LIBRARY

OF THE

MASSACHUSETTS

AGRICULTURAL

COLLEGE

souRCE.i 389 unfl-.—

/ M98

DATE DUE 1

•=»*

/

MY VINEYARD

AT

LAKEVIEW.

BY

A WESTERN GRAPE GROWER.

NEW-YORK?

ORANGE JUDD & COMPANY.

41 PARK ROW.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1866, by

ORANGE JUDD & CO.,

At the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the
Southern District of New-York.

LovEJOY & Sox,

Elkctkotypeks and Stereotypees.

15 Vandewater street N. Y.

CONTENTS.

L— THE SUGGESTION 5

II.— MAKING A CHANGE 7

III.— GOING WEST 13

IV.— GETTING SETTLED 21

Our House 22

The Barn 24

Fences and Fencing- 26

^ Buying- Stock 27

Plans for Future Operations 30

Debit and Credit 34

v.— FIRST EXPERIENCE S5

Book Farming 36

Planting an Orchard 37

A Glance at other Things ; 44

VI.— NEW EXPERIENCES 47

A Visit to Hermann 48

Planting- a Vine 50

Continued Experience 52

More Encouraging Results 55

Arriving at a Conclusion 56

VII.— PLANTING A VINEVAND 57

Definition of Terms 57

Soil and its Preparat ion 58

Planting and First Year's Care 59

Grape Growing Contagious 61

The Second Year *. 63

Making Progress 63

The Third Year 64

The Fourth Year 65

Obviating a Difficulty 66

The Fifth Year 67

Facts and Figures 68

VIIL— PROPAGATION OF THE VINE 71

IV CONTENTS.

IX.— SOILS AND SITUATIONS 81

Wide Adaptation of the Grape 81

Lake Eiie Grape Region 83

Pleasant Valley Region 85

Importance of Situation 86

Protection 87

X.— PREPARATION OF SOILS 89

Underdraining 90

Deep Tillage 90

Borders 91

XL— MANURES 93

XIL— PRUNING AND TRAINING 99

XIIL— MORE ABOUT PRUNING AND TRAINING 105

Trellis 105

First Year 107

Second Year 108

Third Year 109

Fourth Year 110

Subsequent Management Ill

XIV.— AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A VINE • 113

XV.— BRIEF EXPOSITIONS 121

Tying 121

Packing Fruit 122

Picking for Wine 123

Systems of Pruning 123

Time of Pruning 123

Effects of Pruning 123

Vines without Pruning , 124

Training near the Ground 124

Diseases 125

Insects 125

Time of Planting 126

Manure 126

Situation 127

Preparation of Soil 127

Soil 128

Distance Apart 128

XVL— VARIETIES 129

XVIL— NEW GRAPE REGIONS 131

Who shall plant Grapes ? 132

XVIIL— ANCIENT METHODS OF CULTURE 135

XIX.— THE RESPONSE 141

CHAPTER I.

THE 'suggestion.

* * * " On my way home," wrote a friend, " the incidents
of my little visit in Lakeview came naturally to mind. The
quiet and unostentation, and the evidences of genuine con-
tentment which were apparent on every hand, presented
pleasant pictures for contemplation. And not least among
them was the satisfaction, I might almost say delight,
with which you worked among your vineyards, with their
rich treasures of purple fruit. Calling this to mind, and
coupling it with your substantial success, the suggestion
presented itself, ' why should he not make a book giving
a record of his experience T ' Because,' say you, ' not au-
thorship, but farming is my vocation.' True ; but rheto-
ric, and nicely rounded periods, and grand displays of
words are not wanted — only a ' plain, unvarnished tale,'
a simple record of methods and Avays ; but all the better

b MY VINEYAKD.

if occasional glimpses of Lakeview and its surroundings
are revealed. ' But what are the benefits to be attained? '
you ask. I know not, surely ; they may be few or many ;
but are there none who can be guided by your experience
to a success equal to your own ? As I write these lines,
and call to mind your employment and your home, I al-
most wish I too had laid aside the rule and stick in the
earlier years, and taken up the knife and spade. And
even the question comes, ' Is it now^ too late ? ' Perhaps
your ' record,' when it reaches me, will aiford an answer."
So I pondered the suggestion wliich my friend had
made; and acted upon it when the long Avinter evenings
had come.

MY VINEYARD.

CHAPTER II.

MAKING A CHANGE*

Twelve years have passed since I planted my first vine.
I commenced under difficulties, and have met with some
discouragements. But my labor and perseverance have
been well rewarded in the success which I have attained.
To be sure, I might have reached the same results in half
the time had I commenced with a better knowledge of my
subject. Many errors into which I have fallen might have
been avoided, and needless expenditures of tune and
money saved. In looking back upon my experience, I
can now see where better methods might have been pur-
sued. I can see wherein a little knowledge might have
saved many losses, and much discouragement. The in-
formation which would have enabled me to avoid these
losses, I believe I can now impart to others. Nothing, it
is true, can in any business take the place of experience ;
but we can frequently, when commencing a new enter-

8 MY YIXEYAED

prise, so far avail ourselves of the experience of others as
to materially affect the success which we may attain. In
making this record of my experience, I disclaim all efforts
at fine writing. My only aim will be to give the facts in
the case, in the simplest and plainest language I can com-
mand.

When I first took up rural pursuits as my vocation, I
"was not altogether unacquainted with the theories and
principles w^hich pertain to them. From my boyhood, I
have always had a great fondness for gardening, and all
labor incident to country life. When learning my trade
in the village printing office, I took great delight in read-
ing all the agricultural and horticultural exchanges. My
companion apprentice. Bob, as we called him then, always
thought it stupid to read j^apers of that kind, preferring,
for himself, to follow uj? wdtli great care all political con-
troversies, and taking great delight at the complete sum-
mersaults which expert politicians (in those days) some-
times found it convenient to make. Many of these
horticultural publications I took j^ossession of, by permis-
sion of the editor, and carefully preserved. I now consider
them one of the important features of my little library.

All this time I had in mind the picture of a pleasant
country home, where I could employ myself in tilling the
soil, and could spend the quiet evenings with my books
and papers — but not alone. Some one was there who
was the light of home. After all, I did not think when

MY VINEYARD. 9

looking at this ideal picture that it would ever be realized
as it has been, or what a part of my very self that " light "
was to become. I can only feel thankful that a kind
fortune has dealt out blessings to me with so liberal a
hand.

On finishing my trade, and becoming foreman of the
office, I found the labor and confinement quite wearing.
A short respite from work seemed necessary. Accord-
ingly my wife and I, (we had been two years married,)
made a week's visit with some country friends, who were
a half day's journey by rail. The bit of rural life which
this visit afi'orded, only served to recall and brighten up
the picture of rural pursuits which I had long since drawn.
June was abroad in all her glory. There were bright
skies, and green pastures, and rich woods, and broad
fields of blooming clover ; there were contented cattle,
and quiet sheep, and sleek, strong horses ; there were ru-
ral sights and sounds on every hand.

When we had returned home I proposed to my Avife

the propriety of changing my employment in the office

for that of farming. In our discussions of the subject, we

did not forget that there are two sides to country life —

that it is not always June. My plan was not to procure

a large farm and engage in general farming, but rather to

confine myself more particularly to fruit-growing, on a

moderate sized farm of about forty acres. The prospects
1*

10 MY VINEYARD.

looked so encouraging that I concluded to give np my
place in the printing office, and try our fortune at farming.

I had no foult to find with my employment in the office.
I looked upon the business, and still look upon it, as one
of the most honorable in which a man can engage. The
newspaper is, and must ever be, the chief educator of a
free people. All who engage upon it are worthily em-
ployed, be they editor, contributor, or workman. No one
can estimate the good which the American press has
wrought for the American people. That some portions
are bad, does not change the result, as they serve to give
force and piquancy to the predominant good.

The w^ages I received were sufficient for the comfortable
maintenance of myself and wife. But I could accumulate
little to provide against future contingencies. No man
can become wealthy by his own labor. Money being
merely the representative of labor, the person who accu-
mulates, must be able to avail himself of at least a portion
of the labor which others perform. If the farmer growls
wealthy, it is because, as w^e may say, nature works for
him. He sows the seed and the plant springs forth. He
gives it a little attention now and then, but when he is
away, or when asleep, the plant w^orks on, perfecting the
fruit w^hich he takes to market and sells. Tiie trees in
the orchard, the vine in the vineyard, the grain in the
field, are all laborers in the employment of the farmer.

MY VINEYARD. 11

Having determined upon a change in my vocation, the
next thing was to form a plan and carry it into execution.
The first efforts in this direction are given in the succeeding
chapter.

MY VINEYAKD. 13

CHAPTER III

GOING WEST.

