upper bud is even with the surface of the soil. The cuttings may be put close in the rows, say an inch apart, and the rows made two feet apart. Press the ground firmly down with your foot along the line of cuttings, so as to pack it closely around the cutting. After the bed is finished, mulch them with straw, or litter, spent tan or saw-dust, say about an inch thick, and if none of these can be had, leaves from the forest may be used for the purpose. This will serve to protect the young leaves from the sun, and will also keep an even moisture during the heat of sum- mer, at the same time keeping the soil loose and porous. If weeds appear, they should be pulled up, and the cut- ings, kept clean through the summer. They will gen- erally make a firm, hardy growth of from one to four feet, have become used to all the hardships and changes of the weather ; and as they have formed their roots just where they ought to be, about eight inches below the ground, will not suffer so much from transplanting, as either a single eye or a layer, whose roots have to be put much CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 39 deejDer in transplanting, than they were before, and thus, as it were, become acclimated to the lower regions. For these reasons, I think, that a good plant grown from a cutting is preferable to that propagated by any other method. In the Fall, the vines are carefully taken up, assorted and heeled in, in the same manner as described, with single eyes, and cut back to about three inches of their growth. They are then ready for transplanting into the vineyard. IV. BY LAYERING. This is a very convenient method of increasing such varieties as will not grow readily from cuttings ; and vines thus propagated will, if treated right, make very good plants. To layer a vine, shorten in its last season's growth to about one-half; then prepare the ground thoroughly, pulverizing it well ; then, early in spring make a small furrow, about an inch deejJ, then bend the cane down and fasten it firmly in the bottom of the trench, by wooden hooks or pegs, made for the ,pur- pose. They may thus be left, until the young shoots have grown, say six inches ; then fill up with finely pul- verized soil or leaf-mould. The vines will thus strike root generally at every joint. The young shoots may be tied to small sticks, provided for the purpose, and when they have grown about a foot, their tips should be ^^inched off to make them grow more stocky. In the Fall they are taken up carefully, commencing to dig at the end furthest removed from the vine, and separate each plant between the joints, so that every shoot has a system of roots by itself They are then either planted immediately, or heeled in as described before. 40 CULTTRE OF THE GIlAl'E. V. BY GRAFTING. The principal advantages to be gained by this method are : 1st. The facility by which new and rare kinds may be increased, by grafting them on strong stocks of healthy varieties, when they will often grow from ten to twenty feet the first season, producing an abundance of wood to propagate. 2d. The short time in which fruit can be obtained from new and untried varieties, as their grafts will generally bear the next season. 3d. In every vineyard there are, in these days of many varieties, vines which have proved inferior, yet by grafting into them some superior variety, they may be made very valuable. 4th. The facility by which vines can be forced under glass, by grafting on small pieces of roots, and the certainty with Avhich every bud can thus be made to grow. The vine, however, does not unite with the same facility as the pear and apple, and, to ensure success, must be grafted under ground, which makes the operation a difficult and disagreeable one. It will therefore hardly become a general practice ; but, for the purposes above named, is of sufficient importance, to make it desirable that every vineyardist should be able to perform it. I have generally had the best success in grafting here about the middle of March, in the following manner : Dig away the ground around the vine you wish to graft, imtil you come to a smooth place to insert your scion ; then cut off the vine with a sharp knife, and insert one or two scions, as in common cleft-grafting, taking care to cut the wedge on the scion very thin, with shoulders Fig. 4 ^jj ^^q^}^ sides, as shown in Figure 4, cutting your CULTURE OF THE GPAPE. 41 scion to two eyes, to better insure success. Great care must be taken to insert the scion properly, as the inner bark or liber of the vine is very thin, and the success of the operation depends upon a perfect junction of the stock and scion. If the vine is strong enough to hold the scion firmly, no further bandage is necessary ; if not, it should be wound firmly and evenly with bass bark. Then press the soil firmly on the cut, and fill up the hole with well pulverized earth, to the top of the scion. Examine the stock from time to time, and remove all wild shoots and suckers, which it may throw up, as they will rob the graft of nourishment and enfeeble it. Others prefer to graft in May, when the leaves have expanded, and the most rapid flow of sap has ceased, keeping the scions in a cool place, to prevent the buds from starting. The operation is performed in precisely the same manner, and will be just as successful, I think, but the grafts that have been put in early, have the advantage of several weeks over the others, and the latter will seldom make as strong a growth, or ripen their wood as well as those put in early. Mr. A. S. Fuller performs the operation in the fall, pre- venting the graft from freezing by inverting a flower-pot over it, and then covering with straw or litter. He claims for this method — 1st. That it can be performed at a time when the ground is more dry, and in better condition, and business not so pressing as in spring. — 2d. That the scion and stock have more time to unite, and will form their junction completely during the winter, and will therefore start sooner, and make a more rapid growth than in spring. It certainly looks feasible enough, and is well worth trying, as, when the operation succeeds, it must evidently have advantages over any of the other modes. 42 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. Vines 1 had grafted in March have sometimes made twenty to thirty feet of growth, and produced a full crop the next season. This will show one the advantage to be derived from it in propagating new and scarce varieties, and in hastening the fruiting of them. Should a seedling, for instance, look very promising in foliage and general appearance, fruit may be obtained from it from one to two seasons sooner by grafting some of the wood on strong stocks, than from the original plant. Hence the vast importance of grafting, even to the practical vine- yardist. THE VINEYARD. LOCATION AND SOIL. As the selection of a proper location is of vast import- ance, and one of the main conditions of success, great care and judgment should be exercised in the choice. Some varieties of grapes may be grown on almost any soil, it is true; but even they will show a vast difference in the quality of the fruit, even if the quantity were satisfactory ; on indifferent soil, and in an inferior location. Every- body should grow grapes enough for his own use, who owns an acre of ground, but every one cannot grow them and make the most delicious wine. The best locations are generally on the hillsides, along our larger rivers, water- courses, and lakes, sloping to the East, South, and Southwest, as they are generally more exempt from late spring frosts and early frosts in fall. The location should be sheltered from the cold winds from the north and northwest, but fully exj)osed to the prevailing winds in summer from the south and south- west. If a hill is chosen at any distance from a large body of water, it should be high and airy, with as gentle a slope as can be obtained. The locations along creeks and smaller Avater-courses should be particularly avoided, as they are subject to late spring frosts, and are generally damp and moist. 43 44 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. The soil should be a dry, calcareous loam, sufficiently deep, say three feet ; if possible, draining itself readily. Should this not be the case naturally, it should be done with tiles. I was much struck by the force of a remark made by medical friend last summer, when, in consequence of the continual rains, the ague was very prevalent. It was this : wherever you will find the ague an habitual guest with the inhabitants you need not look for healthy grape- vines. Wherever we find stagnant water let us avoid the neighboring hillsides, for they would not be congenial to our grape-vines. But on the bluffs overhanging the banks of our large streams, especially on the northern and western sides, where the vines are sheltered from the north and west winds, and fully exposed to the warm southern winds of our summer days, and where the fogs arising from the water yet give sufficient humidity to the atmosphere, even in the hottest summer days, to re- fresh the leaf during the night and morning hours ; where the soil on the southern and eastern slopes is a mixture of decomposed stone and leaf-mould, and feels like velvet to the feet — there is the paradise for the grape ; and the soil is already better prepared for it than the hand of man can ever do. Such locations should be cheap to the grape-grower at amj price. We find them very frequently along the northern banks of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, and they will no doubt become the favored grape regions of the country. The grape grows there with a luxuriance and health which is almost incredible to those living in less favored locations. But the question may be asked here, what shall be done by those who do not live in these favored regions, and yet would like to grow grapes ? I answer, let them choose the best location they have, the most free and airy, CULTURE OP THE GRAPE. " 45 and let them choose only those sturdy varieties that with- stand e very thin <^. They cannot grow the most delicate varieties — the Herbemont, the Delaware, the Clara, are not for them ; but they can grow the Concord, Hartford Pro- lific, and Norton's Virginia, and they at least are " very good," although they may not be the " best." There is no excuse for any one in this country why he should not grow his own grapes, for the use of his family at least, if he has any ground to grow them on. PREPARING THE SOIL. In this, the foundation of all grape-growing, the vine- yardist must also look to the condition in which he finds the soil. Should it be free of stones, stumps, and other obstructions, the plough and sub-soil plough will be all- suffieient. Should your soil be new, perhaps a piece of wild forest land, have it carefully grubbed, and every tree and stump taken out by the roots. After the ground is cleared take a large breaking-plough, with three yoke of sturdy oxen, and plough as deep as you can, say twelve to fourteen inches. Now follow in the same furrow with an imple- ment we call here a sub-soil stirrer, and which is simply a plough-share of wedge shape, running in the bottom of the furrow, and a strong coulter, running up from it through the beam of the plough, sharp in front, to cut the roots ; the depth of the furrow is regulated by a movable Avheel running in front, which can be set by a screw. With two yoke of oxen this will loosen the soil to the depth of, say twenty inches, which is sufl[icient, unless the sub-soil is very tenacious. In land already cultivated, where there are no roots to obstruct, two yoke of oxen or four horses attached to the plough, and one yoke of 46 CULTUIIH OF THE GRAPE. oxen or a pair of horses or mules to the sub-soil plough, will be sufficient. In stony soil the pick and shovel must take the place of the plough, as it would be impossible to work it thorouglily with the latter ; but I think there is no advantage in the common method of trenching or inverting the soil, as is now practiced to a very great extent. If we examine the growth of our native vines we Avill gen- erally find their roots extending along the surface of the soil. It is unnatural to suppose that the grape, the most sun-loving of all our plants, should be buried with its roots several feet below the surface of the soil, far beyond the reach of sun and air. Therefore, if you can afford it, work your soil deep and thoroughly ; it will be labor well invested ; is the best preventive against drouth, and also the best drainage in wet weather ; but have it in its natu- ral position — not invert it ; and do not plant too deep. Should the soil be very poor it may be enriched by manure, ashes, bone-dust, etc. ; but it will seldom be found necessary, as most of our soil is rich enough; and it is not advisable to stimulate the growth too much, as it will be rank and unhealthy, and injurious to the quality and flavor of the fruit. Wet spots may be drained by gutters filled with loose stones, or tiles, and then covered Avith earth. Surface- draining can be done by running a small ditch or furrow every sixth or eighth row, parallel with the hillside, and leadin. 58 CULTURE OF THE GKAl'E. From these we may expect from two to three strong shoots or canes. Our first work will be to cultivate the whole ground^ say from four to six inches deep, plough- ing between the rows, and hoeing around the vines with a two-pronged German hoe, or Tcarst. Figure 7 shows one of these implements, of the best form for that pur- FiG. 7, pose. The ground should be completely inverted, but never do it in wet weather, as tliis will make the ground hard and cloggy. Of the young shoots, if there are three, leave only the two strongest, tying the best of them neatly to the trellis with bass, or pawpaw bark, or rye straw. If a CULTURE OP THE GRAPE. 