Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-03-11
GRAPE CULTURE.

Now is the time to set out cuttings.
Mark out your ground eight feet square,
put on ashes or well rotted stable ma
nure one inch thick, dig the soil one
spade deep and rake finely. One foot
from the edge make a trench, throwing
the earth all on one side, then put yOIr
cuttings q couple of inches apart
against the ridge, press 1t IN, and one
foot apart make another trench, throw
Il soil IN the former furrOw and
against the cuttings, so that their tops
are merely visible, and continue so.
Leave twelve or fourteen inches
IN the middle for walk.
Cover the bed with straw or leaves to
keep ground mellow and weeds down,
and put on some brush to keep off fowls
and by next fall you have finely rooted
vines to set out where desired.
Best varieties for Tennessee: Hart
ford prolific, ripening about endOf July,
Concord, ripening ten days later, and
perhaps IUe's Seeding. According to
locality other varieties may succeed.
Read books, listen to your neighbors,
but always use common sense.
In setting out vines, select a spot
that drains well; If not to be had, drain
1t. Flowing is preferable to digging
holes. Throw six furro rs together, the
middle depened by subsoil or bull
tongue pillow. Spreading the manure
before blowing Is better than manur-
ing in the hill. Set out the vines-One
year old best-12 feet apart, and keep
clean. Do not jump on a hObby-hOrse;
take a dozen or two to begin with; study
the habits Of the plants and you will
find that 1t takes less labor and not
more skill to manage q vineyard than
corn or cotton field. Keep down suck
ers, and train to one or two canes.
In setting out, dig the hole, make of
fine soil a low mound at the bottom,
trim the roots to One-third length, then
place the vine on top Of mound, spread
the roots around and straighten, then
cover. Don't let the roots get dry.
The nature of the grapevine is, that
the cane or branch formed last year,
viii bear fruit this season and that the
same cane never will fruit any more.
Consider this and trim accordingly.
Plants are pruned to best advantage
when IN leaf and fruit set, because you
then see what to cut off, and wounds
heal readily. Whether this applies to
the vine also, you may find out by ex-
pertinent. The old cry, at Will bleed
to death, will be against you, but our
old way Of trimming IN the dormant
season can not show much success, and
1 ofAo,- oil
Let every farmer who wishes to keep
health in the family, set out fifty or
one hundred fruit trees and a dozen
grape-vines. We eat too much meat,
particularly pork. It is a wonder we
have not bristles growing on our backs.
And there is no easier way to keep
children at home and make them at
tached to the old farm than plenty of
fruit. A child that has luscious fruit
at home does not linger on his way
from school, or frets about going
around to visit, to tattle, to idle, or
hunting. BARRENITE.
REMARKs.-We shall be pleased to
hear from the writer Of the above often,
and learn how his scuppernOng and
other vines succeed. In a private note
our correspondent informs us that he
has 1000 fruit trees and 1900 vines on
rather poor soil, but call doing well
with a slow growth" Readers of this
department of the UNION AND AMER
ICAE may increase its interest and use
fulness by jotting down facts known to
them which We shall be happy to pub
hsh. The press discharges its proper
function when it enables farmers, gar
deners and fruit-growers to teach one
another, and learn from one another
every week in the year. Brother farm
ers; let us cultivate agricu tural Iitera-
ture and knowledge as well as the soil.