" Where shall we go ? " was the practical question
which first presented itself. A farm in the vicinity of our
native village seemed most desirable, but the prices of
those for sale were quite beyond our means. A tide of
emiojration had lonsj since commenced its flow towards the
West. Fabulous stories were rife of the success which
former residents of our quiet New England village had
achieved. Some had grown rich in farming, others in
trade, while others had become distinguished in politics.
Little or nothing was heard of those who remained in
poverty and obscurity. The inference was, that out West
every one must be prosperous and rich. Nevertheless,
uncertain stories of agues and malarious fevers were fre-
quently afloat. But they were usually as indefinite as the
region to which they referred. After a careful considera-
tion of the subject, taking into account our means and the

14 MY VINEYARD.

precise objects we had in view, the most appropriate an-
swer to the question whicli commences this chapter seemed
to be to " go West." So I made a journey into that new
and prosperous region to look us out a home. And new,
indeed, did I find it, new in appearance, as also new in
the ways, and notions, and practices of the people.

In my search for 3, place, I first visited such of my ac-
quaintances as had already moved to the western country.
This took me into several of the most prosperous States,
and afforded me views of widely diversified scenery. The
prairie regions were less attractive than I had anticipated.
Although teeming w^ith inexhaustible agricultural w^ealth,
there was a monotony in the appearance of the prairies
not attractive to one life-long accustomed to rocks and
hills. The consideration of a healthfnl locality was a prom-
inent one in my investigations. But it was a curious
fact, that I could find no place which the people considered
as particularly unhealthy, although neighboring localities
were quite objectionable as regarded their sanitary condi-
tion. In Pekin they had the ague and fevers but seldom,
but over in Sebastopol tliey had it almost continually.
Arriving in Sebastopol, the people thought their region
quite healthful — that they hardly ever had any ague ; but
over in Pekin they had it about all the w^hile. I also ob-
served that nearly every one was ready to sell out, not to
return East again by any means, but to "go West."
This readiness to move did not arise from anv dislike to

MY VINEYARD, 15

the country, but from a habit which the great mass of
American people have got into, a habit which increases in
prevalence the further West we go.

This continual desire for a change of place, I consider
as productive of bad results. When one is continually
expecting to move, he does not take that pains to make
his home pleasant and comfortable, which he otherwise
would. He does not like to plant trees, and flowers, and
fruit, when there are no probabilities of his reaping the
rewards of his labor. Thus it is that the homes of the
people present so few appearances of comfort and beauty.
When the Amei-ican people learn a little contentment,
when they begin to make for themselves homes which are
to be tlieirs, aud for their enjoyment, tlien will our fair
land begin to blossom as the rose.

In regard to the relative healtli of East and West, I
may state here as the result of many years of observation
and exiDcrience, that in the main, neither region has any
perceptible advantage over the other.

In clioosing a home, I did not lose sight of a purpose
which I had always entertained of having it near a body
of water. No other advantage of beauty can compensate
for the loss of a water view. The angry tumult amid the
storms I do not so much admire ; but the calm serenity
at the twilight hour, esj^ecially in the golden October
days, imparts a serenity of mind whicli exerts a lasting
and beniiicent influence upon all the aflfairs of life.

16 MY VINEYARD.

One pleasant September afternoon, I found myself in a
small village in Northern Ohio, waiting until the next
morning for a conveyance to take me to some relatives
Avho were living a few miles away. Rather liking the ap-
pearance of the country, I asked the landlord if any farms
were for sale in the vicinity.

" How large a farm do you want ?"

" Only a small one of about forty acres."

" Wall, there's plenty of farms for sale, but you don't
find many of that size. Guess Smith down "on the shore
has one that'll about suit you."

So I obtained the requisite directions for finding Smith,
down on the shore, and set out to find him. A mile walk
brought me to a place answering to the description.

I was fortunate in finding Mr. Smith at home.

" Walk in, stranger, and have a chair," was the not in-
hospitable salutation.

" I don't wish to make a long stop. I only came to
look at your place, as I understand you want to sell?"

" I reckon I wouldn't refuse if I could get my price.
Where might you hail from, stranger ?"

" Connecticut."

" Wall, I came from Southern Injanny."

" How long have you been here ?"

" A right smart spell — going on nigh two years."

" Don't you like the country ?"

MY VINEYARD. 17

*' Yaas. But there's no use always staying in one place.
Setting hens never get fat."

" Which way do you want to go ?"

" Out to IlHnoy."

" How many acres have you here ?"

'• I bought it for forty ; but the point running into the
lake on the west side, makes it a little more."

We went out to look at the farm. The land gradually
sloped to the lake. The shore Avas high, except in one
place where it dipped dow-n to the water's edge. The
soil was mostly a clayey loam. Near the road was a
small portion of heavy clay. Towards the point was some
loAver land with black, mucky soil. The house was a log-
cabin of comfortable size and appearance. It was sur-
rounded by scattering trees of large size— mostly oak and
chestnut. An effort at floAver-raising was visible in the
front yard. A vegetable garden exhibited a profusion of
luxuriant weeds. A hovel covered with straw aftbrded
shelter for a cow and a j^air of horses. Some pigs and
poultry seemed to have the freedom of the place. A Avil-
derness of mingled raspberry and blackberry bushes
clambered over a portion of the division fence. There
were a few peach trees, turf-bound, but appearing vigorous.
About ten acres of woods occupied the western side of the
place, and extended to the point. There w^ere a half doz-
en acres of meadow, and as many more w^here the young
wheat was just making its appearance. There was a large

18 ^lY VINEYARD.

piece of corn, weedy, but bearing a 1 ixuriant crop, part of
which had been harvested.

About the whole place there was a pleasing appearance
of prospective contentment and enjoyment. The blue wa-
ters of the lake stretched away as far as the eye could
reach. A few sails Avere visible. The setting sun had
changed into gold the few clouds which were lingering on
the western horizon. Magnificent shadows were creeping
from the woods. Trees and fields yet bore the rich ver-
dure of summer. Only here and there the sassafras and
red maple had put on the rich colors of autumn. I had
found a home.

It was but the work of a moment to take into mind
certain improvements which must be made. With some
repairs the house would do for the present. The hovel
must be reconstructed. The fences were to be rebuilt.
But I did not dwell long on future plans.

" Do you raise much fruit around here ?" I inquired.

"No, stranger; it don't pay."

"Do peaches do well?"

" Splendid ; just plant yer trees, and a right smart
chance of a crop comes every year."

" Are there many apple orchards around here ?"

" Scarcely none. They are so powerful slow in bring-
ing crops that people don't like to plant."

" How much is land worth around here ?"

" Different prices."

MY VINEYAKD. 19

" How much for yours ?"

" Twenty-five dollars an acre."

" Free from incumbrance ?"

'' Mortgaged for five hundred dollars."

"When due?"

" Two years yet to come."

" I will take the place."

Within two days all necessary papers were (Jrawn, and
I became owner of the farm. I paid Mr. Smith five hun-
dred dollars for his interest in the place. The mortgage
for an equal amount was held by a man in the village.
As five hundred dollars was all that I could spare from
my little capital of a thousand, I considered it fortunate
that a part of the purchase price could remain on mort-
gage.

On returning home, I described to my wife as fully as
possible the place I had purchased. " We shall make a
beautiful home of it," said she. I asked her to give it a
name. " Lakeview," was the response. And by this name
it has since been known to us and our immediate friends.

MY VINEYARD. 2l

CHAPTER IV.

GETTING SETTLED.

The middle of October found us at Lakeview with all
our. household goods. The house had been vacated by
Mr. Smith, and he was already on his way to Illinois.
We at once set about making such repairs and changes
as our taste suggested or our means allowed. We did
not propose to go into extensive repairs. But a few im-
provements seemed desirable. In no better way can we
give a strange place a home-like appearance, than by put-
ting forth personal effoi-ts to adapt it to our minds. Ev-
ery change, which increases our comforts, brings with it
a new attachment to home. A drop of oil on a creaking
hinge, a shaving from a door which opens with difficulty,
or from a window-sash wliich one can hardly lift, and a
thousand other little things which are but the work of a
moment, will often add more to the enjoyments of home
than extensive and costly repairs.

22 MY VINEYARD.

OUR HOUSE.

