The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-11-07
CITY INTELLIGENCE.
IFOr AddiilonaI o.,y I,aeQ,qc1ce eee Ftzh Paae. !

MEETING OF THE HORTICULTURAL So
OIETS-CULTuRE OF THE GRAPE.--At che m aeting
SI .he rennsylvania horticultural Society held
bsb evening, large audience was present. The
principal essay read was by MIR. A. s. Fuller, of
New York, the subject, "Grape Culture"
AS Mr.. Fuller Is tue author OF one of our
STANDARD works on the management of the vine
considerable interest was manifested to hear
ME views on the present occasion.
After brief reference TO the history of the
vine In America, he passed to the SUBJECT of the
LOCATION OF VINEYARD
The essaylst believed speculative or theoreti.
cal knowledge was capable OF deciding whether
any particular locality was favorable or other
wise. Success or failure depended on sucb
prob.ematlcal influences that only actual expe-
renee could certainly decide the value of anv
particular spot for grape growing From tbe
diffusion OF the grape all over the United States
IN Wild state, he concluded that there was no
location where difficulties were experienced
that could not be made successful by careful at
teDuon. Hill sides the experience OF ali ma
tlons had proved 10 be as q rule more favorable
man .nan pisins' Cold currents, or situations so
warm as 10 create extra cuttings were unfa-
vorable. '
He considered another debatable topic. He
nad seen grapes doing well in almost every
kind OF soil in the Union, and also failures in
all, out on the whole preferred light grayelly.
OF calcareous one. 1t was not necessary TO
loosen the soil three or four feet, as often re-
commended, but it was best to make II twelve
or eighteen inches deep.
FERTlIzING.
Excessive manuring was great evil. If the
sOl was rich enough to make shoots six to ten
ieet year, 1T needs no manuring. Vines which
iom keep healthy, especially If such naturallv
strong growers as Delaware. 1t was therefore.
dangerous for novice to follow any directions
OF others as TO ertilizng his particular SOIL cit
were better for him 10 use his own Judgment
no matter how immature il might be- until q
little experience on that location had been
gained. When fertilization was resorted to- he
preferred o compost of two parts ''muckn to one
part barn-yard manure, inverting the pronor
tons for very heavy soils, always using n
handful OF bone-dust when planting each vine
CULTIVATION.
He advised keeping the surface clean and
never, under any circumstances, growing any
thing else among the vines
PRoPAGAT1NG.
Raisers Of new kinds sacrifice the uualitv of
their young plants By forcing them IN strong
heat, In order to get the greatest quantity in the
shortest time. Unless e. vine have at least six
inches OF ripe or brown wood, it should be CON
sldered worthless for practical purposes Cut.
tlngs of everything but Delaware and Norton's
Virginia grow readily in the open air. All cut.
tings should be made i'll the fall, AS soon as the
wood is ripe, using pieces with two or three
eyes as cuttings, burylng them in the ground
during the winter, and plant early in spring, in
deep rich soil.
PLANTING.
IuS essdylSI recommended shortening long
roots 10 one loot or eighteen inches from the
main stem. There are two systems-one olant-
ing as shallow as possibe the other che oil
Roman plan OF setting eighteen inches deep and
never allowing surface roots TO grow. He pre-
,erred the shallow plan.
PRUNING AND TRAINING.
He thought light pruning tended to overbear-
ing in the grape. He would prune severely to
cOuntelact this evil. No experienced vIneS ardist
ever recommended taking off leaves i'm summer
nd In
some instances four by eight would do wl6re |
the close pruning he recommended would be
carried out. a. |
In training he preferred the horizontal am
system, and spur pruning, because it can bes te.
duCed TO an exact science, or the nearest to it |
OF any system now made known" 1t is not the |
system that will give the greate weight on a |
given space, but by it grapes, for quality cannot
be excelled. The Taylor, Clinton and other |
very strong growing kinds, did not however,
bear well when close pruned. The ian system.
with longer spurs, was better, and if still more
tIuit was wanted, use the bow system of Mr..
Husmann. Improper pruning, or no pruning
at all, by inducing overbearing, was the cause
Of innumerable failures. Those who bought
vines for immediate bearing" usually had their !
wish. They had an immediate and only-a frst
and the Last crop. A great error is to leave too
long canes on young and weak vines. The
lower buds do not then push at all, and only
few lunches are gathered from sickly shoots at
the top. On the
q PROFITS OF GRAPE CULTURE,
Mr., Fuller said much injury had been done
by reckless statements of enormous profits
which no one, or at best but few, by eXtraor-
dinary good fortune could ever realize. Those
who had vines to sell we're not the ones to ques-
tion as to the profits of grape culture. They
had not the experience of fruit raisers, who
alone could give the facts. The plant raisers
could give the figures. Hundreds were uusuc.
cessfUl, yet some had made from one to two
thousand dollars per acre, clear profit. The |
trouble usually was, people undertook too
much; i've acres was enough for one man to
be employed in for one year. Thousands of
dollars were spent in preparing the ground, and |
buying and planting vines but none or little
on buying the brains to care for them after
wards. With regard to the
SELECTION OF VARIETIES,
only local experience could be safely followed.
The Concord was the only grape that had been
found to do well In any place where a grape
would do at all. Others, like Hartford Prolific,
Ieraella, Creveling, Iona, Adirondac, Rogers
Hy Drids etc., were fine grapes if, after trying
them, they were found to do well. For an
amateur he would name besides Concord, as a
certainty, the following for trial:--Delaware,
Creveling, CataWba, Adirondac, Israella--afCer
nnding out those which suit the location, plant
largely OF them. Your neighbor's experience
may save your own experiments.
Tnat grapes can be grown to an immense |
pront, oy "some," is now a fixed fact. The |
fault with our people is they think some things
can be done by Others" as well as by some" |
and SO they can II, with their money and enter
prise, they WILL add a little paips-taking exps.
Tience, FN
DEATH OF A PHILADELPHIA INVENTOR. |