The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-08-27

| 1AOeefeC AC0yOe, ESeC', -dtCytCSC &, 1919.
Indian River horticultural and
POmOlOgical Society.
Editors of The Florida Agriculturist
am requested to send you a sort
of synopsis of the proceedings of the
meeting of the Indian River Horti-
cultural and Pathological Society.
held at the house of Mr.. J. H. White
on Merritt's Island, near Georgianna,
July IL, 1879.
The occasion Of this meeting was to
see what Mr. White and others were
doing in the cultivation of grapes
and pine-apples. An interesting and
instructive discussion OF these subjects
lasted for several hours, but as a
committee was appointed, whose re-
port will be sent to you, I shall onlv
state what we saw at the vineyard.
or field or patch, as is most com.
monty called.
AT Mr.. Whites suggestion and in.
vitation, a recess of half an bour was
taken TO examine and test the quail.
ties OF his grapes and pines. At the
vineyard we were shown several hun.
dred vines OF the following varieties:
Agawam, Delaware, Goethe, Lind.
ley, Massasoit, Essex, Barry, Salem,
Ives, Croton, Merrimac and Wilder.
in perfect health, fullness of vine and
truitage. Some of the punches of
the Wilder, Delawares and Massasoits
were eight inches OF solid grapes.
All were compact and the grapes
very large for their kind, and al
though some of the Massasoits and
Crotons were crowded so that some
OF the berries were showed off, they
dld.not rot, but where they had fallen
on the sand beneath had dried up to
z rsssg bling Il rsiSjns: Al
Cling, and all were nearly ripened,
Some of the earlier varieties had rip
ened and were gone. We saw few
leat-rollers on one vine, but they came
too late to injure the plant, and did
not seem to be making progress.
The land was high, dry pine, with
scattering pine trees, wire grass and
oak bushes. These, except the pines
which were cut down and burned,
were gathered into trench and the
vines planted thereon. These rows
OF vines are three years old; were be-
tween rows OF very promising orange
trees; some had made growth in
a single season of thirty feet.
A new citizen and member, Mr..
Harrison. stated that he bad been
raising grapes for forty years in New
Jersey, and had never seen these
grapes equalled in perfection and
beauty, and had never seen the Del
awares so large in berry and bunch at
home.
Mr.. White has planted many other
varieties, which are not yet fully
tested, and some which are timid and
slow growers. He has some fine
young Scuppernong vines which have
made growth in two years of TWEEN
ty-tive feet, and have some fruit.
The discussion OF the grape ques
ton brought out the facts, that these
vines were hardy and healthy, under
different modes of treatment; that
they responded quickly to cultiva
ton and the application of manures
that Messrs. Hatch, Williams and
others, had also succeeded we'll OF
hammock land, on the west side 0
the river; Mr.. Allen, on the same
) kind of soil as Mr.. White, on the is
J land. Mr. White thinks that while
| he has succeeded well on the natura
pine land, with almost no manure
that with COW, and horse to hau
, fish and muck to raise manure, HI
} could have succeeded much better.
/ At the pineapple patch we wer'
shown about 1000 three years ol(
: from first setting, with percentag'
l of about seventy five, of full average
} sized fruit, perfectly healthy and evel
r in size of plant and fruit. Thes
/ plants were on the same pine land
The land had been grubbed anC
, cleared of everything but the pin
) stumps, and the plants set 2x29 fee
: apart; but little mulching or manur