We liked the house even better than ^ve had anticipat-
ed. Its location was exactly suited to our minds. About
a third of the way from the road to the lake, the land
swelled into a gentle knoll. Scattered in nature's pictur-
esque way were some twenty native trees, so far apart as
not to cast too dense a shade ; and in the midst of them,
upon the crown of the swell, the house was situated. On
the first floor were two good-sized rooms, and an addition
in the rear furnished a buttery and a wood-house, the lat-
ter large enough for a stove in the summer. Above were
three comfortable sleeping-rooms. The house faced to-
wards the south, and the front door opened directly into
the west-room, which was by far the pleasanter of the
two. It contained three windows ; the front looking
across the meadow towards the road ; the westerly one
looked out upon the woods, but these were so broken on
the left as to reveal glimpses of the western horizon ;
while the remaining window afforded a fine view of the
lake towards the north. Not least among the attractions
of the room was a large, old-fashioned fire-place in the
division wall, which butted ujd against a corresponding
one in the adjacent room. I have always had a fancy for
an open fire. Nothing so cheerful as to sit beside the
glowing embers of a winter's evening, while the wild
winds are making merry with the fleecy snow, and call

MY VINEYARD. 23

up the memories of other days. There is the glowing fire
before us, and the noisy wind without, but they seem less
real than the memories of earlier years. Shadowy in-
deed, but once more with us, the boy companions of the
long ago. Over the hills in our boyish sport, and through
the groves to the clear waters of the little brook. And
the old school-house, with its happy hours, and its irksome
tasks, and its rewards for truant deeds. And the old
church bell, now ringing out its merry peal, and now toll-
ing, tolling. And other forms are seen, venerable ancl
bowed with age ; but these are gone to the other shore,
leaving a pang which time does not effiice. —

" This shall be the home-room," exclaimed my wife on
surveying the room I have described ; " the library, and
parlor, and sitting-room, all in one. Here is just the place
for the book-case, there for the lounge, and the walls will
accommodate all of our favorite pictures. And this cor-
ner between the book case and the fire looks as though
designed expressly for your old arm chair." And to this

m

ordering of the " home room " I did not in the least de-
mur.

The house needed but few repairs. A little additional
mortar between the logs, newly papering all the rooms
and painting the wood- work, a few repairs in windows and
doors, were tasks easily performed, and we were comfort-
ably and cosily settled in our new home. Those were
happy years which we spent in the old log house. When

24 MY VINEYARD.

the foundation logs began to decay, and a new house had
to be built, that dearly loved home-room was copied as
closely as possible; but its peculiar air of comfort and
homeliness, which we so much loved, could not be imitated
in the more costly and pretentious structure. I have often
wondered why the original owner of the place and builder
of the house, could have left it. He must have been a
man of taste, having an appreciation of the beauties
which surrounded him. I learned that necessity did not
require his removal. He was doubtless governed, as
thousands of others are in similar cases, by the hope of
bettering his fortune in some more promising locality fur-
ther west.

THE BARN.

The structure used by my predecessors for the protec-
tion of their stock, was no longer of any value for that
purpose. To put up a substantial building with the^ means
I had at hand, was altogether out of the question. The
only alternative was to adopt the plan quite common in
many of the newer portions of the AVest, of putting up a
hovel. The location of the old one I did not like, being
in too convenient proximity to the house. A new site
was therefore chosen towards the east side of the farm,
where the land sloped for a little way quite abruptly, and
has since afforded me a basement stable to a large and

MY VINEYARD. 25

substantial barn. To aid me in hurrying forward a con-
siderable amount of work which I wanted to do before
the approach of cold weather, I secured the services of a
hired man for a month, at $12. (This amount looks very-
small when compared with the price paid for similar help
in these times.)

The first work was to tear down the old hovel. Many
of the rails proved to be sound enough to use in building
the new one. But what pleased me more, was a large
pile of manure, evidently the accumulation of years. The
Avestern people had no faith in that material, considering
it only an incumbrance and a nuisance ; but, looking upon
it with my New England notions, fresh and undispelled,
I regarded it as quite a treasure. To commence the struc-
ture, four posts, with crotched upper ends, were set firmly
in the ground, in the form of a parallelogram, twenty
feet by thirty. Through the center, a supporting ridge-
pole was placed. Rails were then laid on, forming a roof.
Around the sides and ends, rails were placed close to-
gether in an upright position, being set in the ground suf-
ficiently deep to hold them in place. In a similar manner
a shed was built on each side of the main structure, one
with a partition for pigs and poultry, and the other for
sheep and young cattle. Over the whole, several tons of
straw were then placed. Nothing could afford better pro-
tection than this from cold aiid frost ; and rain found its

way through only in the severest storms. This structure,

2

26 MY VINEYARD.

SO cheaply and easily made, served me all the purposes
of a barn for four years, requiring in the meantime one
renewal of straw.

FENCES AND FENCING.

The fence along the front line of the farm, bordering
the street, was good. The division fences were poor and
needed re-building. I found, on inquiry, that the owner of
a farm is expected to build half of each division fence be-
tween himself and his neighbors. Accordingly, an agree-
ment was entered into with the farmers on either side of
me, as to the portions of division fence which I should
build. The old fence was taken down completely, and
such rails were sorted out as would do to lay again.
When the farm was purchased, there was a fence, nearly
new, dividing it into two parts. This fence I determined to
dispense with, and use the rails in building the division
fences. It furnished all that was necessary, besides hav-
ing already furnished those used in building the barn.
Two other fences were also built ; one inclosing the woods
with about two acres of cleared land for a pasture ; the
other formed a yard for cattle around the hovel.

Most farmers would have disapproved of my plan of
dispensing with the di^dsion fence to which I have refer-
red. Rather than take one away, they would have con-
sidered additional ones desirable or altogether indispen-

MY VINEYARD. 27

sable. The prevalent notions in regard to fencing, I think
altogether wrong. The capital invested in fences through-
ont the agricultural portions of the Union, is enormous ;
the interest on the investment and the expenses for re-
pairs being very large. One-half of this may be set down
as so much needless expense, which might be avoided by
a proper system of rotation and the substitution in many
localities of soiling for pasturage. I do not propose to
enter into a full discussion of this subject, but consider it
well worthy the attention of every one interested in agri-
cultural pursuits.

BUYING STOCK.

I found but little difficulty in purchasing such stock as
was needed. Before commencing work on the hovel, I
had bought a span of horses, having found one that suited
me after two or three half days' search. They were not
particularly elegant in appearance, or swift of foot, but
they were strong in build and kindly in disposition. My
success in this purchase was a mere matter of luck, my
judgment in regard to the qualities of horses being at
that time decidedly poor. Of one thing, however, — the
disposition of a horse — I could always judge with a con-
siderable degree of accurncy. A vicious man, or w^oman
either, for that matter, may sometimes disguise their
character under the mask of a pleasant smile, or a smooth

28 MY VINEYARD.

word ; but a hor^e cannot, or at least he does not, practice
such deceptipn. He always reveals his disposition in his
eye.

The requirements of our household seemed to demand
the purchase of two cows, so as to secure a continual sup-
ply of milk, there behig in the house a certain brown-
haired boy of three years, who was possessed of a firm
notion that that beverage was particularly well adapted
to his wants. There Avere plenty of cows to be found
who were to come in in the succeeding spring, but to find
one who would give milk until that time, was the difficul-
ty. By a considerable inquiry and search, a couple of
cows, which seemed to meet our Avants, Avere found and
jmrchased. One of them, red, Avith a white face and one
Avhite foot, fortunately the one Ave most needed, being
then in milk, proA^ed a good one. The other Avas a brin-
dle. I haA^e often Avondered how so much viciousness
could be wrapped up in so small a hide. She would kick
with the most unparalleled A^ehemence, on the least provo-
cation, and Avithout any proA^ocation at all. No amount
of so-o-o-o-o bossing, or other gentle words, or the bland-
est coaxing seemed to haA^e any effect. Nor were the
gentle persuasions of the milking-stool, vigorously applied,
in any respect more effectual. What object she had in
view, if any object there were,* in making these aerial ex-
ploits, is something I never could divine. And then the

MY VINEYARD. 29

look of calmness and resignation which she continually
wore, was more remarkable than all else. The physiog-
nomy of a cow is not easily read.

I had procured some pigs and poultry by special con-
tract with Mr. Smith. They took to the new apartments
I had prepared for them with many manifestations of ap-
proval. I was particularly pleased with the air of wisdom
which one of the old hens exhibited as she conducted her
first explorations. Cocking her head first on one side and
then on the other, now taking a step forward vrith great
caution, and again halting for a moment on one leg, she
evidently took in at one scope the whole capacities of the
place. Hens seldom receive the credit to which they are
justly entitled. Their general contentment and uncon-
cern, and their manifest belief in life as a condition par-
ticularly well fitted to their enjoyment, are refreshing to
contemplate. I would by no means dispense with hens,
even though they were not in the habit of laying eggs.
It is a real enjoyment to go out of a sunny morning in
early spring, and Avatch them as they are demurely sun-
ning themselves on the south side of the barn. First one
wing is stretched out to bathe in the warm sunshine, and
then the other. Now perched on one foot, with eyes
closed in serene contemplation, and now nestled in the
straw, enjoying a quiet doze. A profound and impressive
silence of the whole congregation is succeeded by a gen-
eral couA^ersation. "W^iat they are talking about is not

30 MY VINEYARD.

easy to understand. Probably the weather receives a full
discussion, and the particularly fine qualities of the sun-
shine are fully commended. Doubtless the conversation
ultimately degenerates into a mere discussion of the size
and other qualities of various contemplated broods of
chickens.

In addition to the stock already mentioned, I purchased
a half dozen sheep, at twelve shillings a head. I did not
procure them with the expectation that they would prove
profitable, but from a mere fancy of being the owner of
as many diflerent kinds of stock as possible. Rural life
presents few more pleasing pictures than a clean and tidy
farm-yard, .where all kinds of stock may be seen, each ex-
hibiting the utmost contentment and enjoyment.