59 Catawba or Delaware, you may let them grow unchecked, tying them along the uppermost wire, when they have grown above it. The Concord, Herbemont, Norton's Virginia, and other strong-growing varieties, I treat in the following manner : When the young shoot has reached the second wire I pinch oiF its leader. This has the tend- ency to force the laterals into stronger growth, each forming a medium-sized cane. On these we intend to grow our fruit the coming season, as the buds on these Fig. 8. Fig. 9. laterals will generally produce more and finer fruit than the buds on the strong canes. Figure 8 will show the manner of training the second summer, with one cane layered, for the purpose of raising plants. This is done as described before ; only, as the vine will make a much stronger growth this season than the first, the layering may be done in June, as soon as the young shoots are strong enough. Figure 9 shows the vine primed and tied, at the end of the second season. Figure 10 illastrates the manner of training and tying the Catawba or Delaware. 60 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. C5 i-i CULTURE OP THE GRAPE. 61 The above is a combination of the single cane and bow system, and the horizontal arm training, which I first tried on the Concord from sheer necessity; when tlie results pleased me so much that I have adopted it with all strong-growing varieties. The circumstances which led me to the trial of this method were as follows : In the summer of 1862, when my Concord vines were making their second season's growth, we had, in the beginning of June, the most destructive hail storm I have ever seen here. Every leaf was cut from the vines, and the young succulent shoots Avere all cut off to about three to three and a half feet above the ground. The vines, being young and vigorous, pushed out the laterals vigorously, each of them making a fair-sized cane. In the fall, when I came to prune them, the main cane was not long enough, and I merely shortened in the laterals to from four to six buds each. On these I had as fine a crop of grapes as I ever saw, fine, large, well-developed bunches and berries, and a great many of them, as each had pro- duced its fruit- bearing shoot. Since that time I have fol- lowed this method altogether, and obtained the most satisfactory results. The ground should be kept even and mellow during the summer, and the vines neatly tied to the trellis with bast or straw. There are many other methods of training ; for in- stance, the old bow and stake training, which is followed to a great extent around Cincinnati, and was followed to some extent here. But it crowds the whole mass of fruit and leaves together so closely that mildew and rot will follow almost as a natural consequence, and those who follow it are almost ready to give uj) grape-culture in despair. Nor is this surprising. With their tenacious adherence to so fickle a variety as the Catawba, and 62 CULTURE OF THE GllAPE. to practices and methods of which experience onght to have taught them the utter impracticability long ago, we need not be surprised that grape-culture is with them a failure. We have a class of grape-growers who never learn, nor ever forget, anything ; these we cannot expect should prosper. The grape-grower, of all others, should be a close observer of nature in her various moods, a thinking and a reasoning being; he should be trying and experimenting all the time, and be ready always to throw aside his old methods, should he find that another will more fully meet the wants of his plants. Only thus can he expect to prosper. There is also the arm system, of Avhich we hear so much now-a-days, and which certainly looks very pretty on paper. But paper is patient, and while it cannot be denied that it has its advantages, if every spur and shoot could be made to grow just as represented in drawings, with three fine bunches to each shoot ; yet, upon applying it practically, we find that vines are stubborn, and some shoots will outgrow others ; and before we hardly know how, the whole beautiful system is out of order. It may do to follow in gardens, on arbors and .walls, with a few vines, but I do not think that it will ever be successfully followed in vineyard culture for a number of years, as it involves too much labor in tying up, pruning, etc. I think the method described above Avill more fully meet the wants of the vinyardist than any I have yet seen tried ; it is so simple that every intelligent person can soon become familiar with it, and it gives us new, healthy wood for bearing every season. Pruning may be done in the fall, as soon as the leaves have dropped. CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 63 TREATMENT OF THE VINE THE THIRD SEASON. At the commencement of the third season, we find our vine pruned to two spurs of two eyes each, and four lat- eral canes, of from four to six eyes each. These are tied firmly to the trellis as shown in figure 12, for which pur- pose small twigs of willows (especially the golden willow, of which every grape-grower should i^lant a supply) are the most convenient. The ground is ploughed and hoed deeply, as described before, taking care, however, not to plough so deep as to cut or tear the roots of the vine. Our vines being tied, ploughed, and hoed, we come to one of the most imj^ortant and delicate operations to be performed; one of as great — nay, greater — importance than pruning. I mean summer-pruning, or pinching, i. e. thumb or finger pruning. Fall-pruning, or cutting back, is but the beginning of the discipline under which we intend to keep our vines; summer-pruning is the con- tinuation, and one is useless, and cannot be followed systematically without the other. Let us look at our vine well, before we begin, and com- mence near the ground. The time to perform t^.e first summer-pruning is when the young shoots are about six to eight inches long, and when you can see plainly all the small bunches or buttons — the embryo fruit. We com- mence on the lower two spurs, having two buds each. From these two shoots have started. One of them we intend for a bearing cane next summer ; therefore allow it to grow unchecked for the present, tying it, if long enough, to the lowest wire. The other, which we intend for a spur again next fall, we pinch with thumb and finger to just beyond the last bunch or button, taking out the leader between the last bunch and the next leaf, as shown in figure 11, the cross line indicating where the 6-i CULTURE OF TlIK CiJlAPK. leader is to be pinched off. We now come to the next spur, on the opposite side, where we also leave one cane to grow unchecked, and j^inch off the other. We now o-o over all the shoots coming from the arms or laterals tied to the trellis, and also pinch them beyond the last bunch. Should any of the buds have pushed out two shoots, we rub off the weakest ; we also take oif all bar- ren or weak shoots. If any of them are not sufficiently developed we pass them over, and go over the vines again, in a few days after the first pinching. Fig. 11. This early pinching of the shoot has a tendency to throw all the vigor into tlie development of the young bunch, and the leaves remaining on the shoot, which now grow with astonishing rapidity. It is a gentle checking, and leading the sap into other channels ; not the violent process which is often followed long after the bloom, when the wood has become so hardened that it must be cut with a knife, and by which the plant is robbed of a large quantity of its leaves, to the injury of both fruit and vine. Let any CULTURE OF TIIK GRAPE. G5 of my readers, who Avisli to satisfy themselves, summer- prune a Ainc, according to the method described here, and leave the next vine until after the bloom, and he will plainly j^erceive the difference. The merit of first having practised this method here, which I consider one of vast importance in grape-culture, belongs to Mr. William Poeschel, of this place, Avho was led to do so, by observing the rapid development of the young bunches on a shoot which had accidentally been broken beyond the last bunch. Now, there is hardly an intelligent grape-grower here, who does not follow it; and I think it has added more than one-third to the quantity and quality of my croj^. It also gives a chance to destroy the small, white Avorm, a species of leaf-folder, Avhich is very troublesome just at this time, eating the young fruit and leaves, and Avhich makes its Aveb among the tender leaves at the end of the shoot. The bearing branches having all been pinched back, Ave can leave our vines alone until after the bloom, only tying up the young canes from the spurs, should it become necessary. But do not tie them over the bearing canes, but lead them to the empty s]3ace on both sides of the vine ; as our object must be to give the fruit all the air and light Ave can. By the time the grapes have bloomed, the laterals will haA'G pushed from the axils of the leaves on the bearing shoots. NoAV go over these again, and pinch each lateral back to one leaf, as shoAvn in Figure li2. This Avill make the leaf Avhich remains grow and ex2:)and rapidly, serving at the same time as a conductor of sap to the young bunch opposite, and shading it when it becomes fully developed. The canes from the spurs, which we left unchecked, and which Ave design to bear fruit the next season, may noAv also be stopped or pinched, Avhen they are about three C6 CULTURE OP THE GRAPE. feet long, to start their laterals into stronger growth. Pinch off all the tendrils ; this is a very busy time for the vine-dresser, and upon his close attendance and diligence now, depends, in a great measure, the value of his crop. Besides, " a stitch in time saves nine," and he can save an incredible amount of labor by doing everything at the proper time. V Fig. 12. In a short time, the laterals on the fruit-bearing branches which have been pinched will throw out suckers again. . These are stopped again, leaving one leaf of the young growth. Leave the laterals on the canes intended for next years' fruiting to grow unchecked, tying them neatly with bass, or pawpaw bark, or with rye straw. This is about all that is necessary for this summer, except an occasional tying up of a fruiting branch, should its burden become more than it can bear. But the majority of the branches will be able to sustain their fruit CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 67 without tying, and the young growth which may yet start from the laterals may be left unchecked, as it will serve to shade the fruit when ripening. Of course, the soil must be kept clean and mellovr, as in the former summer. This short pruning is also a partial preventative against mildew and rot, and the last extremely wet season has again shown the importance of letting in light and air to all parts of the vine; as those vineyards, where a strict system of early summer pruning had been followed, did not suffer half as much from rot and mildew as those where the old slovenly method still prevailed. My readers will perceive, that Fall-pruning, or shorten- ing-in the ripened wood of the Adne, and summer-pruning, shortening in and thinning out the young growth, have one and all the same object in view, namely, to keep the vine within proper bounds, and concentrate all its energies for a two-fold object, namely, the production and ripening of the most perfect fruit, and the production of strong, healthy wood for the coming season's crop. Both ope- rations are, in fact, only different parts of one and the same system, of which summer-pruning is the preparatory, and fall pruning the finishing part. If we think that a vine is setting more fruit than it is able to bear and ripen perfectly, we have it in our power to thin it, by taking away all imperfect bunches, and feeble shoots. We should allow no more wood to grow than we need for next season's bearing ; if we allow three canes to grow where only two are needed, we waste the energies of the vine, which should all be concentrated upon ripening its fruit in the most perfect condition, and producing the necessary wood for next season's bearing and that of the best and most vigorous quality, but no more. If Ave prune the Aine too long, Ave over-tax its energies ; making it bear more fruit than it can perfect, 68 CULTURE OP THE GRAPE. and the result will be poor, badly-ripened fruit, and small and imperfect Avood. If, on the contrary, we prune the vine too short, we will have a rank, excessiA^e growth of wood and leaves, and encourage rot and mildew. Only practice and experience Avill teach us the exact medium, and the observing vintner will soon find out where he has been wrong, better than he can be taught by a hundred pages of elaborate advice. Different vari- eties will require different treatment, and it would be foolishness to suppose that two varieties so entirely differ- ent, as for instance, the Concord and the Delaware, could be pruned, trained and pinched in the same manner. The first, being a rank and vigorous grower, with long joints, will require much longer pruning than the latter, which is a slow-growing, short-jointed vine. Some varieties, the Taylor for instance, also the Norton, will fruit better if pruned to spurs on old wood, than on the young canes ; it will therefore be the best policy for the vintner in pruning these, to retain the old arms or canes, pruning all the healthy, strong shoots they have to two buds, as long as the old arms remain healthy ; always, however, grow- ing a young cane to fall back upon, should the old arm become diseased; whereas, the Catawba and Delaware, being only moderate growers, will flourish and bear best when pruned short, and to a cane of last season's growth. The Concord and Ilerbemont, again, will bear best on the laterals of last season's growth, and should be trained accordingly. Therefore it is, because only a few of the common laborers will take the pains to think and observe closely, that Ave find among them but few good Aune-dressers. At the end of this season, Ave find our Concords or Herbemonts, with the old fruit-bearing cane, and a spur on each side, from Avhich have groAvn tAvo canes ; one of CULTURE OF TIIK GRAPE. 