Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-07-27
TREE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE
VINE

Thomas MeehaD, editor of the Garden.
er's MOnthLy-and by the way, one of
the best informed men in horticultural
matters in this country-is strongly in
favor of the treeculture of the grape vine.
The following article from his journal
will show some of the arguments III favor
of this system of culture.
"Some years ago we published a paper
from the Proceedings of the Philsdel-
phia Academy of Natural Sciences, in
which it was shown why grape vines
grew better when running over tress than
any where else. There was motion in
the tendrils, and the amount of food re
Quired to produce this motion was great
strain on the nutriti7e function of the
vine. This motion of tendril IL search
Of something 10 cling to continues for ten
days or so, when it dies. If the plant is
clambering over tree, the tendril finds
something to cling to almost as soon as it
is ready for support. Then there is no
waste of force in useless motion. The
whole energy of the plant is spent on
healthy growth.
cit is remarkable that no use has
been made of this discovery in practical
grape culture. Westill go on in the most
extensive manner, failing day after day
under our old systems-getting, perhaps,
three or four year crops-feeling that we
have one of the best grape countries in
the void; and then failing utterly and
concluding as positively that our country
is totally unsuited to grape culture.
Gotten people who live near US, call
aud say grapes cannot be grown in Ger
mantown. We simply point to a vine
from our Office window, the picture of
health and productiveness, which has
been allowed to have its own willful way.
1t is but twelve years cid, and was planted
near the root of a weeping ash tree, simp-
ly to help Its dropping branches to make
shade. 1t has covered the ash, gone
over twenty year old silver fir, white
pine, a himalayan pine, larch forty feet
high, and sundry other things; and there
is no reason that we Csn now see, why it
would not cover shy amount of low,
bushy trees that could be got on to a
quarter of an acre of ground. So 10
another, an Isabella, which was planted
by Morello tree. There it hangs, with
its hundreds of branches, although il is
looked on as first-class article of horti-
cultural faith that the Isabella will do no
more good in these days in Germantown.
'tNow, we do not recommend vines TO
grow unframed or untrimmed over trees
but we do most certainly believe that q
good system of tee culture of The grape
would make the fortune of any one en-
gagged in it.
ave find by long experience that it ia
no use to place truth before the people,
and let it grow its own way; and we now
give notice that, having by long course
of observation, and study, and practical
results, arrived at the certainty that this
kind of a grape system Ia the only hope
for our country, we shall cultivate !his
idea by all manner of means, and shall
not allow it in future to be crowded out
by rank weeds OF any kind. We shall
do for it as we have done fog surface root
cultare-hold itUp before the horticultural
community at all sorts Of times and in all
sorts of ways. We think this fair no.
tice to every reader of the G0rClner'S
Monthly, VINO does not want to have tree
culture Of the vine' forever before him,
to close his accounts with the publishers
al once, and thus drop into his horticultu-
raj grave.
To-day we shall merely say, that in
the warm climate OF Southern Itsly,
where the bot weather is SO very much
like our OWE, this system has been in ex-
lstt nee for ages, AID therefore we do net
ask for the Germantown grape vines the
credit of any new discovery. The first