Among other things purchased of the previous occupant
of the place, were three or four tons of hay, and a quan-
tity of corn, besides a good supply of corn fodder. This
supply of food was sufiicient for the stock during the

winter.

'*

PLANS FOR FUTURE OPERATIONS.

Before commencing the labor of making a shelter for
the stock subsequently purchased, I had a general notion
of a plan for conducting the farm. But I had not as yet
worked it out in detail. So I set about that task. My
purpose was to make fruit-growing a specialty, believing

MY VINEYARD. SI

it to be the most agreeable part of agriculture, and best
adapted to a small farm. I first investigated the subject
of a market for my produce. I was somewhat disappoint-
ed in finding that there was scarcely any demand for
small fruits in the nearest large markets, and facilities for
sending so far as Chicago were very poor. At the East,
fruit-growing had already become a i^rofitable branch of
business, especially in the vicinity of all the larger places,
and on such thoroughfares as afforded facilities in reaching
the princij^al city markets. I did not exactly understand
why the same business was unprofitable in close proximi-
ty to large western towns. My investigations led to the
belief that quality of soil or character of climate offered
no adequate explanation. The true reason in the case I
have since learned, which is simply this, that the tastes of
the people at that time were such that very few of the
small fruits were demanded. And why ? Because the
supply had been so small and perhaps the quality so poor
that people had not learned to consider them necessary or
desirable. Now all this is changed. The tastes of the
people have become educated. The increased supply has
placed them within the reach of larger numbers, and thus
an increased demand has been created.

Seven years ago the growers of Grapes on Kelly's Is-
land, in Lake Erie, could scarcely peddle off their small
crops at six cents a pound ; this year they have sold their
crops, amounting to a thousand tons at the very least,

MY VINEYARD.

at more than double that price, and that too, to buy-
ers who took them at their vineyards. The law, appli-
cable to a certain extent, which governs the demand for
grapes and other fruits, seems to be this, that the demand
increases as the supply increases. Even now, very few of
the smaUer cities and villages know" any thing of the lux-
uries of the small fruits. But they are rapidly learning,
and the day is not far distant when every village in the
Union will receive, through the express or otherwise, its
daily supply of luscious fruits, during their respective
seasons, from regions where they can be successfully and
profitably grown. The rapid strides which the business of
gi-ape-growing has made within the last few years, is well
illustrated in the kind and quality of stock which nursery-
men are offering to the public. As I write, the advertise-
ment of a single nurseryman lies before me, in which
more than a half Tniilion of vines are offered for sale ;
fifteen years ago it is probable that not a quarter of that
amount could have been purchased in the whole Union.
The investigations which I was at that time able to
make, did not assure me of the safety of planting small
fruits as a principal feature in my farming. With apples,
the result was difi'erent. I found that there was a good
market for them in the vicinity, and that in the nearest
city, about twenty miles away, the demand was far in ex-
cess of the supply. I also observed that in the few small
orchards which had been planted in the vicinity, the trees

MY VINEYARD. 33

looked vigorous and healthy, and that the few which had
come into bearing, bore excellent fruit of their kind.
Peaches, wherever planted, succeeded admirably, bearing
excellent fruit in the greatest abundance. Very few
attempts were made to find a market for them ; and from
the prices which they brought, I concluded that my friend
Smith was quite right in his assertion that " it didn't
pay." I found that wheat and corn, Avith a small amount
of stock, were depended upon as the marketable crops.
In forming any plan for future operations, necessity re-
quired that I should so shape it as to allow of growing
sufficient crops for immediate sale the first year, to pay
living expenses. My capital was already nearly exhaust-
ed in the purchases I had made. After a full considera-
tion of the subject, taking into account my present neces-
sities and future prospects, I matured a plan for the next
year's operations, which was outlined as follows :

" Use the wood lot as a pasture for the cows and sheep.

" Plant an apple orchard of eight acres, between the
wood lot and road.

" Seed down the six acres of wheat between the house
and road, so as to convert it into a lawn-meadow.

" A half acre of vegetable garden, south-east of the house,
and adjoining the barn-yard on the west.

" A small flower garden west of the house, so as to be
seen from the western window. (This part of the plan

was made by my wife.)

2*

34 MY vixp:yard.

" Two acres for a fruit garden east of the woods, to be
worked and j^lanted as far as circumstances will permit.
" Ten acres of corn between the barn and lake."

DEBT AND CREDIT.

At the end of the year, as is my invariable custom, I
sat down and examined my accounts, so as to determine
my exact financial condition. Out of the cajjital I had at
the time I left the office, there remained unexpended
$138.00. The expense of getting settled in our new
home, aside from my western journey in search of a farm,
was $560.00. The figures were as follows :

CASH. . DR.

To amount on leaving office ■: $1305 00

CR.

By paid towards farm , $500.00

" Expense of western jourue}- 87.50

" Moving family 79.30

" Span of horses with harness -. . 175.00

*' Two cows 38.00

"Sixsheep 9.00

" Pigs and poultry 10.00

" Hay and corn 25.00

" Lumber wagon 68.00

" Farm tools 61.95

" Hired man, one month 12.00

" Household supplies 58.00

" Miscellaneous 43.25

'' Amount on hand , 138 00

$1305.00

MY VINEYARD. 35

CHAPTER V.

FIRST EXPERIENCE.

The first year in Lakeview was altogether a pleasant
one. Not every operation was successful, or every expec-
tation realized ; but the general results of the year's labor
were satisfactory and encouraging. The bright sun of
early spring filled the home-room with its cheering rays,
and we watched his setting among the golden clouds be-
yond the AYOods, giving promise of an abundant year.
The birds took possession of the trees around the house,
and made the mornings glad with the sweetest songs. In
the woods, the Liver leaf rejoiced at the new life which the
warming sun had brought, — and later, the sweet Violet
adorned all the pathways with innocence and beauty. The
shadow of the trees, at first a mere lace-work upon the
sunny ground, began to thicken with the opening buds.
Gradually the leaves unfolded as the sun grew warmer,
and the genial spring had passed into the maturer sum-

36 MY VIXEYAED.

mer. Every day and every hour of labor only added to
our love of our rural home. Our aspirations did not reach
for grander things than we possessed, but being contented
with our lot, we enjoyed the liighest degree of happiness.

BOOK-FARMING.

The general success of my farming operations was from
the first greater than I had anticipated. It was probably
greater than most persons who had always been accustom-
ed to in-door labor would liave met with. This success
may be taken as an illustration of the success of book-
farming. I had studied the subject more or less atten-
tively for years, and had secured all tlie reliable books on
agricultural subjects which I could find. When com-
mencing any oj^eration, I read carefully all my books
contained upon the subject, and thus availed myself of the
experience of others. If the methods pursued by others
seemed applicable to my case, I adopted them, or modified
them as circumstances seemed to dictate. The antipathy
which many hold against book-farming is quite uncalled
for. It is not to be supposed that experience and practice
are without value. Tiiey are doubtless of more value
than anything which can be gained from books. But
this admission does not satisfy the opponent of book-
farming. He goes farther, and considers that books are
useless — worse than useless. They teach only fanciful

MY VINEYARD. 37

and impracticable things. The province of the farmer is to
work, not to study ; to practice, not to theorize. Happi-
ly these groundless and injurious notions are dying out.
Doubtless our Agricultural Colleges, when they have
reached their full working condition will be of great ser-
vice in hastening their dispersion. But just now much
more is being done by the agricultural publications. And
they, too, are learning something. They are to-day better
than a few years ago. They are taking higher and more
worthy position. They are beginning to employ — the
best of them — talent of the highest merit, and are doing
a work of incalculable value to the great agricultural in-
terests of the nation. There is no business or profession
in which intelligence and study, and careful observation,
in short, the free use of brains, are more desirable or more
advantageous than in farming.

PLANTING AN ORCHARD.

In this record I do not propose to dwell at length upon
those subjects which are not related to my experience in
the culture of the grape. I have given a sketch of my
surroundings, and of some of the incidents connected with
my purchase and settlement at Lakeview, that the reader
may have a fair notion of my preparation for the branch
of farming which ultimately became ray chief occupation.
Some of my plans, however, were worked out with so

38 MY VINEYARD.

much success, that I am induced to give them in the hope
that they may be of benefit to those whose experience has
been more limited than mine. Among them was the
planting of the orchard. The first thing to be done was
to secure in good season a supply of trees. My method
of accomplishing this will be readily understood from an
order to a nurseryman of good reputation then located at
Toledo. I do not consider it a model of a business letter,
but it was effectual in securing trees of the very first
quality.

