Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1868-01-24
ANitnlturA.


How TO have Healthy Grapes.
One has to be continually on guard agains.
pushing favorite theory 10 extremes. For
instance, few years sgo it was the general
belief that parasitic fungi attacked only veg.
| etable matter in a state of decay Then cam
the discovery that they attacked healthy
plants, and now we find tendency to 60 into
the other extreme, and to believe that most of
the diseases Of plants are caused by parasitic
fungi There is no doubt that. in many cases,
these parasites attack, injure and even destroy
previously perfectly healthy; but, on the other
hand, it is equally certain that many forms
OF mildew exist only after previous disease.
or bad treatment which we may call disease.
This is particularly true Of the grape. \ man
who grows grape vines in pots can proaate
nildew q. will. Let him take young vine,
say in o 3.inch pot, and put it in badly
drained IL inch pot, water it, say three time,
day for about three days and within six
days pale yellow spots will be seen on tho
leaves. Ifhe examines the roots thea, he
will find that the fbres, white and threads
like when.he po.ted the plant, and are no"
black and nearly rotton; and in abou, three
more he fiads the yellow spots have = white,
powdcry fungus growing all over them; and
in few days more the leaves are "mildewed'
and fallen. Whether it IS that roots must
have . certain amount Of air to keep healthy,
and that they cannot get this air when envel-
oped in water, ami thus smother ard die like
animals-or whether this water is favorable
to the generation Of gases unfsvorablc TO
healthy root action; in popular language,
whther soil sours,' or the roots "smother,
does not matter here, 1t is enough to know
that the result is mildew.
| This is we'll understood by the under-glass
grape grower. Before making his cold winery,
he makes a dry vine border. If SO low that
he eannet we'll under-drain it, he elerates the
border entirely abeTe the level Of the natural
border for fear he should drire the roots doua
into a damp region; and if from any cause he
finds the roots have got down iHtn damp
subsoil, and have lost surface roots and care
A-ASS~
high and narrow banks for vine borders.
nerer fail to hare healihy zines in cold graperics
| Now, the outdoor grape is generally sup
posed to prefer TIE hill sides. Brt this is
only because they are less likely to gstret fes'.
If en- the hill side, the soil is terraced and
subsoiled, and otherwise manipulated, 50 that
| it will hold water for twenty-fonr hours, the
| rects will suffer, and niiew follows rs surely
es if the vine grew on lew, seggy grounds.
The present season admirably illustrated
the correctness Of these re0ss ras East Of the
Alleghenics, where the soil has been sa.nra>
ted with water, the grape never suffered eo
before Mildew is s'terrible' there. Tender
kinds, like the Iona, Delaware, Rebeeca, SC,
are not s'it to be seen.' On the other hand.
vines west Of the Alleghenies never made so
perfect q show, The old Catawba, which has
been buried between reams Of catalOgcs for
many year, is as good as ever; and the Del>
aware, which has never given general satis>
faction in other years, was, his year, wher-
ever We saw it, from the Alleghenies to tho
Mississippi, as we'll laden with its delicious
fruits as its best friends could desire. When
We consider that in thi. region the droughs
has been so severe that cattle, in September
had to be fed, through pasture seihg exrnes
up-the drycst timc we are told, on record
/, we shall understand why the grapes haSs
| done 30 we'll.
We are we'll satisfied that many Of the the
| ories advanced 70 account Tor the failure Q,
success Of vine growing are wide Of the mark
The influence Of large bodies Of water, shelter
from winds exposure to the sun, peculiariiies
Of soil, mineral elements, system Of pruaias,
manner Of trianirg, over-production, style Of
propagation, selection Of varieties, have not
near IS much to do with success they get
credit for. thoroughly well drilled spot.
where the water will pass away as fast ~ x
falls, is more important than all-thc one
thing needful, without which the CLOSEST at-
,ention to all the other points together will be
Of little avail.
/ A word now as to Undertaking. We dc
not believe that the usual way Of pro-
ceeding with tiles will pay the vinyardiss
because there are so many localities where
| the soil is naturally adapted TO vine growing
without this, III II be who has to endure the
additional expense before he can grow grspes
cannot compete with the other. II will be
much better in soils that are likely to become
water-sogged, even temporarily, to surface
drain, by throring the soil up into beds ~ We
do for Asparagus by which the water will
readily pass away as soon ss it falls, from
the root Of the vines.
These observations will, We trust, be the
commencement of new era, in viae growing
in this country. Instead Of 50 much labor
and expense in treaehiag subsoiling and un-
dsrdraining teasat&. the ground. to encourage
the roots down and be rooted, efforts will to
made to prepare the earth ell a6ore tie natural
ss,fses, where the roots will b dry and warm,
and near the oxydising agencies 50 nscssssry
to the proper preparation ofplant food. W.
expect the ususl objectisas about the plan net
being according ss Nature;' but ws are viii
ling to wait and sec. II @cnterprising men
do not 60 and get the plan patented, We ex-
pect 10 see il in general use.
The Leavenworth BullstiA, KaAsAs, tells Of
cluster Of eleven Dsnine apples On tvig
eight inches long, FROM 81 ereAssa il thaE