69 which Avns stopped, like all other fruit-bearing branches, and which we now prune to a spur of two eyes ; and another, which was stoj^ped at about three feet, and on which the laterals were allowed to grow unchecked. We therefore have one of these canes, with its laterals, on each side of the vine. These laterals are now pruned precisely as the last season, each being cut back to from four to six eyes, and the old cane, whicli has borne fruit, is cut away altogether. With Norton's Virginia, Taylor, and some others, which will bear more readily on spurs from old wood, the old cane is retained, provided the shoots on it are sound and healthy, with well developed buds ; the Aveak ones are cut away altogether, and the others cut back to two eyes each. One of the canes is jDruned, as in the Concord, to be tied to one side of the trellis, the next spring. This closes our summer and fall pruning for the third year. Of the gathering of the fruit, as well for market as for wine, I shall speak in another chapter. TREATMENT OF THE VINE THE FOURTH SUMMER. We may now consider the vine as established, able to bear a full crop, and when tied to the trellis in S]3ring, to present the appearance, as shown in Fig. 13. The opera- tions to be performed are precisely the same as in its third year. In addition, I will here remark, that in wet seasons the soil of the vineyard should be stirred as little as possible, as it will bake and clog, and in dry seasons it should be deeply worked and stirred, as this loose surface-soil will retain moisture much better than a hard surface. Should the vines show a decrease in vigor, they may be manured with ashes or compost, or still better, with 70- CULTURE OP THE GRAPE. surface-soil from the woods. This will serve to replenish the soil which may liave been washed off and is much more beneficial than stable manure. When the latter is applied, a small trench should be dug just above the vine, the manure laid in, and covered with soil. But an abundance of fresh soil, drawn up well around the vine, is certainly the best of all manures. Where a vine has failed to grow the first season, replant with extra strong vines, as they will find it difficult to catch up with the others ; or the vacancy can be filled Fig. 13. Tip the next season, l)y a layer from a neighboring vine, made in the following manner : Dig a trench from the vine to the empty place, about eight to ten inches deep, and bend into it one of the canes of the vine, left to grow unchecked for that purpose, and j^runed to the proper length. Let the end of it come out to the surface of the ground Avith one or two eyes above it, at the place where the vine is to be, and fill up with good, well pulverized earth. It vrill strike roots at almost every joint, and grow rapidly, but, as it takes a good deal CULTURE OF THE GIIAPE. 71 of nourishment from the j^arent vine, that must be pruned much shorter the first year. When the layer has become well established, it is cut from tlie parent vhie ; generally the second season. Pruning is best done in the fall, but it can be done on mild days all through the winter months, even as late as the middle of March. Fall-pruning will prevent all flow of sap, and the cuttings are also better if made in the fall, and buried in the ground during winter. All the sound, well-ripened wood of last season's growth may be made into cuttings, which may be either planted, as directed in a former chapter, or sold* and are an accession to the product of the vineyard not to be despised, for they will generally defray all expenses of cultivation. TRAINING THE VINES ON ARBORS AND WALLS. This is altogether different from the treatment in vine- yards ; the first has for its object to grow the most perfect fruit, and to bring the vine, with all its parts, within the easy reach and control of the operator ; in the latter, our object is to cover a large space with foliage, for ornament and shade, fruit being but a secondary consideration. However, if the a ine is treated judiciously, it will also produce a large quantity of fruit, although not of as good quality as in the vineyard. Our first object must be to grow very strong plants, to cover a very large sj^ace. Prepare a border by digging a trench tAvo feet deep and four feet wide. Fill Avdth rich soil, decomposed leaves, burnt bones, ashes, etc. Into this plant the strongest plants you have, pruned as for A'ineyard planting. Leave but one shoot to grow on them during the first -summer, which, if properly treated, will get very strong. Cut back to three buds the TO CULTUKE OF TIIH GllAPE. CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 73 coming fall. These will each throw out a strong shoot, which should be tied to the arbor they are designed to cover, as shown in figure 14, and allowed to grow un- checked. In the fall following cut each shoot back to three buds, as our first object must be to get a good basis for our vines. These will give us nine canes the third summer ; and as the vine is now thoroughly estab- lished and strong, we can begin to work in good earnest. It Avill be jierceived that the vine has three different sec- tions or principal branches, each with three canes. Cut one of these back to two eyes, aixl the other two to six or eight buds each, according to the strength of the vine, as shown in figure 15. The next spring tie these neatly to the trellis, and when the young shoots appear thin out the weakest, and leave the others to grow unchecked. The next fall cut back as indicated by the black cross lines, the weakest to be cut back to one or two eyes, and the stronger ones to three or four, the spurs at the bottom to come in as a reserve, should any of the branches become diseased. Figure 16 shows the manner of pruning. In this manner a vine can be made, in course of time, to cover a large space, and get very old. The great vine at Windsor Palace was planted more than sixty years ago, and in 1850 it produced two thousand large bunches of magnificent grapes. The space covered by the branches was one hundred and thirty-eight feet long, and eixteen feet wide, and it had a stem two feet nine inches in circumference. This is one of the largest vines on record. They should, however, be strongly manured to come to full perfection. Other authorities prefer the Thomery system of train- ing, but I think it much more complicated and difficult to follow. Those wishing to follow it will find full direc- 74 CULTURE 01<' THE GRAPE. CULTURE OF THE ORAPE 75 tions in Dr. Grant's and Fuller's books, Avliicn are very- explicit on this method. OTHER METHODS OF TRAINING THE VINE. There are many other systems in vogue among vme- dressers in Germany and France, but as our native grapes are so much stronger in growth, and are in this cUmate so much more subject to mihlew and rot, I think these methods, upon the whole, but poorly adapted to the wants of our native grapes, however judicious they may be there. I will only mention a few of them here ; one because it is to a great extent followed in Mexico and California, and seems to suit that dry climate and arid soil very well ; and the other, because it will often serve as a pretty border to beds in gardens. The first is the so-called buck or stool method of training. The vine is made to form its head — i. e., the part from which the branches start — about a foot above the ground, and all the young shoots are allowed to grow, but summer- pruned or checked just beyond the last bunch of grapes. The next spring all of the young shoots are cut back to two eyes, and this system of " spurring in " is kept up, and the vine will in time present the appearance of a bush or miniature tree, producing all its fruit within a foot from the head, and without further support than its own stem. Yery old vines trained in this manner often have twenty to twenty-five spurs, and 2:)resent, with their fruit all hanging in masses around the main trunk, a pleasing but rather odd aspect. This method could not be applied here with any chance of success only to those varieties which are bIow growers, and at the same time very hardy. The Delaware would perhaps be the most suitable of all varieties I know for a trial of this method ; 76 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. such Strong growers as the Concord and Norton's Vir- ginia could never be kept within the proper bounds, and it would be useless to try it on them. It might be of ad- vantage on poor soil, where there is at the same time a scarcity of timber. Figure 17 shows an old vine pruned after this method. The other method of dwarfing the grape is practiced to make a pretty border along walks in gardens, and is as follows : Plant your vines about eight feet apart ; treat them the first season as in common vineyard planting, but at the end of the first season cut back to two eyes. Now Fig. 17. provide posts, three to three and a half feet long ; drive them into the ground about eighteen inches to two feet, which can be easily done if they are pointed at one end, and nail a lath on top of them. This is your treUis for the vines, and should be about eighteen inches above the ground when ready. Now allov/ both shoots which will start from the two buds to grow unchecked ; and when they have grown above the trellis, tie one down to the right, the other to the left, allowing them to ramble at will along it. The next fall they are each cut back to the proper length, to meet the next vine, and in spring CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 77 tied firmly to the lath, as shown in figure 18. V/'hen the young shoots appear, all beloAF the trellis are rubbed off, but all those above the trellis are summer-pruned or pinched immediately beyond the last bunch of grapes, as in vineyard culture, and the trellis, with its garland of fruit, will present a very pretty appearance throughout 78 CULTURE Oh" THE GRAPB. the summer. In the fall all of these shoots are jJi'uned to one bud, from Avhich will grow the fruit-bearing shoot for the next season, as shown in figure 19 ; and the same treatment is repeated during the summer and fall, DISEASES OF THE VINE. I cannot agree with Mr. Fuller that the diseases of the vine are not formidable in this country. They are so for- midable that they threaten to destroy some varieties alto- gether; and the Catawba, once the glory and pride of the Ohio vineyards, has for the last fifteen years suftered so much from them, that many of the grape-growers who are too narrow-minded to try anything else are about giving up grape-growing in despair. It is very fortunate, therefore, that we have varieties which do not suffer from these diseases, or only in a very slight degree ; and my advice to the beginner in grape- culture would be, " not to plant largely of any variety which is subject to disease." Men may talk about sul- phuring, and dusting their vines with sulphur through bellows ; but I would rather ha^'e vines which will bear a good crop without these windy appliances. We can certainly find some varieties for everi/ locality which do not need them, and these we should plant. The mildew is our most formidable disease, a'nd will very often sweep away two-thirds of a crop of Catawbas in a few days. It generally appears here from the first to the fifteenth of June, after abundant rains, and damp, warm weather. It seems to be a parasitic fungus, and sulphur applied by means of a bellows, or dusted over the fruit and vine is said to be a partial remedy. Close and early summer-pruning will do much to prevent it, throw- ing, as it does, all the strength of the vine into the yoimg CULTURE OF THE GKAPE. 79 fruit, developing it rapidly, and also allowing free circu- lation of air. In some ^•arieties — for instance, the Dela- ware — it Avill only affect the leaves, causing them, to blight and drop off, after which the fruit, although it may attain full size, will not ripen nor become sweet, but wither and drop off prematurely. In seasons when the weather is dry and the air pure, it will not appear. It is most prevalent in locations which have a tenacious sub- soil, and under-draining will very likely prove a par- tial preventive, as excess of moisture about the roots is no doubt one of its causes. The gray rot, or so-called grape cholera, generally fol- lows the mildew, and I think that the latter is the princi- pal cause of it, as I have generally found it on berries whose stems have been injured by the mildew. The berry first shows a sort of gray marbling; in a day or two it turns to a grayish-blue color, and fSially withers and drops from the bunch. It will continue to affect berries until they begin to color, but only attack a few varieties — the Catawba, To Kalon, Kingsessing, and sometimes the Diana. The spotted, or brown rot, wiU also attack many of our varieties ; it is A^ery destructive to the Isabella and Catawba, and even the Concord is not quite free from it. But it is, after all, not very destructive, and not half as dangerous as the mildew or gray rot. Early and close summer-pruning is a partial preventa- tive against all these diseases, as it will hasten the devel- opment of the fruit, allow free circulation of air, and the young leaves which appear on the laterals after pinching seem to be better able to withstand the effects of the mildew, often remaining fresh and green, and shading the fruit, when the fii'st growth of leaves have already dropped. 