" Your circular, stating price and size of apple trees, is
received. I am desirous of obtaining some of extra quali-
ty, and will pay you twenty-jive per cent, in addition to
the usual j^rice if you will send just the trees I want. In
the first place, I want them as uniform in size (six feet in
height) as it is possible to obtain; and secondly, I am
desirous of obtaining only those which begin to branch
near the ground ; and lastly, I wish to have the greatest
care taken in digging, so that the roots may be in the
greatest abundance, and as little injured as j^ossible.
Please also give the roots the least possible exposure to
sun and air, and have the trees packed in the best manner.""
Then followed an enumeration of varieties, of which Bald-
wins and Rhode Island Greenings constituted seventy-five
per cent. When the trees came to hand they were exactly
suited to my mind. The additional price paid for them

MY VINEYARD. 39

Avas an investment which, no doubt, paid me several hun-
dred per cent, of profit.

Nurserymen do not, indeed they can not, take that
pains with trees that they ought to take, as long as peo-
ple make price the only criterion in making their pur-
chases. It is better economy to get good trees, wliich
have received proper care and kind treatment, even at a
very high price, than to get poor ones, no matter how
low they may sell. The manner in which I have seen
stout Irishmen, with a muscular develojDment charming to
behold, dig up fine looking trees, and. then take them a
mile or two in an open wagon, with roots exposed to a
burning sun, is downright vandalism. Whenever practi-
cable, it is a good way to go to the nursery yourself and
pick out such trees or plants as you want, and then pay
an extra price for the privilege of digging them.

The soil where I had concluded to plant my orchard
was a clayey loam, possessing great natural strength. It
had evidently not been very much exhausted by cropj^ing.
How to prepare it for planting was a question somewhat
difficult to decide. I was at a loss how to deal with the
subject of sub-soiling. I had seen luxuriant and j^rofita-
ble orchards in ISTew England which had been planted
without any such preparation of soil. I had, however,
seen it practiced in a few cases with evident good results.
From what could be learned from books and agricultural
publications, and from the theory involved in the prac-

40 MY YIXEYAKD.

tice, I concluded to adopt it. Not having sufficient team
force to accomplish the work, the deficiency Avas supplied
by exchanging work with a neighboring farmer. The
subject of drain nge Avas also considered, and though I ar-
rived at the conclusion that it was desirable, and would
prove a .paying investment, my means required that it
should be deferred to a future time. The neighborhood
did not afford a single sub-soil plow, nor could one be
procured at the village. I was therefore obliged to have
one freighted from the city.

The work of sub-soiling was accomplished with a satis-
factory degree of rapidity. Neighbor Williams took the
lead with a strong yoke of oxen and heavy plow, turning
a narrow furrow of about ten inches in depth. He was
an expert plowman, and the straight furrows which he
made were quite in accordance with my notions. I fol-
lowed with the sub-soiler, stirring the soil at the bottom
of the furroAV to the depth of six inches. Within a week
the labor of sub-soiling was accomplished. The piece was
afterwards dragged and cross-dragged, reducing the sur-
face to a fine tilth. The land being thus prepared, I next
staked it out for the trees, thirty-three feet in each direc-
tion. The utmost pains was taken to secure mathemati-
cal accuracy.

In o]-der to secure the planting of the trees in their
right places, a method was adopted which has been long
in vogue. In a board ten feet long, a notch was cut in the

MY VINEYARD. 41

center, and one in each end. The center notch being
placed around the stake, which indicated the place for the
tree, a stake was driven in each of the end notches. The
center stake was then taken away and the hole dug. The
board being replaced with the end notches around the
end stakes, of course the center notch indicated just where
the tree ought to stand. The holes were dug only to the
depth of the sub-soiling. A greater depth seemed unad-
visable, as the sub-soil was somewhat retentive, and might
serve as a receptacle for water during heavy rains. The
holes were at least four feet in diameter.

As soon as the trees arrived, they were heeled in care-
fully near the center of the orchard. The holes being
dug, everything was ready for planting. I had learned a
lesson upon this subject years before. My father owned
a small garden of about half an acre in our native village.
He used to bestow a good deal of care and labor upon it,
and among other things had a few trees. On one occasion,
being called away on business to a place eighteen miles
distant, he brought home with him, on his returning, a
number of trees, among tliem a Siberian Crab, thou in
full bloom. This last I remember very well of helf)ing
him plant. After digging the hole of good depth and
size, he filled it nearly full of fine surf ice soil. He then
put in several pails of water, and stirred it up so as to
make a thin mortar. In this he placed the tree, taking
care that the mortar should surround even the smallest

42 MY VINEYARD.

root on every side. Over this some dry dirt was then
placed, and over this some mulch. Not only did the tree
not wilt, or loose its leaves or blossoms, but it went on
as though it had not been disturbed by its removal, and
actually bore a full crop of excellent fruit that same sea-
son. For fifteen years, and I know not how much longer,
the tree remained luxuriant and vigorous. Concluding
that this method of planting was a good one, I adopted
it as a guide worthy of being followed.

A supply of w\ater was obtained without much difficul-
ty, by drawing it in barrels on a stone-boat. The trees
and water being at hand, I proceeded with the planting.
In the holes some fine surfiice soil was first 23laced, of suf-
ficient depth to bring the tree a little deeper than it had
been in the soil where it grew. The dirt in the center of
the hole was made a little higher than at the edges, so
that the roots, when spread out, should slope a lit-
tle downwards. With a sharp knife such roots were
cut off as had been injured in digging, leaving a clean,
smooth surface. I then placed the tree in the hole, spread-
ing out the roots evenly in every direction. Some of the
finest surfiice soil was then thrown on, and worked down
between the roots, so as not to leave any vacant places.
A little more dirt was added, and then two pails of water
slowly and carefully poured on. This settled the soil
completely around the smallest roots. The holes were
then filled, and the soil pressed down with the foot. As

MY VINEYAKD. 43

often as two rows of trees were set, I went through with
a load of i^artially decayed straw from the old hovel, and
gave them a thorough mulching.

After planting, the trees were cut back somewhat se-
verely. The stems were trimmed up so as to leave the
lower limbs as nearly as possible four feet from the ground.
Ill setting the trees, the heaviest roots were turned to-
wards the west, so as to guard against w^esterly winds.

I may here briefly relate the result of the labor, as I
shall not recur to it again. Not one of the trees died.
As warm weather advanced they shot into a vigorous
growth. They have been pruned but sparingly, and
mostly with a view^ of keeping the heads as evenly bal-
anced as possible. The trees commenced bearing in the
fifth year, and in the seventh year fruit enough was sold
to pay all the expenses of planting and for the land on
which the orchard stood. It is now a fine looking orchard.
The heads are well shaped, and low down, thus protecting
them in a good degree from violent winds, and greatly
facilitating the harvesting of the fruit.

I was obliged to crop the orchard the first year to corn,
a practice which is altogether objectionable ; but a liberal
application of manure rendered it less injurious than it
would otherw^ise have been. The orchard is now in grass,
furnishing an annual crop of excellent hay ; but full re-
turns are made in stable manure, ashes and plaster.

To assist me in mv summer's labor, I had secured the

44 MY VINEYARD.

services of a lad about fifteen years old, the son of a neigh-
boring farmer. By paying the father all the wages he
demanded, and givhig the boy an extra amount besides,
and treating him with kindness, he was satisfied and con-
tented, and proved to be very valuable help.

A GLANCE AT OTHER THINGS.

My wife's flower-garden was a great success. She took
upon herself its whole care and management, only avail-
ing herself of the assistance of Harry, the hired boy, in
performing the heavier work. Some of the Balsams and
Asters were very fine. Because they Avere more attractive
and showy, they gave much satisfaction to our neighbors,
who occasionally dropped in. Still these flowers were
by no means the favorites of my wife. I had learned this
in earlier years, when she and I were young together. I
was in the habit of observing such things from a notion
that the flowers which the softer sex admire, may be tak-
en as an index of their tastes and disposition. My wife
had a great fondness for Sweet Violets, and most admira-
bly did she succeed Avith them by keeping them mostly
in the shade. Day after day was our tea-table adorned
with a little bunch of these flowers, freshly picked. Near-
ly every pleasant morning my Avife might be seen, Avitli
gloves and trowel, Avorking among the floAvers; and there

MY VINEYARD. 45

was frequently at her side a certain brown haired boy,
too often ready to volunteer his willing but not altogeth-
er judicious assistance.

But I will pass over most of the year's experiences, our
butter-making, our planting and the golden harvest, our
sheep, and poultry, and pigs, and only glance at the re-
sults. At the end of the year, after paying all expenses,
a considerable amount yet remained from the sale of our
surplus wheat and corn. It was laid aside as a beginning
toward the payment of the mortgage upon the place.
Thus our first year in Lakeview had been one of success.

MY VINEYARD. 47

CHAPTER VI.

NEW EXPERIENCES.

