Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1856-08-29
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SIMPLE DIRECTIONS FOR CRAZE
Esal CULTURE.

SIMPLE DlAECI1ONS tOh ONAIE
asal CULTURE.
A correspondent of the Prairie Farmer
gives the following simple and plain di-
rections for the culture aud management of
the grape, which will answer we'll for euch
persons AS do not like 10 wade through
the long details Of elaborate works. There
are, however, two points which we should
correct-first, it is not necessary that the
suns rays should reach the fruit, provi-
ded the Iedpes are fully ezposed, and have
plenty OF air and room. Grapes would
not grow and ripen at all, if every leaf
were removed. and full exposure given.
Secondly, do not pinch off the wood
Just above the branches" or there will
not be leaves enough to mature the fruit
in the best manner-there should at least
be three or four leaves above each branch.
If any one doubts, try both ways and ex>
pertinent will tell the story.
81 AS to culture, mike the soil rich,
deep and dry, as before said, and plant
the vines about ten feet apart, not too
deep and dry. but SO that the roots may
have the full benefit of the light and
warmth of the sun. Erect a trellis after
t:.e. manner of picket Jence-( I like this
better than horizontal bars )-save that
thesupri5ht bars are E,nger and placed
further apart. In the latter part of Feb
ruary, or early i'll March, or any time be-
fore ,he sap starts, cut away large por
lion Of the last years growth. and cut
back the leading canes two thirds their
length.
= Get book you choose-Downing'
orThomas' Work on Fruit-but use your
own good sense, and go ahead. know
that finer clustered and finer favored
fruit may be grown by careful pruning,
and mainly according to the directions
laid down in the books, but if man has
neither books nor time to look into one,
every time he puts his spade into the
earth or his knife 10 the branches-why
let him raise them without books, depend
ing on his own good judgment, have
seen Isabella vines do we'll and bear full
crops that never felt the keen blade. But
in rich soil the Isabella is such a
rampant grower, such a bouncing bet
sort Of a thing that it needs good dress>
ing out every year !; and in summer some
of the branches often need cutting away,
so as to let in light aud air to the fruit
Never mind about the rule for this; re-
fleet on what you are going TO do. You
know fruit ripened in the shade has little
or very poor flavor, compared with fully
exposed specimens and you know also
that the leaves serve to prepare the food
for the nourishment. Of the fruit, which
the sap brings up in solution from the
earth SO weighing these two cOnsidera-
tons the summer pruning becomes an ca
sy matter. 1t is a capital plan to pinch
of the growing wood just beyond the
punches, so that all the nourishment may
go to swell the fruit.
49," Any good, rich, dry soil will pro-
duce good grapes. You need not think
that because you have got no bones, ami
NAL refuse, or oyster shells, guano, super
phosphate Of lime, and what not, that
you cannot raise grapes-no no Get
a few vines, brother farmers, and try
hand at tiny word for it, you will find,
as have, that you get we'll repaid for
your trouble. The time is not far distant
when this superb fruit will be raised in
abundance by every farmer and mechanic.
Any one who has a rod of ground can
can raise grape vine. have seen vine
which was planted at the corner of a
house, and was trained up and over the
house, and had extended itself to some
distance along the opposite side, which
produced yearly from five to seven bush
els of fruit, with nc special preparation Of
soil, and received no other application
than n little lime once n year, and por-
Iion of the suds from the weekly wash"