80 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. But " an ounce of prevention is better than a i^ound of cure," and our best preventive is to j^lant none but healthy varieties. A grape, however good it may be in quality, is not fit for general cultivation if seriously affected with any of these diseases. Nothing can be more discouraging to tlie grape-grower than to see his vines one day rich in the ])romise of an abundant crop, and a few days afterwards see two-thirds or three-fourths swept away by disease. It is because I have so often felt this bitter disappointment, that I would warn my readers against planting varieties subject to them. I would save them from the discouragement and bitter losses Av^hich 1 have experienced, w^hen it was out of my power to pre- vent it. They can prevent it, for the grape-growing of to- day is no longer the same uncertain occupation it was ten ' years ago. We of to-day have our choice of varieties not subject to dif^ease ; let us make it judiciously, and we may be sure of a paying crop every year. INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE GRAPE. The grape has many enemies of this kind, but if they are closely watched from the beginning their ravages are easily kept Avithin proper bounds. The common gray cut- worm will often eat the young tender shoots of the vine, and draw them into the ground beIovy^ Wherever this is perceived the rascal can easily be found by digging for him under some of the loose clods of ground below the vine, and should be destroyed without mercy. Small worms, belonging to the family of leaf-folders, some of them whitish gray, some bluish green, will in spring make their webs among the young, downy leaves at the end of the shoots, eating the young bunch Fig. 20. Delaware. — Berries ^ cUmnefer, 81 CULTURE OF THE GKAPE. 83 or buttons, and the leaves. These can be destroyed when summer pruning for the first time. Look close for them, as they are very small ; yet very destructive if let alone. A small, gray beetle, of about the size and color of a hemp-seed, will often eat a hole into the bud, when it is just swelling, and thus destroy it. He is very shy, and will drop from the vine as soon as you come near him. It is a good plan to spread a newspaper under the vine, and then shake it, when he will drop on the paper and can be caught. Another bug, of about the size of a fly, gray, with round black specks, will sometimes pay us a visit. They will come in swarms, and eat the upper side of the leaves, leaving only the skeletons. They are very destructive, devouring every leaf, as far as they go ; they can also be shaken oif on a paper or sheet spread under the vine. The thrip, a small, rather three-cornered, whitish-green insect, has of late been very troublesome, as they eat the under side of tlie leaves of some varieties, especially the Delaware and Norton's Virginia, Avhen the leaf will show rusty specks on the surface, and finally drop off". It has been recommended to go through the vineyard at night, one man carrying a lighted torch, and the other beating the vines, when they will fly into the flame, and be burnt. They are a great annoyance, and have defoliated whole vineyards here last fall. Another leaf-folder makes his appearance about mid- summer, making its web on the leaf, drawing it together, and then devouring his own house. It is a small, greenish, and very active worm, who, if he " smells a rat," will drop out of his web, and descend to the ground in double-quick time. I know of no other plan, than to catch him and crush his v/eb between the finger and thumb. 84 CULTURE OV THE GllAI>E. Tlie aphis, or plant louse, often covers the youn<^ shoots of the vine, sucking its juices. When a shoot is attacked by them, it will l>e best to take it off and. crusli them under your feet, as the shoot is apt to be sickly afterwards, any way. The graj^e vine sphynx will be found occasionally. It is a large, green worm, with black dots, and very voracious. Fortunately, it is not nmiierous, and can easily be found and destroyed. There are also several caterpillars — the yellow bear, the hog caterpillar, and tlie blue caterpillar, which will feed ujion the leaves. Tlic only remedy I know against them is hand picking, but they have not as yet been very numerous, nor very destructive. Wasps are sometimes very troublesome when the fruit ripens, stinging tlie berries and sucking the juice. A great many can be caught ])y hanging up bottles, with a little molasses, which they will enter, and get stuck in the molasses. BIRDS. These are sometimes very troublesome at the time of ripening, and especially the oriole is a " hard customer," as he will generally dip his bill into every berry ; often ruining a fine l)uncli, or a number of them, in a short time. I have therefore been compelled to wage a war upon some of the feathered tribe, although they are my especial favorites, and I cannot see a bird's nest robbed. How- ever, there are some who do not visit the vineyard, except for the purpose of destroying our grapes, and these can not complain if Ave '' won't stand it any longer," but take the gim, and retaliate on them. The oriole, the red bird, thrash, and cat bird are among the number, and altliough CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 85 I would liko to spare the latter three, in thankful remem- brance of many a gratuitous concert, the first must take Ins chance of powder and lead, for tlie little rascal is too aggravating. A few dry bushes, raised above the trellis will serve as their resting place before they commence their work of destruction, where they can be easily killed. I'llOSTS. Although our winters are seldom severe enough to destroy the hardy varieties, yet they will often fatally injure such half hardy varieties as the Herbemont and Cunningham, and the severe winter of 1863, — '64, killed even the Catawba, down to the snow line, and severely injured the Norton's Virginia, and even the Concord. Fortunately, such winters occm- but rarely, and even in localities where the vines are often destroyed by the severe cold in winter, this should deter no one from grow- ing grapes, as, with very little extra labor he can protect them, and bring them safely through the winter." I always cover my tender varieties, in fact, all that I feel not quite safe to leave out, even in severe winters, in the following manner : The vines are properly pruned in the fall ; then select a somewhat rainy day, when the canes will bend more easily. One man goes through the rows, and bends the canes to the ground along the trellis, while another follows with the spade, and throws earth enough on them to hold them in their jjlaces. Afterwards, I run a plough through the rows, and cover them up com- pletely. In the spring when all danger from frost is over, I take a so-called spading fork, and lift the vines. The entire cost of covering an acre of grape vines and taking them up again in spring, will not exceed $10; 86 CULTUKE OF THE GKAPE, surely a trifling expense, if we can thereby ensure a full crop. We have thus a protection against tlie cold in winter, but I know none against early frosts, in fall, and late spring frosts; and the grape grower should therefore avoid all localities where they are prevalent. The im- mediate neighborhood of large streams, or lakes, will gene- rally save the grape grower from their disastrous influence; and our summers, here, along the banks of the Missouri river, are in reality full two montiis longer than they are in the low, small valleys, only four to six miles off: Let the grape grower, in chosing a locality, look well to this, and avoid the hills along these narrow valleys. Either choose a location sufliciently elevated, to be beyond their influence, or, what is better still, choose it on the bluffs above our large streams ; where the atmosphere, even in the heat of summer, will never become too dry for the health of the vine. It is a sad spectacle to see the hopes of a whole summer frustrated by one cold night ; to see the vines which promised an abundant crop but the day before, browned and wilted beyond all hopes of recovery, and the cheerless prospect before you, that it may cccur every spring ; or to see the finest crop of grapes, when just ripening, scorched and wilted by just one night's frost, fit for nothing but vinegar. Therefore, look well to this, when you choose the site of your vineyard, and rather pay five times the price for a location free from frost, than for the I'ichest farm along the so-called creek bottoms, or worse still, sloughs of stagnant water. GIRDLING THE VINE TO HASTEN MATURITY. The jjractice of girdling to induce early ripening is supposed to have been invented by Col. Buciiatt, of Fig. 21. ^ioRTON's Virginia. — Berries ^ diameter. CULTURE OF THE GllAPE. 89 Metz, in 1745. He claimed for it that it would also greatly improve the quality of the fruit, as well as hasten maturity. That it accomplishes the latter, cannot he denied ; it also seems to increase the size of the berries, but I hardly think the fruit can compare in flavor witli a well developed bunch, ripened in the natural way. As it may be of practical value to those wlio grow grapes for the market, enabling them to supply their customers a week earlier at least, and also make the fruit look better, and be of interest to the amateur cultivator, I will describe the operation for their benefit. It can be j^erformed either on wood of the same season's growth, or on that of last year, but in any case only upon such as can be pruned away the next fall. If you desire to affect the fruit of a wliole arm or cane, cut away a ring of bark by passing your knife all around it, and making another incision from a quarter to half an inch above the first, taking out the intermediate piece of bark clean, down to the w^ood. It should be performed immediately after the fruit is set. The bunches of fruit above the incision will become larger, and the fruit ripen and color finely, from a week to ten days before the fruit on the other canes. Of course, the cane thus girdled, cannot be used for the next season, and must be cut away entirely. The result seems to be the consequence of an obstruction to the downward flow of the sap, which then develops the fruit much faster. Kipening can also be hastened by planting against the south side of a wall or board fence, when the reflection of the rays of the sun will create a greater degree of warmth. But nothing can be so absurd and unnatural than the practice of some, who will take away the leaves from tlie fruit, to hasten its ripening. The leaves are the lungs of 90 CULTURE OP TUB GRAPE. the plants : the conductors and elevators of sap ; and nothing can be more hijurious than to take them away from the fruit at the very time when they are most needed. The consequence of such an unwise course will be the wilting and withering of the bunches, and, should they ripen at all, they will be deficient in flavor. Good fruit must ripen in the shade^ only thus will it attam its full perfection. Another practice very injurious to the vines is still in practice in some vineyards, and cannot be too strongly condemned. It is the so-called " cutting in" of the young growth in August. Those who practice it, seem to labor under the misapprehension that the young canes, after they have reached the top of the trellis, and are of the proper length and strength for their next year's crop, do not need that part of the young growth beyond these limits any more, and that all the surplus growth is " of evil." Under the influence of this idea they arm them- selves with a villainous looking thing called a bill-hook, and cut and slash away at the young growth unmerci- fully, taking away one-half of the leaves and young wood at one fell swoop. The coijsequence is a stagnation of sap ; the wood they have left, cannot, and ought not to ripen perfectly, and if anything like a cold winter follows, the vines will either be killed entirely, or very much in- jured at least. The intelligent vine dresser will tie his young canes, away from the bearing wood as much as he can, to crive the fruit the fullest ventilation; but when they have reached the top of the trellis, tie them along it and let them ramble as they please. They will thus form a natural roof over the fruit, keeep ofl" all injurious dews, and shade the grapes from above. There is nothing more pleasing to the eye than a vineyard in September, with its wealth of dark green foliage above, and its purple CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 91 clusters of fruit beueath, coyly peeping from under their leafy covering. Such grapes will have an exquisite bloom, and color, as well as thin skin and rich flavor, which those hanging in the scorching rays of the sun can never attain. MANURING THE VINE, As remarked before, this will seldom be necessary, if the vintner is careful enough to guard against washing of the top-soil, and to turn under all leaves, etc., with the j)low in the Fall. The best manure is undoubtedly fresh surface soil from the woods. Should