Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-03-04

FRIEND MAHIE:-I vas undera wrong i'm.
preston about the source from whence you
obtained your piece on this subject sup.
posed it to be from some one who had plenty
Of these unsuitable varieties to sell.
The Norton Virginia and Herbemont are
IS tender as the peach tree, and more so, and
untried here. Diana is tender, and widowed
badly with me in 1862. Taylor's Bullet, un
tried. Cuyahoga has better reputation un-
tried. Delavan don't know ii. Logan, un-
certain. Crevaling has COED reputation.
In answer to inquiries which Judge Spring
er made Of me yesterday, answered that I
would advise him to plant eight Concord and
one Clinton to every ten vines, and the tenth
one might be selected from great variety.
Hartford Prolific, for early; Delaware, if you
can raise them-I cannot; Northern Musca-
dine does well with me but the Concord all
the time for market and for wine. Mr..
Hartman, of Herman, No., says the Concord
will supercede the Catawba with them, and
that place is 200 miles south of this. By
reports of process with that most choice
grape, the Delaware, it has generally, OF al.
ways, for aught know, been upon limestone
land. The Adirondac, native, near Platts-
burg, N. Y, has high reputation for new
variety. Intend to try very few this year.
Judge Springer says he intends setting out
half an acre. gave him some advice about
blowing as deep as he could with four horses
posts and wire trellis the following year !;
but I would not advise farmers to plant out
half an acre of vines. To cultivate the vine
and make wine, is trade by itself, not so
easy to learn as it is to raise apples. And
yet what you say, Mr.. Editor. of the grow
ing interest in grape culture, is true; and so
1t is true Of the apple.
Immense quantities of orchards were set
out last year and so there will be this
Plow as deep as you can with four horses
set about % feet apart, or 26 east and west
and 10 north and south, AND AuLcH Thous-
ands and tens of Thousands of trees were lost
last year for the want of mulching. Cover
the ground with rotton straw, manure, or
anything that will keep the ground moist.
One word more on my apology for dictat-
ing to the editor of our county paper aohat
he ought not to publish. In a country lying
long distance from the Yankee land, in the
interior of great continent, there was q
country called Illinois," Among the good
citizens of that country there were few men
called "speculators"-men who loved money.
Once upon time they got hold of tree
they called "white willow" gray willow"
l"powder willow" "big tree willow" Two
distinguished editors Of two most excellent
agricultural papers, were hired to 20 a long
distance in that wonderful, productive and
| speculative country, to see q white willow
fence" and behind that fence there lay $685.
600. The fence looked good, substantial,
live. Don't you think, farmers. that you and
could make fence to inclose with few
rods, $4,000, out of almost any troe or
shrub upon our premises-even the willow :?
| | do not know that the white willow will not
be profitable for fence, but have no conf
dence in it, and let me assure you that
have it from good authority that the above is
the way that willow came to be pulled so
high. Hence, Mr.. Editor, hope you and
the farmers will excuse me for my rather
ceDsurable remarks on your Grape Culture"
in which l saw so many tender and untried
varieties of grape. hope will now appear
that my motive was to again caution farmers
against trying "humbugs," or things they do
not know their adaptation to the uses, rec.
commended by strangers or irresponsible per-
sons. t...5 SUEL FOSTER.