The second and third year passed rapidly by. During
this time I learned many things, and unlearned some
which I thought I already knew. Some of my enterprises
had proved successful, while in others there was failure.
On the whole, there had been progress and prosperity. I
had made many improvements in the place, and had ad-
ded somewhat to the amount of stock. In the fruit-garden
but little progress had been made, only currants and a
few strawberries and raspberries having been planted.
The flower-garden had fared better, having been enriched
with a good collection of flowering shrubs and hardy
herbaceous perennials, obtained partly from the nursery,
and partly by exchanges with neighbors. In the Avarm
south window of the home room, many luxuriant and
beautiful plants had learned to make themselves at home.
Evergreens of various kinds, vigorous and healthful from

48 MY VlJsTEYARI).

the care they received, had been scattered upon the lawn,
and in appropriate places about the buiklings. The
brown-haired boy was no longer alone. Another one,
with darker eyes, now gathered with us at the daily board.
Thus the years passed on, bearing with them satisfaction
and contentment. Occasionally there were dark days,
tinged with discouragement and melancholy ; but they
passed away, and the next morning's sun shone as cheeri-
ly as ever.

A VISIT TO HERMANN.

Three years had passed since we were sat down at the
door of the old log house at Lakeview. The crops of the
third season were good, and promised sufficient returns
to clear the mortgage from the house, and leave a small
balance besides. So we thought it well to go out on a
little journey from home, and see what was doing in the
busy world outside. As both of us could not leave at the
same time, it was arranged that I should go first, and af-
terwards my wife. For myself, I chose a trip to the
West. Not least among the enjoyments of a. journey, is
the pleasure of the return ; home, with its enjoyments and
its contentment, seems all the dearer.

Bob, the friend and companion in the days of my
apprenticeship, had become connected with a paper in a
flourishing town in Central Missouri. So I determined to
make a visit to him one of the features of my journey.

MY VINEYARD. 49

On my way thither, I chanced to stop for a little while in
the village of Hermann, now famous for its vineyards and
wine. I was much pleased with what I saw of grape-
growing, and made up my mind that it was a pleasant
occupation. Nearly every one had found it profitable,
and seemed to enjoy it, as indeed they ought with such
excellent fruit and wine always at hand. I investigated
the subject with care, and learned what I could of the
methods of culture. Much of the information seemed
conflicting, and the talk about pruning and pinching, of
renewals and laterals, of canes and spurs, was difiicult to
comprehend with any satisfactory degree of clearness.
The trouble was my almost total ignorance of the subject.
I had read a few articles in the papers on grape-growing,
but had scarcely thought of it as a business to which my
farm was adapted. The soil was unlike that which, seem-
.ed to be almost universally recommended, and so far as I
knew, my location was farther north than any in which
success could reasonably be expected. At that time the
business had been commenced, with good promise of suc-
cess, in a few localities similar to mine ; but I did not
know of it. From what I saw in Hermann, however, I
concluded to make a trial of grape-growing on a small
scale, believing that if the grapes would not sell, I could
make it profitable to manufacture them into wine. At all
events, I would commence so moderately that a failure

would not subject me to any great inconvenience. Up to
3

50 MY VINEYAEP.

this time, I had scarcely seen any thing of grape-growing.
In my native place there were but few vines, and these
were not successful enough to attract attention. There
was hardly any branch of horticulture or agriculture to
which I was so little fitted by my studies, experience, or
observation.

When my fall's work was finished, and the long v^dntoi-
evenings had arrived, I took down my files of papers, and
commenced my w^ork. Running my eyes over tlie index,
I turned at once to those articles which had any thing to
say on the subject of grapes. My books (some of them
were old English ones) were also consulted in the same
way. The result, it must be confessed, did not leave in
my mind a knowledge of the subject particularly remark-
able for its clearness. So far as I knew there were not,
at that time, any reputable works on Grape Culture.
Some have since appeared, and particularly a most excel-
lent one, by A. S. Fuller.

PLANTING A VINE.

Early in the succeeding spring my first experiment
was made in grape-growing. The place chosen was in
the fruit-garden. The border ran east and west, the west
end butting up against the division fence, between the
garden and woods. The soil was, for the most part,
lighter than in any other portion of the farm. Towards

MY VINEYARD. 51

the wood there was a considerable admixturq of black
soil, abounding largely in vegetable matter. "Trench
deeply, and use manure in abundance," was the notion
left in my mind as the result of all my research in books
and papers. So all that border, six feet by seventy-two,
was hand-trenched to the depth of two and a half feet, in
the most approved manner. Good, well-rotted, barn ma-
nure, equal to a depth of six inches, on the whole surface
of the border, was thoroughly mingled in. A liberal sup-
ply of wood ashes was also used. I had procured, through
a friend, residing near one of the eastern nurseries, twelve
good Clinton vines, two years old. They were received
in good condition, and were carefully planted, six feet
apart, early in May. They soon put forth leaves and
branches, and appeared vigorous and healthy. During
the first season, not knowing exactly how much or how
little to prune, I compromised the matter by allowing the
vines to take their own course. They made a large
growth, and were green when the frosts arrived. Those
nearest the woods did not appear so healthy as the rest,
and had made a much smaller growth.

Fall pruning must be attended to, so the side branches
were cut away, leaving the main stem two feet in height.
This first year's treatment of the vine is not recommended
as one worthy of being followed. The object here is to
give a faithful record of experience ; those methods which
were found successful will be described farther on.

52 >[Y VINEYARD.

After pruning, the vines were laid down and covered
with straw. In the spring I concluded to allow two canes
to each vine, and to keep them tied to stakes. Accord-
ingly, a stout stake was placed at each plant. Every bud
on the old cane produced a shoot. All but the lower ones
were cut away. Those left grew luxuriantly, and presently
some flower clusters appeared. The laterals were stopped
after making a foot's growth. But others pushed out to
supply their places. The behavior of the vines was alto-
gether difierent from any thing which had been anticipa-
ted. They could not be brought into the shape I thought
necessary and desirable. By the middle of the season,
the vines presented an inexpressible jumble of leaves and
laterals, large fruit and small fruit, and even flowers. In
the fall, some of the older clusters colored, and I picked
them for ripe fruit. It was any thing but palatable. I
made up my mind that grape-growing at Lakeview could
not be regarded as strikingly successful.

CONTINUED EXPERIENCE.

When I recalled to mind the appearance of the vines at
Hermann, and then considered the appearance of my ONvn,
I concluded that there must be some difficulty in my sys-
tem of grape culture which I did not understand. I ob-
served that the luxuriance of the Adnes seemed quite
disproportioned to the size wliich ought to be maintained.

MY VINEYARD. I <? / 53 " ^0/^1

\ /p. ^ ^ >, V--

This suggested that the soil of the border ^va^^^#er thair C'
it ought to be. The vines nearest the woods made Kut r-
little growth, and appeared unhealthy. I did not thin^~-''^^'-=-*^
that the slight difference in the quality of the soil would
account for it. It seemed more reasonable to attribute it
to the fact that the border was a little lower at that end,
and the soil inclined to be somewhat wet.

After a full consideration of the subject, I concluded to
continue my efforts at grape-growing, making something
of a change in my methods and practice, with the hope
that better results might be reached. I concluded, also,
not to confine myself to the Clinton, but try other varie-
ties which were receiving commendation in various por-
tions of the country.

In order to determine whether the dampness of the soil
made the difference in the vines already establislied, a
main drain was run from the fruit-garden to the lake, and
lateral drains put in, so as to secure the perfect drainage
of the border. The natural slope of the land was such as
to render its drainage no difficult matter, but it cost a
good deal of trouble to procure the tile. As I had seen
a considerable underdraining before, and believed in it on
general principles, I concluded that the benefit to the
fruit-garden would cancel all expense, even though no
good came of it so far as the grapes were concerned.

54 MY VINEYAKD.

Early next spring, a border was made, large enough for
two dozen vines. One half of it was prepared exactly as
I had prepared the first one ; the other half was trencK-
spaded to the depth of sixteen inches. The subsoil was
not brought to the surface, but merely loosened. A half
dozen j^lants each of Catawbas, Isabellas, Concords, and
Clintons, were procured and planted six feet by eight, in
such a manner that one half of each kind was on each of
the two differently prepared divisions of the border. The
Clinton was included in the experiment so as to give it a
fairer trial.

It will not be necessary to give a detailed statement of
all the steps taken in carrying forward this experiment.
A glance at the results will be sufficient. They were
valuable in this, that they served as a guide for future and
successful operations.

During the first year, the vines made a good growth.
I gave them pretty much their own com'se, except that
they were kept tied up to stakes. There Avas a decided
difference in the appearance of the vines on the different
portions of the border, those on the manured portion
making much the larger and more luxuriant growth. The
others, however, ripened their wood much more thor-
oughly. The Clintons on the old border, next the woods,
appeared more healthy than during the previous year.
The vines on the new border were pruned back to two
buds, and cuttings made of all the well-ripened v.ood.

MY VINEYARD. 55

MORE ENCOURAGING RESULTS.

During the next year, there was a still greater differ,
ence in the comparative luxuriance of the two lots of
vines. The same method of pruning was jDursued that
had been attempted on the first Clintons. On the unma-
nured border I met with pretty good success with all the
varieties except the Clinton. With this I succeeded bet-
ter than before, but the results were nevertheless any-
thing but satisfactory. Next to the Clinton, the Concord
was most difficult to manage. On the manured portion, 1
experienced but little trouble with Isabellas and Cataw-
bas ; with the Concord there was some difficulty ; but the
Clinton seemed perfectly incorrigible.