the vines, however, show a material decrease in vigor, it may be- come necessary to use a top-dressing of decomposed leaves, ashes, bone-dust, charcoal, etc. Fresh stable-yard manure I would consider the last, and only to be used when nothino; better can be obtained. Turn under with the plow, as soon as the manure is spread. Nothing, I think, is more injurious than the continual drenching with slops, dish-water, etc., which some good souls of house- wives are fond of bestowing on their pet grape vines in the garden. It creates a rank, unwholesome growth, and will cause mildew and rot, if anything can. THINNING OF THE FRUIT. This will sometimes be necessary, to more fully develop the bunches. The best thinning is the reduction of the number of bunches at the time of the first summer prun- ing. If a vine shows more fruit, than the vine dresser thinks it can well ripen, take away all weak and imperfect shoots, and also all the small and imperfect bunches. If the number of bunches on the fruit bearing branches is reduced to two on each, it will be no injury, but make 92 CULTURE Ob' THE GRAPE. the remaining nuniber of bunches so much more perfect. Thinning out the berries on the bunches, although it will serve to make the remaining berries more perfect and larger, is still a very laborious process, and will hardly be followed to any extent in vineyards, although it can Avell be practised on the few pet vines of the amateur, and will certainly heighten the beauty of the bunches and berries. RENEWING OLD VINES. Should a vine become old and feeble, it can be renewed by layering. The vine is prepared in the following man- ner : Prune all the old wood away, leaving but one of the most vigorous of your canes ; then dig a trench from the vine along the trellis, say three feet long, eight inches deep ; into this bend down the old vine, stump, head and all, fastening it down with a strong hook, if necessary, letting the end of the young cane come out about three eyes above the ground, and fill up with rich, well pulver- ized soil. The vine will make new roots at every joint, and become vigorous, and, so to say, young, again. Some recommend this process for young vines, the first year after planting ; but if good plants have been chosen and planted, it will not be necessary. Feeble and poor plants may need this process, but if plants have good strong roots when planted, (and o?ilt/ such should be planted when they can be obtained), they will not be benefited by it. A FEW NECESSARY IMPROVEMENTS. Pruning Shears. These are very handy, and with them the work can be done quicker, and with less labor, as but CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 93 a slight pressure of the hand will cut a strong vine. Fig. 22 will show the shape of one for heavy pruning. They are made by J. T. Henry, Hampden, Connecticut, and can be had in almost all hardware stores. The springs should be of brass, as steel springs are very apt to break. A much lighter and smaller kind, with but one spring, is very convenient for gathering grapes, as it will cut the stem easily and smoothly, and not shake the vine, as cut- ting vv^itli the knife will do. They are also handy to clip Fig. 22 out unripe and rotten berries, and should be generally used instead of knives. Fruning Saws. It will sometimes be necessary to use these, to cut out old stiunps, etc., although, if a vine is well managed, it will seldom be necessary. Fig. 23 will show a kind which is very convenient for the purpose, and will also serve for orchard pruning; the blade is narrow, connected with the handle, and can be tiu-ued in any direction. 94 CULTURE OP TUB GRAPE. GATHERING THE FRUIT FOR MARKET. In this, the vmeyardist, of course, only aims at profit, and for that purpose the grapes are often gathered when they are hardly colored — long before they are really ripe — because the public will generally l)uy them at a high price. Let us hope, however, that better taste will in time pre- vail, and that even a majority of the public will learn to appreciate the diiference between ripe and unripe fruit. I would advise my readers at least to wait until the fruit is fully and evenly colored ; for it is our duty to do all Fig. 23. we can to correct this vicious leaning towards swallowing unripe fruit, which is so prevalent in this nation, and the producer will not lose anything either, because his fruit will look much better, it will therefore bring the same price which half ripened fruit would have brought, even a week sooner, and will weigh heavier. Every grape will generally color full two weeks before it is fully ripe; and as they are one of the fruits that will not lipen after V CULTURE OP THE GRAPE. 95 they are gathered, tliey will shrivel and hiok indifferent if gathered before. To .shi}) them to market any distance, they shouhi be packed in low, shallow boxes, say six inches high, so that they will hold about two layers of grapes. Cut the branches carefully, with as long a stem as possible, for more convenient handling, taking care to preserve all the bloom, and clipping out all the unripe berries. They are generally weighed in the basket before packing. Now put a layer of vine leaves on the bottom of the box ; then make a layer of grapes, laying them as close as possible ; then put a layer of leaves over them ; on them put another layer of grapes, tilling up evenly; then spread leaves rather thickly over them, and nail on the cover. The box should 1)6 perforated with holes, to admit some air. The grapes must be perfectly dry when gathered, and the box should be well tilled to prevent shaking and bruising. PRESERVING THE FRUIT. For this purpose, the fruit must be thoroughly ripe. When fully ripe, the stem will turn brown, and shrivel somewhat. Tlie fruit is then carefully gatheresoN, of Delaware, Ohio. This is cl.iimed by many to be the best American grape; and although I am inclined to doubt this, and prefer, for my taste, a well ripened Herbemont, it is certainly a very fine fruit. Unfortunately, it is very particular in its choice of soil and location, and it seems as if there are very few locations at the West where it will succeed. Whoever CULTURE OF TUB GRAPE. 103 has a location, however, where it will grow vigorously and hold its leaves, will do well to plant it almost exclu- sively, as it makes a wine of very high character, and is very productive. A light, warm soil seems to be the first requisite, and the bluffs on ihc north side of the Missouri river seem to be peculiarly adapted to it, while it will not flourish on those on the south side. Bunch small, com- pact, and generally shouldei-ed , berry below medium, round ; skin thin, of a beautifid flesh-color, covered with a lilac bloom; very translucent; pulp sweet and tender, vinous and delicious; wood very firm; short-jointed; somewhat difficult to propagate, though not so much so as Norton's Virginia. Subject in many locations, to leaf- blight, and is there a very slow grower. Fine for the table, and makes an excellent white wine, equal to, if not superior, to the best Rhenish wines, which sells readily at from five to six dollars per gallon. Although I cannot recommend it for general cultivation, it should be tried every where, and planted extensively where it will succeed. Ripens about five days later than Hartford Prolific. Class 2. — Healthy varieties promising well. CYNTUIANA (rED RIVER). Origin unknown — said to come from Arkansas. This grape promises fair to become a dangerous rival to Norton's Virginia, which variety it resembles so closely in wood and foliage, that it is difficult if not impossible to distinguish it from that variety. The bunch and 104 CULTUJIK OK THE OKAPE. berry firo of the R.ame color as Norton's Virginia, but HOinewliat larger, and more juicy; sweeter, witli not quite as niueli astringeney, and perhaps a few days earlier. Makes an excellent dark red wine, with not as much astringeney, but even more dfflicate aroma, and was pro- nounced the " best red wine on exhibition," at the last meetmg of the State Horticultural Society, where it was in com])etition with eight samj)les of the Norton's Virginia. A strong grower, and ])roductive ; as difficult to propagate as the Nortcm. Mr. Fullkr evidently has not the true variety, when he c^lls it worthless, and identical with the Chippewa and Missouri, from both of Avhich it is entirely distinct. ARKANSAS. Closely resembles the foregoing, and will also make an excellent wine of a similar character. I consider both of these varieties as great acquisitions, as they are perfectly healthy, very productive, and will make a wine unsurpassed in merit l)y any of their class. TAYJ.OR (iJULLITT.) This grape, under i)roper trc^atment, lias proved very productive with me, and will make a wine of very high cpiality. The bunches and beiries are small, it is true; but not much more so than tlie Delaware ; it also sets its fruit well, and as it is hardy, healthy, and a strong grower, it promises to be one of our leading wine grapes. Bunches small, but compact, shouldered ; berry small ; white at the Kast; pale Hesh-color here; round, sweet, and without pulp ; skin very thin. ]{e(|uires long pruning on spurs, to bring out its Iruitfulness. Fio. 25. Hartford Prolific. — Berries ^ diameter. 105 CULTURE OP TUB GRAPE, 107 MARTHA. This new grape, grown from the seed of the Concord, by that enthusiastic and warm-hearted horticultm-ist, Samuel Miller, of Lebanon, Pa., promises to be one of the greatest acquisitions to our list of really hardy and good grapes, which have lately come before the public. It has fruited with me the last extremely unfavorable season, and has stood the hardest test any grape could be put to, without flinching. Bunch medium, but compact and heavy, shouldered; berry pale yellow, covered with a white bloom; perhaps a trifle smaller than the Concord; round ; piflpy, but sweet as honey, with only enough of the foxy aroma to give it character ; juicy — very good. I esteem it more highly than any other white grape I have, as it has the healthy habit and vigorous growth of its parent, and promises to make an excellent white wine. Hangs to the bunch well, and will ripen some days before the Concord. MAXATAWNEY. Another very promising white grape — a strong grower, and healthy ; may be somewhat too late in the east, but will, I think, be valuable at the West and South. Bunch medium to large — not shouldered; berry above medium ; oval ; pale yellow, with a slight amber tint on one side ; pulp tender, sweet and sprightly ; few seeds ; fine aroma ; quality, best. Ripens about same time as Catawba ; seems to be productive. ROGERS' HYBRID, NO. 1. This variety, which is also too late in ripening for the East, to be much esteemed there, fruited with me last 108 CULTURE OF TUE GilAPE. season, and more than fulfilled all the expectations I entertained of it. It is tiic best of Mii. Rogeiis' Hybrids, which I have yet tasted ; and its productiveness, healthy habit, large berry, and good quality, makes it one of the most desirable of all the grapes vv^e raise here, for the table and market. Eunch medium, loose, shouldered ; berry very large, oblong, pale flesh-color ; skin thin ; ipulp tender ; few seeds, separatmg freely from the })nlp ; svveet, vinous and juicy ; quality very good. Ripens about same time as Catawba. It is to ])e regretted that Mr. Rogers has not named some of the best of his hybrids, as the numbers give rise to many mistakes, and a gi'cat deal of confusion. It would be m the interest of grape-growing if this was avoided, by naming at least the best of them. CREVELING, (cATAWISSa) (bLOO^i). This grape, althougli not quite perhaps so early as has been claimed for it — ripening about five days after Hartford Prolific — is yet of much better quality; and if it only should prove productive enough, will no doid)t make an excellent wine. Bunch long, loose, shouldered ; berry full medium, black, round, with little bloom ; pulp tender ; dark juice, sweet and very good — seems to be hardy and healthy. NORTH CAROLINA SEEDLING. Bunch large, shouldered, compact ; berry large, oblong, black, with blue bloom; pulpy, but sweet and good; ripens only a few days after Hartford Prolific — very pro- ductive, hardy and healthy; strong grower. One of the most showy market grapes we have — not much smaller than Union Village — and as it ripens evenly, and is of CULTURE OF TIIK GRAPE. 109 very fair quality, is quite a Divorite in the market. Makes also a wine of very fair quality. CUNNINGHAM. For the West, and very likely further South, this is a very desirable grape for wine, of the Herbemont class. Bunch compact and heavy, sometimes shouldered ; berry rather small, black, without pulp, juicy sweet and good ; pro- ductive, but somewhat tender; strong grower ; should be covered in Winter ; makes a very delicious wine, of the Madeira class, which very often remains sweet for a whole year. Ripens late, about a week after the Catawba. RULANDER. Mr. Fuller evidently does not know this grape, as he says it is the same as Logan. The Rulander we have here, is claimed to be a true foreign variety. I am in- clined to think, however, that it is either a seedling from foreign seed, raised in the country, or one of the Southern grapes of the Herbemont class. Be this as it may how- ever, it certainly bears no resemblance to the Logan, which is a true Fox, of the Labrusca family. Vine a strong, vigorous, short-jointed grower, with heart-shaped, hght green, smooth leaves ; very healthy, and more hardy than either the Herbemont or Cunningham. Bunch rather small, very compact, shouldered ; berry small, black, with- out pulp, juicy sweet and delicious ; not subject to rot or mildew : makes a delicious, high flavored Avine, but not a greatdeal of it. The wine of this variety is certainly one oi the most dehcate and valuable ones we have yet made here and on the soil around Hermann, it will, I think, take preference over the Delaware. Ripens a few days later than Concord. 