Los Angeles daily herald., 1875-10-07

EDITOR HERALD: Nearly three years
I'm Southern California, and | cannot
divest myself of certain kind of New
England dread of the coming Winter
which October begins to usher In.
Will you pardon your correspondent
if in the absence of more Important
matter he tells
WHAT HE KNOWS ABOUT GRAPES?
Ten years experience in Maine and
nearly three years in Southern Cali
fornia. In Maine I cultivated Hart
ford Prolific, Concord, Delaware, Iona,.
Israella, Clinton, Northern Musca-
dine, Massasoit, Ogawana, Adiron-
dack, Diana and few others. TO cul-
tlvate and to ripen were two different
things. The exception to the general
rule was to ripen. How often have l
witnessed a committee at some of our
Maine Fairs taste and smack their lips
over fruit which If it had been called
aught else but "grapes" would
have been turned from with wry faces.
But were not these grapes home pro-
duction, and who would dare pro-
nounce them anything but delicious?
Many times have | gathered all the
spare carpets and mating, rushed out
i'm the cool Autumn evenings md
"lovinglyn tucked in my vines. Alas!
often Jack Frost COMPOUNDED all my
labors, and another seasons grapes
was spoiled. But we get used to that
kind of thing in the Northeast, and
take down our vines just as tenderly,
tie and wrap the canes and look for
ward hopefully to another year.
CALIFORNIA GRAPES.
Here, what differences! Grape au-
thorities East write, do not let your
vine bear more than one or two clus-
ters at three years old. From fifteen
t,cO-year-old vines tronspidnted when
one year old, gathered of the variety
called Muscat of Alexandria,, ten
bushels of grapes. From vines one
year from the cutting have taken from
ten to fifteen fine lunches of grapes.
although heve seen twentDrfive va
reties, including some of our best ex-
otics, yet variety called the Salem,
very much like that grape known as
the Shaker grape or Northern Musca-
dine, seems to be most sought after by
those who come into my grounds.
Many, who, after tasting Chasselas,
Hamburg, Muscat, Tokay, Groverdell,
Royal Muscadine,' &c, will turn to
this "foxy" favored grape, and pro-
n0unce it the best Of all. In the same
way we turn from salmon to y cod
fish, from an orange to an apple, and
are carried thereby to the cold shores
of the Northern Atlantic.
TRELLIsING GRAPES.
believe in trellising grapes. Not
| high trellisses, but about six feet,
made of cedar. have proved to my
neighbors that, all other things being
equal, grapevine upon trelliS, OF
course properly pruned, will produce
three times the quantity of grapes, ri.
pening more early, resisting better
| early frosts, saying water-space and
time, than if pruned low, in the old
vne-y yard form. From one vine of
Muscat, trellised, moved when one
year Old, now three wears, | gathered
siXty-five poun Is of nice grapes, all Ut
which will make and are making good
raisins. There must have been nearly
ten pounds taken from this vine before
l thought of weighing the fruit, and
/ do not offer this as an isolated case, for
many of my vines werejust as produc-
tive. Some, only two years old would
equal if not exceed this amount. But
perhaps this is grapes enough.
MISCELLANEOUS.
learn that our skilful nurserymen,
Messrs. Russell, are making arrange
ments to go largely into the raising of
| the choicest varieties of Towering
plants and shrubbery for the market.
| Riverside will he able to beautify her
homes without calling upon your Mr..
Schatfer, so after one who has been ac-
Gust tomed to set out in the Spring a
choice plant to summer and die, will
enjoy putting out the tender hello
tr0pe, the graceful fuchsias AMI beau
tiful pelargoniums to live year In and
out, increasing in beauty with age.
Truly yours, q. w. GARCELoN.
Riverside, Oct. (st, 1875.