Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-04-25

pruned them with most conscientious regard
70 the rules prescribed. Yet scarcely any
thing ever camc Of all this care and toll but
a moral. The vines in the deeper and rich
or borders died of dyspepsia, or led sickly
life pale from mildew. Those in the garden
plot twere my admiration while they were
young, 50 finely did they grow and so broad
and green were their leaves; and their few
fir4 clusters of fruit l fondly accepted as a
promise Of abundant crops to come.
But trouble came, not grapes. The vines
griw beyond my control. Each year they
sell forth numerous canes, twelve to twenty
feet long These climbed to the top of the
trellis, and thence trailed back to the ground.
They clasped hands across the alleys, so as
% prevent passage among them. removed
part Of the vines, but the next year il was
l;site As,same. Visitors exclaimed at my
ysuceess with grapes, and | stood with them at
a distance, that they might admire them.
Whenever they brought me near the vines
for closer examination, the absence Of fruit
demanded Of me humiliating explanation
and their respect for me as gardener was
always lowered. l learned to dread the
time Of the vintage, whom Mater 3amiliaS
should inquire for grapes, and manifest dis
appointment at the light offerings | should
only be able to bring, so, as every means
employed for checking the growth Of wood
and turning the force Of the vines to the
production Of fruit failed. the reproach be-
came intolerable, and the vines came out by
the roots.
Such mistakes as this, made all over the
country, have taught US the requirements Of
our native grapes. We have found that a
dry soil, and one only moderately fertile, ia.
vors their prOductiveness. Dry, gavelly
slaty, or even clay ridges, or knolls, with the
soil well stirred, while they encourage but a
moderate growth Of wood, are found to en-
sure the heaviest crops of fruit; and iu
such situations the fruit will be Of the best
quality, high favored, and abundant in su,
gar,
-Four years ago neighbOr, whose location
u ridge Of very compact clay, was il
doubt whether he could raise grapes. | en-
touraged him to plant them freely, and fur
nished him strong layers. The second and
third yeais he had more fruit than had
and the past season his vines bore an i'm
mense load. have few vines planted
about a ledge, which bear well; and in Q
dry, gtavelly loan, whore | am starting
anew, my vines give promise of the most
satisfactory behavior.
With respect to the pruning Of grape
vines, We have also learned much. The hab
it of growth Of our American species requires
! tksAwe give more room on aie trellis, ant
leave longer fruiting-spurs, than would b.
allowable with the foreign species. Cane
several feet in length, to be renewed eacl
year, are now advocated. At first EN-
ployed Fuller's method of training,-twt
horizontal arms branching from an uprigh
trunk at one or two feet from the ground
But found this method entirely impracti
cable in this climate, where We must covel
our grape vines in the winter. After tht
vines get large and stiff it is impossible tC
get them down to cover them without split
ting and breaking them, II two or severa
stems are brought up from the ground an(
spread over the trells in fan shape, they
may be bent down safely. This is the meth
Cd noyices will most readily follow but
propose to start my new vines with one sten
kept at very slight angle with the surfac,
of the sell, and to lead each in the same di
rection on the trellis. From this singl,
stem, continued indefinitely, or from its shor
spurs, all the fruiting canes are to be started
When this stem reaches the top Of the trol
lis, mounting diagonally, 1t is to be contin
ued over the base Of the next vine and tn
Young canes are to be allowed to fall natu
rally Oh either side. Thus the necessity o
tying up the growing shoots in summer will
be obvisted, though there might be some diff
fculty with few kinds whose tender shoot
are easily blown of by the wind and sucl
vines after pruning, can easily be laid dow
and covered.
So let us divest grape culture of the mys
terry and the difficulty which was at FIRST as
sociated with it, and make it as simple a
any other culture, so that the farmer who CO.
raise good crop of corn or potatoes may
with the same reasonable care, (hardly more,
enjoy with his family aud his friends crol
| of this most delightful fruit.
/