110 CULTURE OP THE GRAPE. LOUISIANA (bURGUNDER). Introduced hero by Mr. F. Muencii, who received it from Mr. Tiieard, of Louisiana, where it has been cul- tivated for some time. Some claim that it is the grape which makes the famous white Burgundy wine of Europe. I am inclined to think it is also a native, grown from foreign seed, like the foregoing, which it closely re- sembles in foliage and wood ; but will, I think, make a wine of still higher quality, perhaps the most delicate white wine we yet have. It can hardly be distinguished from the Rulander in aj^pearance, but has a more sprightly flavor. Ripens at the same time. ALVEY (iIAGAR). This nice little grape will certainly make one of the most delicious red wines we have, if it can only be raised in suflicient quantity. It is healthy and moderately pro- ductive, but a slow groAver. Bunch loose, small, shoul- dered; berry small, black, without pulp, juiey, sweet and delicious ; quality best. Ripens about the same time as the Concord. CASSADY. Bunch medium, very compact, shouldered ; berry me dium, round, greenish- white, covered with white bloom; thick skin, pulpy, but very sweet, and of fine flavor ; makes an excellent white wine ; very productive, but somewhat subject to leaf-blight in wet seasons; does not rot or mildew. Fig. 26. Concord. — Berrief< h diameter.. Ill OlII/niRK i)V TIIK (iRAI'M, I 1 1} Kl.OOl) S ItLAOK. IT.'iH oflcii been <'(»ti(()iiii(l('(| willi M:i,ry Ann, iis holli v.'iri('li(iH Avcrci iil|iy, bul Jnicy, hwccI, :uid gocxl. Ot bell(M- <|ii:ilit,y Iumcj tJiiui iHabt^lla; ioI('ral)Iy i'rvw from dis(!aH(^, and a s))l('ndid market and tablo IVult RipciiH jallicr lalo. PKKKIN.S. For tliORO wlio (b) not object U) a good d(!al of i'oxy flavor, tli'iH vvi'l be a v:ibi:ibl(^ m;i,rket grapes, on a('(-,omil, of itH iin('li medium, e()m))a(!t, Kometimes Khouldered ; l^^rry v(!ry large, round, pale red, J>ulpy; rather detieient in flavor, l)ut very large; free from diseaHe. Ripenn a week later than CJatawba. (!A1'K (aLKXANDKI;, SCHUYLKILL MUSCADELL). Btmeli ratlu'r Kinall, compact; berry mc^dium, black, round, l>ulj)y, rather sweet, dark juice. Said to make a good j-ed wine, but my experience lias not been favorable. Kipens late — a week after the Catawba. DRACUT AMRER. A Fox Gra]K^, pah; red, pulpy, inferior in quality and color to Perkins, which it closely I'esembles; ripens about same time. ELSINBUROn, (MISSOURI HIRD's EYE). This ohl variety was largely disseminated under the latter name, by Nkmiolas Longwortu, of Cincinnati. It is a nice little graj)e ; but too unproductive to be of any vnhie heie, although it nuikes a very superior wine. Hunch long and loo.se, shouldered; ))erry small, round, l)lack, moderately juicy, with little i)ulp, sweet and good, liipi lis a week before the; C^atawba. CULTURR OF TFIR OflAI'R. 121 A grape of very fjiir quality, and rather early, })ut a shy hearer. Bunch small, rather loose; berry medium, pale yellow, sweet and good. FRANKLIN. A strong grower; said to he very productive; resem- bling Clinton in foliage and general habit. Bunch small, compact ; berry below medium, black, juicy, with a marked frost grape flavor, and hardly worthy of cultivation. LENOIR. Of the Ilerbemont class, but about a week earlier ; of good quality, but too unproductive to l)e recommended, launch medium, compact, shouldered ; berry small, round, black, sweet and good. NORTH AMERICA. Early and hardy, but too unproductive, and bunch too small. Bunch small^ shouldered ; berry round ; of very good quality for its season ; black, juicy. Kipens as early as Hartford Prolific. Class 4. — Varieties of good quality, hut subject to disease. CATAWBA. This well known grape was brought into notice by Major Adlum, of Georgetown, D. C, who thought he had, by its introduction, conferred a greater boon upon the 122 CULTURE OF TIIK GKAI'B. American people, than if he had paid the national deht. For the last ton yeaiH, it has Ixien so much subject to dis- ease, that it cannot l)e recommended any longer, except for some peculiar locations. It is said to be healthy in northern Illinois and Iowa, where it will not stand the winter, however, without protection. Hunch large, moderately compact, shouldered ; berry medium, red, covered with lihic bloom ; juicy, pulpy, sweet, somewhat astringent, of good flavor. A fair grape for the table, and makes a good wine, resembling Hock, but subject to mildew, rot and leaf-blight. DIANA. A seedling of the foregoing, raised by Mrs. Diana Crkiiork. J^erhaps one of the most variable of all the graj)es, being very line one season, and very indifferent the next. Bunch large and long, compact, shouldered ; berry pale red, round, somewhat pulf)y ; thick skin ; juicy and sweet, with a peculiar flavor, which Dr. Warder very aptly calls " feUne ; " others call it " delicate." Very productive, but subject to leaf-blight, mildew and rot; although jKu-haps not so much as the Catawba. Ripens about a week earlier. ISABELLA. Unworthy of cultivation hero, but said to be better at the Noith. Bunch long, loose, shouldered; bei-ry me- dium, oval, black ; tough pulp, with a good deal of acidity, juicy, and a peculiar flavor. Ripens irregularly. Subject to rot and leaf-blight. CULTURE OP THE ORAIM:. 123 GARRIGUES. Closely resembling the Isabella, but ripens more evenly, and is of somewhat l)etter quality. TOKALON. Bunch large, loose, shouldered; berry black, large, sweet and buttery ; of very good quality, but very much subject to disease. Ripens somewhat later than Catawba. ANNA. Bunch large and loose ; berry pale amber, covered with white bloom; sweet, tolerable flavor, but j)oor bearer, and subject to mildew. Kipens about same time as Catawba. Allen's hybrid, (allen's white hybrid). Bunch largo and loose, shouldered; berry medium, nearly round ; white, without pulp, juicy and delicious ; quality very good, but variable; sometimes best. Said to be a hy])rid of Vitis Labrusca and a foreign grape, raised by J. F. Ai.lkn, Salem, Massachusetts, and is really a fine grape, although too tender and variable for ex- tensive vineyard culture. Ripens about two weeks be- fore Catawba. CUYAHOOA (cOLEMAN's WHITE). Much recommended in Ohio, where it originated, but unworthy of culture here, being a poor grower, a shy bearer and very much subject to leaf-blight. Bunch me- dium, compact; berry dirty greenish-white; thick skin; pulpy, and insipid. 124 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. DEVEREAUX. This is, in dry seasons, a really fine grape, but subject to leaf-blight and mildew in hot seasons. Bunch often a foot long, loose, shouldered ; berry below medium, round, black, juicy ; without pulp, sweet and vinous. Belonging to the Herbemont family ; is a strong grower ; very pro- ductive, and rather tender. May be valuable in well drained soils, and southern climate, as it undoubtedly will make a fine wine. KINGSESSING. Bunch long and loose, large, shouldered ; berry medium, round, pale red, with fine lilac bloom; pulpy; of fair quality, but subject to leaf-blight, and mildew. ROGERS' HYBRID, NO. 15. Bunch large, loose, shouldered; berry above medium, red with blue bloom, roundish-oblong, pulpy, with pecu- liar flavor, sweet and juicy. A showy grape, but not very good in quality, and much subject to mildew and rot. Ripens at the same time with Catawba. Class 5. — Varieties unworthy of cultivation. OPORTO. Of all the humbugs ever perpetrated upon the grape- growing public, this is one of the most glaring. The vine, although a rank and healthy grower, is unproductive ; seldom setting more than half a dozen berries on a bunch, CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 125 and these are so sour, have such a hard pdp, with such a decided frost-grape taste and flavor, and are so deficient in juice, that no sensible man should think of making them into wine, much less call it, as its disseminator did, " the true port wine grape." MASSACHUSETTS WHITE. This was sent me some eight years ago, by B. M. Watson, as " the best and hardiest Avhite grape in cultivation," and he charged me the moderate sum of $5 each, for small pot plants, with hardly two eyes of ripened wood. After careful nursing of three years, I had the pleasure of seeing my labors rewarded by a moderate crop of the vilest red Fox Grapes it has ever been my ill luck to try. The foregoing have all been tried by me, and have been characterized and classified as I have found them here. The following are varieties I have not fruited yet, although I have them on trial. Varieties highly recommended by good authorities: Telegraph, Black Hawk, Rogers' Hybrids, Nos. 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 13, 19, 22, 33, Hettie, Lydia, Charlotte, Mottled, Pauline, Wilmington, Cotaction and Miles. There are innumerable other varieties, for which their originators all claim peculiar merits, and some of whom may prove valuable. But all who bring new varieties before the public, should consider that we have already names enough, nay, more than are good for us, and that it is useless to swell the list still more, unless we can do so with a variety, superior in some respects to our best varieties. A new grape, to claim favor at the hands of the public, should be healthy, hardy, a good grower, and productive ; and of superior quality, either for the table or for wine. l'2Q CULTURE OK Till!: guape: There are some varieties circulated tlirougliout the country as natives, whicli are really nothing but foreign varieties, or, perhaps, raised from foreign seed. They will not succeed in open air, althougli now and then they will ripen a bunch. The Brinkle, Canadian Chief, Child's Superb, and El Paso belong to this class. A really good talk grape siiould have a largo amoimt of sugar, but tempered and made more agreeable by a due proportion of acid, as, if the acid is wanting, it will taste insipid; a tender pulp, agreeable flavor, a large amount of juice, a good sized bunch, large berry, small seeds, thin skin, and hang well to the bunch. A good ivme grape should have a large amount of sugar, with the acid in due proportion, a distinctive flavor or aroma ; though not so strong as to become disagreeable, and for red wines a certain amount of astringency. It is an old vintner's rule, that the varieties with small berries will generally make the best v/ine, as they are generally richer in sugar, and have more character than varieties with larger berries. • Fig. 28. Clara. — Berries ^ diameter. 127 wi«i**t«aKi«o. 129 WINE-MAKING. GATHERING THE GRAPES. Although I have described the process ah*eady, I will here again reiterate that the grapes should be thoroughly rvpe. This does not simply mean that they are well colored. The Concord generally begins to color hei;e the 6th of August, and we could gather the majority of our grapes, of that variety, for market, by the 15 th or 20th of that month ; but for wine-making we allow them to hang until the 15th or 20th of September, and sometimes into October. Thus only do we get the full amount of sugar and delicacy of aroma which that grape is capable of developing, as the water evaporates, and the sugar remains ; it also loses nearly all the acidity from its pulp ; and the latter, which is so tough and hard immediately after coloring, nearly all dissolves and becomes tender. The best evidences of a grape being thoroughly ripe are : 1st. The stem turns brown, and begins to shrivel; 2nd, the berry begins to shrivel around the stem ; 3d, thin and transparent skin ; 4th, the juice becomes very sweet, and sticks to the finger like honey or molasses, after handling the grapes for some time. It is often the case that some bunches ripen much later on the vines. In such a case, the ripest should be gathered 181 132 MANUFACTURE OF first, and those that are not fully ripe remain on the vines until mature. They will ripen much quicker if the ripest bunches have been removed first. The first implements needed for the gathering are clean wooden and tin pails and sharp knives, or better still, the small shears spoken of in a former part of this work. Each gatherer is provided with a pail, or two may go together, having a pail each, so that one can empty and the other keep filling during the time. If there are a good many unripe berries on the bunches, they may be put into Fig. 29. a separate pail, and all that are soft will give an inferior wine. The bunch is cut with as short a stem as possible^ as the stem contains a great deal of acid and astringency; every unripe or decayed berry is picked out, so that nothing but perfectly sound, ripe berries remain. The next implement that we need is a wooden tub or vat, to carry the grapes to the mill ; or the wagon, if the vineyard is any distance from the cellar. This is made of thin boards, half-inch pine lumber generally; 3 feet high AMERICAN WINE. 13S inside, 10 inches wide at the bottom, 20 inches wide at the top, being flat on one side, where it is carried on the back, and bound with thin iron hoops. It is carried by two leather-straps running over the shoulders, as sho^wii m Fig. 29, and should contain about eight to ten pails, or a little over two bushels of grapes. The carrier can pass easily through the rows with it to any part of the vine- yard, and lean it against a post until full. If the vineyard is close to the cellar