Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1848-09-15
From ths H9rHcaiwjsi.
Remarks On the Culture Of Native Grapes.
BIZ D. SEw-YORz.

d De- NEA-lbkAs
The best Of our native grapes-such us iha
Isabella Cuiuv ba--ure not equal in flavor, il
must be admitted. to the finest table grapes Of
Europe, yet, when thoroughly ripened by tho
hot sun Of The middle Siales, they are u yalua.
bic irun lur the desert 10 autumn; and as they
are easily kept after maturity IiIl February or
March, Ihgy must be considered one Of the most
desirable Of our hardy fruits.
Some remarks on their cultivation, based up.
on Practice Of ten years past, may. perhaps.
Interest," some Of your readers not already skill
led In this matter.
kfler training the naliy, grapes in n great VI.
rieIy Of modes, must be allowed 10 give il ~
my opinion that whore large and regular crops
OF The fine fruiI is desired, ihs vine must bo
kept within comparatively narrow bounds. Our
native grapes have greater natural Iuxuriance
than the European species; have myself had
one vine 10 produce 1900 perfect clusters 10
single year, and have known several cases of
single Isabella vines covering whole arbors Of
40 or 50 feet ia length. Notwithstanding this,
there cannot be a doubt that small vines, kept
within narrow bounds, aGd closely and regular.
ly pruned, will give much larger Producl, and
bsar more uniform crops, on given space o!
ground, than large vines occupying the same
soil and space. In the later, you have the diff
Gully OF a large amount Ct old wood 10 contend
against, and the extra quantity Of manure which
grown large plants require to produce a CORES
Pondlng effect upon them.
Ills, perhaps, not easy to give satisfactory
limit for the size Of the vines for open Ireis
culture; but my favorjte size for an uprigh.
lrellis, feet high) is c feet apart from vine to
vine. Placed al This distance. do not find the
least trouble in making my vines produce gjy-
en- number Of punches every season, without in
the least exhausIing the roots, 50 far as am yet
able to Judge.
The avorite SPECIFIC manure for the grope-
Tine with me, is rood ashes. am ia the hab-
il of making hollow basin, some three feel III
diameter, around earh vine, after stirring the
surface in the spring In this basin scatter
fresh wood ashes, at the rate of half a peck to
each vine. As soon as the vines commence
growing begin 10 give them weekly rations of
soap-suds,-one Of the very best fertilizers for
the native grape. My kitchen servants are in.
slruced 10 save all the soap.suds Of the weekly
washing, and pour them into hogshead, sunk
in The ground TO receive them. These soap.
suds are afterwards poured into the basin form
ed at the base Of each vine; and, dissolving II
portion Of the ashes, deposited there in The
spring,) they carry down TO the roots just the
specific stimulus that the grapevine most needs.
have found, by actual experiment. that vines
treated in this way, Of The same age and size,
and in The same soil with other similar vines,
treated in the common mode of culture. uni
fnrmy bear fruit from Ons.ihird to one.half lar
ger in size. and usually richer and higher havo-
r,d in quality. The product well repays one
for the extra labor. to say nothing Of increased
beauty of appearance.
very much prefer autumn 10 any o,her sea-
son for making The annual pruning Of The grape
vine. If made IN the autumn, as soon as the
leaves drop, you have the advantage of all &c.
clmulation in the remaining buds Of all the
stock ofnourishmenr' [orgdniIable mauer-ED.,l
at thai season, distributed by The plant to each
and every bud and portion Of its system. By
the first Of December, il not eullier in this ci-
mate, all this process o: accumulation and dis
trbuton is over; and, consequently, in pruning
in February and March you cut of, with the
young wood, considerable part of the nourish-
ment which would have been deposited in the
remaining buds at early autumn pruning. This
advantage is very visible to the in The egrowth
and production of vines piuned at the Two sea:
sons; and it is greatly in favor Of autumn ptu-
ming.
A number of persons. 1 find, are planting
seeds of the Isabella and Ca,awba s,apes, in or.
der TO obtain new sorts: They will, many of
them. be disappointed Qke myselr) in finding
the seedlings only producing grapes inferior and
more pulpy than the parents. A much more
certain and satisfactory mode, is to iertilze tho
blossoms Of the native grapes with pollen Of the
Black Hamburger, Muscaino, and other first
rate foreign SORTS. am, sit,
Respectfully yours, d:
New York, July, t848.
! SIMiLEs.-Men are like bugIes; the more