All of the vines bore fruit. On the unmanured border,
the fruit was reduced to one bunch on each cane; the
grapes ripened thoroughly, were of good flavor, and in
every way equalled my expectations. I regarded this re-
sult with no small degree of satisfaction, even of delight,
because I looked upon it as an indication of future suc-
cess. On the manured border tlie vines manifested a less
disposition to fruit, and the on^ bunch allowed to each
cane did not ripen so thoroughly, or become so sweet and
palatable as those on the other border. This was particu-
larly the case with the Catawba. The benefit to the
Clintons on the old border, from the underdraining, was
more marked than it had been the year before.

56 MY VINEYARD.

AERIVING AT A CONCLUSION.

On carefully summing up all the results, the conclusions
arrived at were, that the Clinton was not a desirable grape
for my locality ; that deep trenching and a heavy applica-
tion of manure Avas not only unnecessary, but injurious to
the production of graj^es in soil like mine ; that untler-
draining was a necessity where the soil inclined to be
wet ; and that the Isabella and Catawba were the most
desirable varieties. Basing a plan of operations upon
these conclusions, I proceeded to carry it into practice.
How this was done, and the results which came of it, will
be recorded in the succeeding chapter.

I may state here that while engaged in my first experi-
ence in grape culture, I read with care all that aj^peared
in the papers upon the subject, being now better able to
understand what was said than I had been before having
even a limited practical experience. Conversation was
also entered into with any person I chanced to meet who
had any knowledge of the subject, either from experience
or observation. In this way almost as much was added
to my knowledge of grape culture as had been done by
four years' of experience.

MY VINEYARD. 57

CHAPTER VII.

PLANTING A VINEYARD.

DEFINITION OF TERMS.

Before commencing a record of my experience in the
planting and management of a vineyard, I will endeavor
to give an explanation of the terms used in talking of
vines, that will be plain to those who may not be fully
acquainted with them. If put in the form of directions
for drawing a diagram of the vine, it will be all the plain-
er. With paper and pencil draw a horizontal line near
the bottom of the sheet, to represent the surface of the
ground. Below this line, proceeding from a given point,
draw a few irregular lines, to represent the roots of a
plant, and from the same point above, draw a vertical line,
say six inches long. This we Avill call the stem. Every
half inch, from the bottom of the stem to the top, alter-
nating from one side to the other, make a character to
represent a leaf. The place where a leaf joins the stem, is
3*

58 MY VINEYARD.

called the axil of the leaf. On the side of the stem, di-
rectly opposite each leaf, draw a short line to represent a
tendril. In the axil of each leaf, make a large dot to re-
present a hud. As the vine continues its growth, these
buds will throw out branches which will be exact imita-
tions of the stem already drawn, with tendrils, leaves, and
buds. These branches are called laterals. When young
and tender they may easily be nipped off with the thumb
and finger, which is GnWed pinching. The stem is usually
called a ca7te. Sometimes, and especially when a vine is
severely j^runed, branches will proceed from buds formed
at other places around the joint of a stem, than in the ax-
ils of leaves. These are said to come from accessory buds.

SOIL AND ITS PREPARATION.

The spot chosen for the vineyard, one acre in extent,
was on the east side of the farm, and near the lake. The
location was selected more on account of the facility with
which it might be underdrained than for any other reason.
The high shore of the lake, affording suitable outlets for
the drains, and the gentle slope of the land, rendered the
drainage a comparatively easy task. The soil was a clay-
ey loam, in some places quite heavy. After the drainage
had been completed, (the drains being twenty-four feet
apart) a moderate coating of manure was applied, as it
was necessary to crop the vineyard the first year. This is

MY VINEYARD. 59

not considered as a desirable practice, but my limited
means required it. The soil was prepared by plowing
and subsoiling, in the same manner as for the apple or-
chard. After thoroughly dragging, all w^as ready for
setting the stakes. To accomplish this, a stout line was
stretched across the field ; on this, six feet apart, short
pieces of white string were tied, so securely as not to slip
along the line in either direction. This served as a
guide for setting the stakes, and greatly facilitated the
operation, besides securing accuracy. My own woods
furnished a partial supply of stakes, the rest being pro-
cured by purchase. They were eight feet long, and were
set two feet in the ground. Holes were first made with
a crowbar, and the stakes then driven firmly down with a
maul. When one row was set, the line was moved six
feet, the string again serving as a guide. On the acre I
set thirty-four rows of stakes, thirty-four in the row, giv-
ing place for one thousand one hundred and fifty-six vines.
Every thing was now ready for planting.

PLANTING AND FIRST YEAR'S CARE.

The cuttings put in two years before had now made
strong and vigorous plants. As there were not enough
of them, a quantity was procured from a nursery. Those
grown myself were best. Being yet in doubt as to which
variety would prove most successful, I planted two hun-

60 MY VINEYARD.

dred Concords, and for the rest, an equal number of- Ca-
tawbas and Isabellas. The holes were dug throughout the
Avhole field, on the south side of the stakes, before com-
mencmg to plant. They were about ten inches deep, and
twenty-four in diameter, and dug in such a manner as to
bring the stake in the hole, but near the north side. Be-
fore planting, the long, sprangling roots were shortened,
so that none of tliem were more than fifteen inches in
length. The steins were shortened to two buds. Fine
surface soil Avas placed in the holes, putting it a little
deejDcr in the center than at the edges. On this the vine
was placed, with the stem three inches from the stake.
The roots were evenly spread out in all directions, and as
the soil was highest in the center of the hole, they sloped
somewhat towards the outside. Fine soil was then
thrown on and worked in by hand among the roots. The
holes were then filled, and the soil jDressed down with the
foot. When all was finished, the roots at the base of the
stem were about three inches below the surface of the soil.
When the buds had started, and the branches had be-
come a foot long, I went over all the vines and cut ofi" the
upper branch and old wood down to the lower branch,
where the latter was the stronger of the two. When the
upper one was very much the more A'igorous, that was
left. The only attention giA^en the Aines the first year
Avas to keep them tied up to the stakes. The ground Avas
kept clear of weeds, the first crop of turnips obtained

MY VINEYARD. 61

more than paying the ex^^ense of cultivation. A few of
the vines died, but nearly all made a good growth. In a
few instances some of the laterals had become longer than
the main stem, but in almost every case the main stem
was large and well developed at the base. Nearly all the
, vines shed their leaves before the arrival of frosts, and the
wood appeared to be well ripened. About the middle of
]N"ovember the vines were cut down to within a foot of
the ground, and cuttings made of such wood as was suita-
ble for that purpose.

GRAPE-GROWING CONTAGIOUS.

During this, my first year of j^lanting grapes to any ex-
tent, several of my neighbors made a connnencement in
the business. The different branches of agriculture and
horticulture may be considered as contagious. This ex-
plains in part the fact, that we almost always find the
dififerent branches confined to specific localities, while
there are other localities, equally advantageous as regards
soil, climate, and market, where they are not found. Thus
we find hop-yards, peppermint farms, fruit farms, etc.,
clustered in little circles here and there, throughout the
country. I had caught grape-growhig at Hermann ; my
neighbors were taking it of me. At this I was not a little
gratified, believing that their success would only enhance
my own. Hence I was ready to give any information

62 MY VINEYARD.

which I possessed, and to allow every one the full benefit
of my experience.

THE SECOND YEAR.

In the spring of the second year, I rubbed off all the
buds on the stem which were within six inches of the
ground. Two canes, one from each of the two nearest
buds above this, were allowed to grow. They were
stopped when they had reached the height of the stakes.
The laterals were stopped when they had reached a length
of a foot, and again stopped after every one or two addi-
tional leaves. One bunch of fruit was allowed to each
cane, all other flower clusters being taken oif as they ap-
peared. The soil was kept mellow and free from weeds,
the horse cultivator being easily used, as the vines rowed
both ways. Nearly every vine produced two well ripen-
ed bunches of fruit. Besides using all we wanted in the
family, and ofiering it liberally to our neighbors, as they
came in to see our progress in the new business, four hun-
dred pounds were sold, which netted about twenty-five
dollars. They were sent to the city, and sold on commis-
sion. Grapes from other localities were also sent to the
same place in considerable quantities, but the demand was
fully equal to the sujDply. I judged from this that a ready
market could be found there or elsewhere, for all the
grapes which would be likely to be grown for some years
to come. Should the result prove otherwise, wine-making

MY VINEYARD. 63

might still be tried. Hence no uneasiness was felt about
disposing of my grapes at remunerative prices.

Some difficulty was encountered in getting the grapes
to market, for want of suitable boxes in which to ship
them. The ordinary grape boxes, now so common, could
not then be procured in my locality. This trouble was
overcome by making crates out of lath and boards. Two
boards, twelve by eight inches, were taken for the ends ;
lath were nailed on, one half inch apart, to make the bot-
tom, top, and sides. The crates were two feet long, and
were lined with stout brown paper. In them the grapes
reached the market, about twenty-five miles by rail, in
good condition. As I have stated, only one bunch of
grapes was allowed on each cane. Probably double this
amount might have been grown without any injury; but
being desirous of obtaining strong vines, I determined
not to defeat the object by over-cropping. In November
the canes were all cut down to two buds each.