or press-house, the grapes can be car- ried to it directly ; if too far, we must provide a long tub or vat, to place on the wagon, into which the grapes are emptied. I will here again repeat that the utmost cleanliness should be observed in all the apparatus ; and no tub or vat should be used that is in the least degree mouldy. Everything should be perfectly sweet and clean, and a strict supervision kept up, that the laborers do not drop any crumbs of bread, &c., among the grapes, as this will immediately cause acetous fermentation. The weather should be dry and fair, and the grapes dry when gathered. THE WINE-CELLAR. As the wine-cellar and press-house are generally built together, I will also describe tliem together. A good cellar should keep about an even temperature in cold and warm weather, and should,, therefore, be built sufficiently deep, arched over with stone, well ventilated, and kept dry. Where the ground is hilly, a northern or north- western slope should be chosen, as it is a great conve- nience, if the entrance can be made even with the ground. Its size depends, of course, upon the quantity of wine to be stored. I will here give the dimensions of one I am constructing at present, and which is calculated to store from 15,000 to 20,000 gallons of wine. The principal cellar 134 MANUFACTURE OF will be 100 feet long, by 18|- feet wide inside, and 12 feet high under the middle of the arch. This will be divided into two compartments; the back one, at the farthest end of the cellar, to be 40 feet, which is destined to keep old wine of former vintages ; as it is the deepest below the gromid, it will keep the coolest temperature. It is divided from the front compartment by a wall and doors, so that it can be shut off should it become necessary to heat the other, while the must is fermenting. The other compartment will be GO feet long, and is intended for the new wine, as the temperature will be somewhat higher, and, therefore, better adapted to the fermentation of the must. This will be provided with a stove, so that the air can be warmed, if necessary, during fermentation. This will also be closed by folding doors, 5.} feet wide. There will be about six ventilators, or air-flues, on each side of these two cellars, built in the wall, constructed somewhat like chimneys, commencing at the bottom, whose upper terminus is about two feet above the arch, and closed with a grate and trap-doors, so that they can be closed and opened at will, to admit air and light. Before this principal cellar is an arched entrance, twenty feet long inside, also closed by folding doors, and as wide as the principal cellar. This will be very convenient to store empty casks, and can also be used as a fermenting room in Fall, should it be needed. The arch of the prin- cipal cellar will be covered with about six feet of earth ; the walls of the cellar to be two feet thick. The press- house will be built above the cellar, over its entire length, and will also be divided into two rooms. The part far- thest from the entrance of the cellar, to be GO feet by 18, will be the press-house proper, with folding doors on both sides, about the middle of the building, and even with the surface ground, so that a wagon can pass in on one side AMERICAN WINE. 135 and out on tho other. This will contain the grape-mill, wine-presses, apparatus for stemming, and fermenting vats for white or light-colored wine. The other part, 40 feet long, will contain an apparatus for distilling, the casks and vats to store the husks for distilling, and the vats to ferment very dark colored wines on the husks, should it be necessary. It will also be used as a shop, contain a stove, and be floored, so that it will be convenient, in wet and cold weather, to cut cuttings, &c. A large cis- tern, to be built on one side of the building, so that the necessary water for cleaning casks, &c., will be handy; with a force-pump, will complete the arrangement. I need hardly add here, that the whole cellar should be paved with flags or brick, and well drained, so that it will be perfectly dry. This cellar is destined to hold two rows of casks, five feet long, on each side. For this purpose layers of strong beams are provided, upon which the casks are laid in such a manner that they are about two feet from the ground, fronting to the middle, and at least a foot or eighteen inches of space allowed between them and the wall, so that a man can conveniently pass and examine them. This will leave five and a-half to six feet of space between the two rows, . to draw off the wine, move casks, &G. This cellar will, at the present rates of work, cost about $6,000. Of course, the cellar, as before remarked, can be built according to the wants of the grape-grower. For merely keeping wine during the first winter, a common house cellar will do ; but during the hot days of summer wine will not keep well in it. 136 MANUFACTURE OF APPARATUS FOR WINE-MAKING. THE GRAPE MILL AND PRESS. This mill can be made very simple, of two wooden rollers, fastened in a square frame, rmming against each other, and turned with a crank and cog-wheel, The rollers should be about nine inches in diameter, and set far enough apart to mash the berries, but not the seeds and stems. A very convenient aj^paratus, mill and press, is manufactured by Geiss & Brosius, Belleville, 111., and where the quantity to be made does not exceed 2,000 gallons, it will answer every purpose. The mill has stone rollers, which can be set by screws to the proper distance, with a cutting apparatus on top, for apples in making cider, which can be taken off at will. The press is by itself, and consists of an iron screw, coming up through the platform, with a zinc tube around it to prevent the must from coming in contact with it. The platform has a double bottom, the lower one with grooves ; the upper consists simply of boards, with grooves through it to allow the must to run through. These boards are held in their places by wooden pegs, and can be taken oif at will. A circular hopper, about a foot in diameter, and made of laths screwed to iron rings, with about a quarter of an inch space between thein, encloses the zinc tube. The outer frame is constructed in the same w^ay, is about 2^ feet in diameter, and bound with strong w^ooden and iron hoops. The mashed grapes are poured into the frame, a close-fitting cover is put on, which is held down by a strong block, and the power is applied by an iron nut just on the top of the screw, with holes in each end to apply strong wooden levers. The apparatus is strong, simple, and convenient, and presses remarkably fast and clean, as the must can run off below, on the outside and also on the inside. The cost of mill and press is about ), but each can be had separately for $45. AMERICAN WINE. 137 If a large amount of graj^es are to be pressed, the press should be of much larger dimensions, but may be con- structed on the same principle — a strong, large platform, with a strong screw coming through the middle, and a frame made of laths, screwed to a strong wooden frame, through which the must can run off freely, with another frame around the outside of the platform. The must runs off through grooves to the lower side, where it is let off by a spout. It may be large enough to contain a hundred bushels of grapes at a single pressing, for a great deal depends upon the ability of the vintner to press a large amount just at the proper time, when the must has fer- mented on the husks just as long as he desires it to do. FERMENTING VATS. These should correspond somewhat with the size of the casks we intend to fill ; but they are somewhat un- handy if they hold more than, say four hundred gallons. They are made of oak or white pine boards, IJ- inch thick, bound securely by iron hoops, about three feet high, and, say, five feet wide. The bottom and inside must be worked clean and smooth, to facilitate washing. When the must is to ferment a longer time on the husks, as is often the case in red wines, a false bottom should be provided, for the pm'pose of holding the husks down be- low the surface of the must. It is made to fit the size of the vat, and perforated with holes, and held in its place by sticks of two inches square, let into the bottom of the vat, and which go through the false bottom. A hole is bored through them, and the bottom held down by means of a peg passed through this hole. The vat is closed by a tight-fitting cover, through which a hole is bored, large enough to admit a tin tube of about an inch 138 MANUFACTURE OP in diameter, to let off the gas. The vats are set high enough above the ground to admit drawing off the must through a faucet near the bottom of the vat. For those grapes which are to be pressed immediately we need no false bottoms or covers for the vats. As fermentation generally progresses very rapidly here, and it is not de- sirable with most of our wines to ferment them on the husks very long, as they generally have astringency enough, operations here are much more simple than in Earope. The must is generally allowed to run into a largo funnel, filled with oat straw, and passes through a hose into the casks in the cellar. A hole can be left throus^h the arch CD for that purpose, as it is much more convenient than to carry the must in buckets from the press into the casks. It is sometimes desirable to stem the grapes, although it is seldom practiced in this country. This can be easily done by passing the bunches rapidly over a grooved board, made somewhat in the form of a common washboard, only the grooves should be round at the bottom and the edges on top. It is seldom desirable here. THE WINE CASKS. These should be made of well-seasoned white oak staves, and can, of course, be of various sizes to meet the wants of the vintner. The best and most convenient size for cellar use I have found to be about 500 gallons. These are sufficiently large to develop the wine fully, and yet can be filled quick enough to not interrupt fermenta- tion. Of course, the vinter must have some of all sizes, even down to the five-gallon keg ; but for keeping wine, a cask of 500 gallons takes less room comparatively, and the wine will attain a higher degree of perfection than in smaller casks. The staves to make such a cask should AMERICAN WINE. 139 be about 5 feet long, and 1|- to 2 inches thick, and be the very best wood to be had. The cask will, when ready, be about as high as it is long, should be carefully worked and planed inside, to facilitate washing and have a so- called door on one end, 12 inches wide and 18 inches high, which is fastened by means of an iron bolt and screw, and a stronsj bar of wood. This is to facilitate cleanino;; when a cask is empty, the door is taken out, and a man slips into the cask with a broom and brush, and carefully washes off all remnants of lees, etc., which, as the lees of the wine are very slimy and tenacious, cannot be removed by merely pouring in water and shaking it about. It is also much more convenient to let these large casks re- main m their places, than to move them about. The casks are bound with strong iron hoops. To prepare the new casks, and also the vats, etc., for the reception of the must, they should be either filled with pure water, and allowed to soak for several days, to draw out the tannin; then emptied, scalded with hot water, and afterwards steamed with, say two or three gallons of boiling wine ,• or they can be made " wine-green," by put- ting in about half a bushel of unslaked lime, and pouring in about the same quantity of hot water. After the lime has fallen apart, add about two quarts of water to each pound of lime, put in the bung, and turn the cask about ; leaving it lie sometimes on one side, sometimes on the other, so that the lime will come in contact with every part of the cask. Then j)our out the lime-water ; wash once or twice with warm Avater, and rinse with a decoction of vine leaves, or with warm wine. Then rinse once more with cold water, and it will be fully pre2:)ared to receive the must. This is also to be observed with old casks, which have become, by neglect or otherwise, mouldy, or have a peculiar tang. 140 MANUFACTURE OP MAKING THE WINE. As we have our apparatus all prepared now, we can commence the operation itself. This can be done in different ways, according to the class of wine we are about to make. To make white, or light-colored wine, the grapes which were gathered and mashed during the day, can be pressed and put into the cask the following night. To mash them, we place the mill above one of the fermenting vats, mash- ing them as quick as they are carried or hauled to the press-house. The vat is simply covered with a cloth during the day. If the season has been good, the must will make good wine without the addition of anything else. In poor seasons it will be necessary to add water and sugar, to improve its quality, but I will s^eak of this method in a separate chapter. In the evening, the must which w^ill run off, is first drawn from the vat, and by some kept separate ; but I think, it makes, upon the whole, a better wine, if the pressing is added to it. The husks, or mashed grapes, are then poured upon the press, and pressed until fully dry. To accomplish this the press is opened several times, and the edges of the cake, or " cheese," as some call it, are cut off with an axe or cleaver and put on top , after which they are pressed down again. The casks are then filled with the must ; either completely, if it is intended that the must should ferment ahove^ as it is called, or wider ^ when the cask is not completely filled, so that the husks, which the must