Nebraska advertiser., 1856-07-12

Come forth, thou son o~f'tOil,
The earth, like bridesmaid gay,
Is putting on a carpet of verdure down,
For the feet Of the blue-eyed May
Come hrthEvith a lavish hand
Ply seed in the burrows SOW
While we gaily join in a cheering song,
Fer the pillow, the rake, and the hoe.
-A-
SIMPLE DIRECTIONS FOR GRAPE CULTURE.
A correspondent of the Prairie Far
7aer gives the following plain and sim
pie directions for the culture and man
agement of the grape, which will ans
wer well for such persons as do not
like to wade through the longer details
of elaborate works. There are how
ever two points which we should cor
rect-frst, it is not necessary that the
suns rays reach the trut-proyidedi
the IeaUes are fully exposed, and have
plenty of air and room. Grapes would
never grow nor ripen at all, if every
leaf were removed, and full exposure
given. Secondly-do not "pinch off
the wood Just above the lunches" or
there will net be leaves enough to ma
ture the fruit in the best manner
there should be at least three or four
leaves above each bunch. If any n
doubts, try both ways, and experiment
viii tell the. story.
As to culture, make the soil. rich,
deep and dry, as before said, and plant
the vines about ten feet apart, not too
deeply, but so that the roots may have
the full benefit of the light and warmth
of the sun. Erect a trellis after the
manner of a picket fence-Q like this
better than the horizontal bars)-saye
that the upright bars are longer and
placed. further apart. Along these bars
train and tie up the vines. In the
latter part of February, or early in
March, or at any time before the sap
starts, cut away.alarge portion of the
last years growth, and cut back the
leading canes to two-thirds their length.
Get a book if you choose-Down-
ing's or Thomas's work Oh fruit-but
II S your own good sense and 90 agead
[ know that finer clusters and finer
favored fruit may be grown by careful
pruning, mainly accordingto the direc-
tiOns laid down in the books, but if a
man has neither. books nor time to look
into one every time he puts his spade
into the earth or his knife to the
branches-why let him raise them with
out the books, depending on his OWL
good Judgment. have seen Isabella
vines do well and bear full crops Ct
very good fruit, which never felt the
keen blade. But in a rich soil, thC
Isabella is such a rampant grower
such a Hbouncihg bet sort of a thing
thatit needs a good dressing out every
year, and in summer some of the
. branches. often need cutting away, 81
as to let in. light and air to the fruit
Never mind about the rule for this
reflect upon what you are going to do
You know that fruit ripened in tn,
shade has but little, or very poor favo.
compared with fully exposedspecimens
and you know also that the leave
serve to prepare the food for the nour
ishment of. the fruit, which the sal
brings up in solution from the earth
e so weighing these two consideration
the summer pruning becomes an cas-,
matter, 1t is a capital plan to pincl
of. the growing wood just beyond tn,
bdnches, so that all the nourishmen
may 90 to swell the fruit.
Any good, rich, dry soil will produc
. good grapes. You need not think tina
because yeu have notgot bones, anima
d. refuse; oyster shells, guano, s~uperphos
plate of lime, and what not, that yor
cannot raise grapes-no! no. Get
.. few vines, brother farmers, and tr
hand at tiny word for it you wi
End as Ihave, that you will get repai
for your trouble. The time is not ia
distant when this superb fruit will b
o raised in abundance by. every farme
and mechanic. Any one who has
rod of ground can raise a grape vine
I'have- seen a vine which was plante
at the corner ola house, and wa
trained up and oyer the house, and ha
extended itself to some distance alon
the opposite side, whichproduced yeal
ly.fye to seven bushels of fine frui
with No special preparation of soil an
. receiving ne other application than
little lime once a'year and a portion
g. the suds from the weekly wash.
r-r~ NJ w M