will throw up, will remain in the cask. Both methods have their advantages, but I prefer the former, with a very simple contrivance, to exclude the air, and also prevent waste. This is a siphon or tin tube, bent in the form of a double elbow, of which one end fits tightly in the bung AMERICAN WINE. 141 hole, and the other empties into a dish of water, to be set on one end of the cask, through which the gas escapes, as shown in Fig. 30. We should, however in pressing, be guided somewhat by the weather. In warm weather fermentation will commence much sooner, and be more violent, than when the weather is cold. Consequently we should press much sooner in warm weather, than when the air is cool. Late in the fall, it is sometimes advisable to leave the must a Fig. 30. day longer on the husks, than indicated below. The cel- lar should be kept at an even temperatvire of about 60° during the first few weeks, and if it does not naturally attain this temperature, then it should be warmed by a stove, as much of the quality of the whie depends upon a thorough fermehtation during the first ten days. When violent fermentation has ceased, say after about ten or twelve days, and the must has become quiet, the cask should be closed with a tight bung, and the wine is 142 MANUFACTURE OP left until it is clear. In about two to three months it ought to be perfectly clear and fine — is then racked, i. e., drawn from the lees, by means of a faucet, and put into clean, sweet casks. It is very important that the casks are " wine-seasoned," that is, have no other tang than of wine. For must, fresh brandy or whiskey casks may be used, but after the wine has fermented, it will not do to use such, as the wine will acquire the smell and taste of the liquor. When a cask has been emptied, it should be carefully cleaned, as before described, by entering at the door, or with smaller casks, by taking out the head. Fig. 31. After it is thoroughly cleansed, it may be fumigated slightly, by burning a small piece of sulphured j^aper, or a nutmeg in it, and then filled. To keep empty casks in good condition they should, after cleaning, be allowed to become thoroughly dry, when they are sulphured, closed tightly, and laid away in the cellar. The oi^eration of sulphuring should be repeated every six weeks. If wanted for use, they are simply rinsed with cold water. For racking the wine, we should have : 1st a large brass faucet. 2d. Pails of a peculiar shape, wider at the top, to prevent Avastage. od. A wooden funnel, as shown in Fig. 31, to hold about six gallons. In racking— first AMERICAN WINES. 143 carefully lift the bung of the cask, as the exclusion of air from above would cause a gurgling motion in the cask, if tai3ped below, w^hich would stir up the lees in the bot- tom. Then, after having loosened with a hammer the wooden peg. closing the tap hole, let your assistant hold the pail opposite the hole , hold the taucet in your right hand, and with the left, withdraw the plug, inserting the faucet quickly. Drive it in firmly with a hammer, and you are ready for the work. Do not fully open the faucet at first, because the first pail ful is generally not quite clear, and should run slowly. You can keep this by itself; and this, and the last from the lees, is generally put into a cask together and allowed to set- tle again. It will make a good, clear wine after a few weeks. As soon as the wine runs quite clear and limpid, it can be put into the cask destined to receive it, and you can let it run as fast as it can be emptied. When the wine- has run oif down to the tap hole, the cask may be care, fully raised on the other end, one inserting a brick or piece of board under it, while the other lifts gently and slowdy. This may be repeated several times, as long as the wine runs clear ; and even the somewhat cloudy wine may be put with the first pailful into a separate cask. As soon as it comes thick or muddy, it is time to stop. The lees are emptied out, and will, if distilled, make a fine flavored and very strong brandy. This treatment can be applied to all Avhite and light- colored wines, when it is not desirable to have a certain astringency in the wine. The Catawba, Concord, Herbe- mont, Delaware, Hulander, Cassady, Taylor, Louisiana, Hartford Prolific, and Cunningham should all be treated in a similar manner. The Concord, although it will, under this treatment, make only a light red wine, of which the color can be changed to dark red by ferment- 144 MANUFACTURE OF ing on the husks, is not desirable if treated in the latter manner ; as the peculiar foxy aroma of the grape will be imparted to the must to such a degree, as to make the flavor disagreeable. I shall recur to the subject of flavor in wines in another chapter. To make red wine, the must should be fermented on the husks, as generally the darkest color is desired, and also, a certain astringency, which the wine will acquire' princij)ally from the seeds, skins, and stems of the grapes, which contain the tannin. The grapes are mashed, and put into the fermenting vat, of the kind described before, with false bottoms. After the vat is filled about three-fourths the false bottom is put on, the husks are pressed down by it, until tliey are covered about six inches by the must, and the cover put on. It is seldom desirable here to fer- ment longer than three days on the husks, if the weather •is warm — in a temperature of 60° — two days will often be enough, as the wine will become too rough and astrin- gent by an excessively long fermentation. Only experience will be the proper guide here, and also the individual taste. It will be generally time to press, when the must has changed its sweet taste, and acquired a somewhat rough and bitter one. Where it is desired to make a very dark colored wine, without too much astringency, the grapes should be stemmed, as most of the rough and bitter taste is in the stems; and it can then be fermented on the husks for six or eight days. In this manner the celebrated Burgundy wines are made ; also most of the red wines of France and Germany. Many of them are even allowed to go through the whole process of fermentation, and the husks are filled into the cask with the must, through a door, made in the upper side of the cask ; and it there remains, until the clear wine is drawn off. This is seldom de- sirable here, however, as our red wine grapes have sufii- AMERICAN WINES. 145 cient astringency and color without this process. The treatment during fermentation, racking, etc., is precisely the same as with white wine, with only this difference, that the red wine is generally allowed to stay longer on the lees; for our object in making this class of wine is different than in making white, or so-called Schiller or light red wine. In white and light colored wines we desire smoothness and delicacy of bouquet and taste ; in dark red wines, we desire astringency and body, as they are to be the so-called stomach or medical wines. It is therefore gen- erally racked but once, in the latter part of February or March, and the white and light colored wines are racked in December or January, as soon as they have become clear — and again in March. We also use no .sulphur in fumigating the casks, as it takes away the color to a certain extent. We generally do not use anything, but simply clean the casks well, in racking red wine. I will say a few words in regard to under fermenta- tion. If this method is to be followed, the casks are not filled, but enough space lett to allow the wine to ferment, without throwing out lees and husks at the bung. The bung is then covered, by laying a sack filled with sand over it, and when fermentation is over — as well by this as by the other method — the casks are filled with must or wine, kept in a separate cask for the jiurpose. The casks should always be kept well filled, and must be looked over and filled every two or three weeks, as the Avine will continually lose in quantity, by evaporation through the wood of the casks. The casks should be varnished or brushed over with linseed oil, as this will prevent evaporation to some extent. In wine making, and giving the wine its character, we can only be guided by practice and individual taste, as well as the prevailing taste of the consuming public. If 140 MANUFACTUKK OK the prevailing taste is for light colored, smooth and deli- cate wines, we can make; them ho, by pressing immediately, and ra(;king soon, and frequently. If a dark colored, astring(!nt wine is desired, we (;an fermcint on the husks, and l(;ave it on the le(}S a longer j>eriod. There is a medium (jourse, in this as in everything else; and the int(^llic. Allen's American Farm Book $ 1 50 Allen's Domestic Animals 1 00 American Rose Culturist 30 American Bird Fancier 30 Art of Saw-Filing y/i Bement's Rabbit Fancier 30 Bement's American Poulterer's Companion 2 00 Boursingault's Rural Economy 1 60 Boston Machin ist, ( W. Fitzgerald) lb Brandt's Age of Horses, (English or German) .OO Bridgeman's Kitelien Gardeners' Instructor 75 Bridgeman's Young Gardeners' Assistant 2 00 Brown's Field Book of Manures 1 50 • Buist's Family Kitchen Gardener 1 00 Burr's Field and Garden Vegetables of America 5 00 Canary Birds, Manual for Birdkeepers 50 Carpenters' and Joiners' Handbook 75 Cobbett's American Gardener 75 Cole's Veterinarian 75 Coleman's Agriculture 4 00 Darlington's American Weeds and Useful Plants 1 75 Dana's Muck Manual 1 50 Dana's Essays on Manures 30 Dadd's Anatomy and Physiology of the Horse Plain 3 50 Dadd's Horse Doctor 1 50 Dadd'p Cattle Doctor 1 50 DaTies Preparation and Mounting of Microscopic Object.-; 1 50 Farmers' Every Day Book, octavo, 650 pages 3 00 Flint on Grasses and Forage Plants 2 50 Flint on Milch Cows 2 50 Flora's Interpreter and Fortuna Flora, (Mrs. Hale) 1 50 French's Farm Drainage I 50 Garlick's Treatise on Propagation of Fish 1 25 Gray's Manual of Botany 4 50 Guenon's Treatise on Milch Cows 75 Harris'— Insects injurious to Vegetation Plain Plates 4 00 " '♦ " " Colored " 5 00 Harris' Rnral Annual for 1866 25 Herbert's Hints to Horsekeepers 1 75 HoojDer's Dog and Gun 30 How to Get a Farm, and Where to Find it 1 75 How to Write, Talk, Behave and do Business 2 25 Ik Marvel's Farm of Edgewood 2 00 Insect Enemies of Fruit Trees, (Trimble) 8 00 Jennings on Cattle 2 00 Jennings on Swine and Poultry 2 00 Jennings on the Horse and his Diseases 2 00 John'^ton's Elements of Agricultural Chemistry 1 25 Johnston's Agricultural Chemistry 1 75 Klippart's Farm Drainage 1 50 Klippart's Wheat Plant I 50 Langstroth on th^ Honey Bee 2 00 liiebig's Natural Laws of Husbandry I 50 Liebig's Familiar Letters on Chemistry 50 L nsley's Morgan Horses- " 1 50 5 Agdcultural^ Horticultural and Architectural Books. Manual of Agriculture, Emerson & Flint $ 1 50 of Flax Culture 50 of Hop Culture 40 of the Farm cloth 1 00 of the Garden " 1 00 of Domestic Animals •« 1 00 Mayhew's illustrated Horse Doctor 3 50 Mayhew's " Horse Management 3 50 Mayhew's Practical Book-Keeping for Farmers 90 Blanks for do do 120 McMahon's American Gardener 3 00 Miles oil Horses Foot 30 Miss Hall, Cookery and Domestic Economy 1 50 Miss Beecher's Domestic Receipt Book 1 50 Misp Beecher's Domestic Economy 1 50 Morrell's American Shepherd 1 60 Munn's Practical Land Drainer 76 New Clock and Watch Maker's Manual 2 00 Not ton's Scientific Agriculture 75 Onion Culture 25 Orchard House Culture, by C. M. Hovey 1 25 Our Farm of Four Acres, paper, 30 cents ; bound 60 Our Farm <>f Two Acres 20 Quinby's Mystery of Bee-keeping 1 75 Portfolio Paper File, (^Country Gentleman) $1 and 1 50 Pedder's Land Measurer, for Farmers 60 Phenomena of Plant Life, (Geo. H. Grindon) 1 00 Randall's Fine Wool Sheep Husbandry 1 00 Randall's Sheep Husbandry 1 50 Ready Reckoner 50 Richardson, On Dogs 30 Rivers' Orchard House 50 Schenck's Gardeners' Text-Book 75 Shepherds' Own Book 2 25 Skillful Housewife 75 Stewart's Stable-Book 1 50 Saunders' Domestic Poultry paper 30c. cloth 60 Sparrowgi-ass Papers 2 Oil Ten Acres Enough 1 50 Tenny's Natural History and Zoology 3 00 Thompson's Food of Animals 1 00 Tobacco Culture '. 2ft Todd's Young Farmer's Manual 1 50 The Great West 1 00 Tucker's Annual Register of Rural Affairs, Nos. 1 to 12, each 30 Tucker's Rural Affairs, Four Bound Vols., each containing three numbers of the Annual Register, printed on larger and finer paper, per vol.. . . 1 50 Turner's Cotton Planter's Manual 1 50 Waring's Elements of Agriculture 1 00 Watson's American Home Garden 2 00 Wet Days at Edgewood, by Ik Marrel 2 00 Wetherell on the Manufacture of Vinegar 1 50 Youatt on the Horse 1 50 Youattonthe Dog 2 00 Youatt and Martin, On Cattle 1 50 " " On the Hog 100 Youatt, On Sheep 1 00 Youmans' Household Science t 2 25 Youmans' New Chemistry 2 00 Address, GEO. £. 4b F. AV. WOODWARD, Plblishkks, 37 Park Row, New York. 6 •W^OOIDVvr^I^ ID'S AND HORTICULTURAL BUILDINGS, By GEO. E. k F. W. WOODWARD, Architects k Horticulturists. A new, practical and original Work on the Design and Con- struction of all classes of Horticultural Buildings, including Hotbeds, Propagating Houses, Hot and Cold Graperies, Orchard Houses, Conservatories, &c., With the best modes of Heating, &c. Being the result of an extensive professional practice. Price $1 50, Mailed Free to any Address* This neatly printed and finely illustrated work upon Ilbrticultural Buildings s^ves full information upon the position and form of houses, manner of construction, heating-, '^^y■l^c^^■■■X,;;«l^Wiw^'''' -1- ■; . •▼' ..'■..■,...>:'■; V-'t.->^tf^> ."."vi'yftSeL, v^"^' • • ■^' V^-^'W-.s ::.•• - .:-■ ''/■,v^"T'■^•^- • '- '. '■^^•.■ -•■':'<. ,'»ft ^-..-.t. V;:" •' i'-'t^'-'Ji''.'^' ^^mm^ ^;:<".S