MAKING PROGRESS.

The second year of my vineyard had now drawn to a
close. The labor of tending had been much less than J
had anticipated. My wife frequently went out of her own
choice and assisted at the pruning, but I was glad to see
that her flowers were by no means neglected. The
brown-haired boy was also on hand, freely offering his as-

64 MY VINEYARD.

sistance ; but, as a matter of caution, his pruning exploits
were confined to wood which had ah-eady been taken
from the vine.

Lakeview, at least its occupants thought so, was increas-
ing in attractiveness and beauty. The evergreens were
growing rapidly, and the occasional use of the pruning
shears was efiectual in producing symmetrical forms.
The apple orchard had become all that could reasonably
be expected, and the little collection of strawberries,
blackberries, raspberries, and currants, offered its bounty
of delicious fruits. The stock had increased in amount,
besides having brought a small revenue from some which
had been sold. A frame barn, suited in size and arrange-
ment to th3 extent of the firm, had been built. Our ex-
penses were less than our receipts. We were not grow-
ing rich, but as we felt that every reasonable want was
gratified, it took no effort to make ourselves contented
with our lot.

THE THIRD YEAR.

The next year, four canes were i)roduced on each vine,
one from each of the four buds left at the last season's
IM-uning. The canes were stopped at the top of the stakes,
and the lateral received the same pruning as during the
previous year. Two canes were allowed to fruit, bearing
three bunches each. From the other two canes, all flower-
clusters were removed as soon as they made their appear-

MY VINEYAKD. 65

ance. The grapes were sold to better advantage than
those of the previous year, the crop brmging me over a
hundred doHars. Deducting all exj^enses of tending, and
allowing a fair interest on the cost of tlie vineyard, I found,
that even this return was more profitable than any other
erop which could have been raised. The fall pruning this
year consisted in cutting down to one bud the two canes
which had fruited, and cutting off the laterals on the other
two within an inch of the canes, being careful not to in-
jure the buds at the base. Two canes, each about six
feet long, were thus left on each vine. A part of these I
laid down on the ground and threw a little soil over
them ; the others were left tied to the stakes. Since the
first year, when the dozen Clintons were protected with
straw, I had protected only a small part of the vines, and
that part only with soil. The difference between those
which were protected and those which were not, was fre-
quently imperceptible ; but, where any difierence appear-
ed, it was in favor of the protected vines.

THE FOURTH YEAR.

The next spring, as soon as the buds began to swell,
the two canes were securely fastened to the stakes. Each
cane produced ten bunches of fruit, two from each of the
five lower branches. The branches were stopped at two
leaves beyond the second bunch of fruit, and if more

66 MY VIXEYARD.

flower-clusters appeared, they were taken off. Two new
canes were produced from the buds left for that purpose
at the base of the canes cut away the year before. Their
treatment was the same as that already described, except
no fruit was allowed to grow.

In the flxll, there were four canes to each vine, two of
them grown the year befoi'e and now bearing fruit ; and
two others grown the present season. Over three hundred
and fifty dollars worth of grapes were sold from this acre
of vines, besides which a half barrel of wine w^as made
by means of a small press, extemporized for the purpose.
The fall pruning consisted in cutting down to the last
bud the two canes which had borne fruit, leaving the other
two for next year's crop. The vineyard w^as now fully
established.

OBVIATING A DIFFICULTY.

One difficulty, however, presented itself. The four
canes to a single stake were so crowded as to interfere
with pruning, and what was a still greater objection,
some of the leaves shaded others so mucli that the latter
could not perform their proper work. This trouble was
remedied in the following manner : — I obtained from a
saw-mill, where they had a buzz saw for making lath, a
quantity of slats, about inch by inch, and nine and a half
feet long. These slats were fastened to the stakes with a
six-penny nail, one end of each slat at the bottom of a

MY VINEYARD. 67

stake and the other end at the top of the next stake. To
these slats the growing canes were fastened during the
next year, one to each, while the two fruitirig canes were
fastened to the upright stake. By this means the pruning
became an easy task, and could be performed with the ut-
most rapidity, while there was an abundant exposure to
sun and light of all the leaves, both on fruiting and grow-
ing canes. The system of pruning, already described,
was not changed — the use of the slats simply obviating
the difficulty already mentioned, the crowding of too
many canes upon one stake. *

THE FIFTH YEAR.

During the fifth year the vineyard had come into full
bearing. Many of the canes produced twenty-five bunches
of grapes, some of the upper branches bearing three
bunches each. This gave fifty bunches to the vine. Of
course, all of the vines did not produce this number. I
did not keep an exact account of the j^roduct of the vine-
yard, as other vines, subsequently planted, had com-
menced to bear, and no separate account of the fruit was
kept. There must have been, however, a clean profit of
at least two hundred and fifty dollars, on this one acre
of vine. The yield of fruit did not fall short of nine thous-
and pounds ; but all of it was not suitable for packing, as

* A cut, showing the appearance of vines trained on this method, is elsewhere
given and explained.

68 MY VINEYARD.

only large and perfect bunches were used for this purpose.
The rest of the crop, after picking the table grapes, was
made into wine. One of my neighbors, who was the first
to follow me in the grape business, and who had more
capital and perhaps a little more enterprise than myself,
had built a Avine press and a small wine cellar. He made
his entire crop into wine, but I found it more profitable
to pack such of mine as were suitable for that purpose.
My wine grapes were worked up at his establishment, on
shares.

ACTS AND FIGURES.

At the present writing, I have five acres of vines in full
bearing. It would be quite difficult to give a statement
of the profits of the crop which would be accurate to the
nearest cent, but the following figures, in round numbers,
are within a few dollars of accuracy. No separate ac-
count has been kept of the labor bestowed uj^on the vine-
yard, it having been performed along with the other farm
work as necessity required. After a vineyard is establish-
ed, it is a pretty accurate calculation that five acres Avill
require the labor of one man, with some extra assistance at
picking time, and perhaps a little at the summer pruning.

The figures given, are for 1865. It will be seen that
the grapes are credited at ten cents per pound, but many
of the Catawbas sold for t^velve and a half cents. No
account is made of the wood cut away at the fall prun-

MY YINEYAED. 69

ing, which is just now of some considerable value. Most
of it has been sold for cuttings. I have also derived con-
siderable profit from the sale of plants, grown from cut-
tings, at little trouble or expense.

The yield per acre is perhaps a fair average one, where
the crop is not injured by rot or mildew, as has been the
case in many vineyards the past season. I have known a
small vineyard to return its owner at the rate of over two
tliousand dollars j^er acre. This is, of course, an extreme
case

VINEYARD OF FlYE ACRES. Dr.

To interest on cost, 10 per cent, on 8400 per acre., $ 200 00

" wages of one man, a year 500 00

" extra help in piclcing 200 00

" boxing- 5000 lbs. per acre, at 1 cent 250 00

Cr.

By 5000 lbs. Table Grapes, per acre at 10 cts $2,500 00

" 3000 lbs. Wine " " • 5 cts 750 00

Add profits, at $420 per acre 2,100 00

$3,250 00 $3,250 00

It will be seen from the foregoing, that my experience
in Grape Culture has been a successful one. To many it
may not appear large, but to me, it is quite satisfactory.
Indeed, my whole experience in farming has been so grati-
fying, that I feel thankful to the fortune which led me to
take up my abode in Lakeview.

70 MY VINEYARD.

In the future pages of this work I shall not continue to
relate my experiences in the order of their occurrence,
but shall combine them with some remarks upon the
theories of Grape Culture, and directions for its practice.
I shall hope to make these directions so plain that any,
who may desire to turn their attention to Grape-growing,
can follow them to a satisfactory success.

MY VINEYARD. 71

CHAPTER VIII.

PROPAGATION OF THE VINE.

There is perhaps no plant which man has subjected to
cultivation, more easily propagated than the grape. Five
different methods can be pursued with success, but of
these, only one is in general use in out-door j^ropagation.

1. By Seed. — This method of propagation is used only
for the production of new varieties. It receives but little
attention, because of the uncertainty of its results. Of a
thousand plants, raised in this way, perhaps not one will
have any merits superior to those of its parent. Never-
theless, as this is the only way in which new varieties can
be obtained, every one who is interested in Grape Cul-
ture, should give as much attention to it as circumstances
will permit. There is already a large^ number of excel-
lent varieties, but it is not to be supposed that the highest
attainable perfection has as yet been reached.

72 MY VINEYARD.

In selecting the seed, they should be sound and thor-
oughly ripened, and only of the best varieties. It would
be only lost time to take seeds from wild varieties, as
some have recommended. It would be like going back to
the beginning of the road, when you are alreadv a good
piece towards the end of the journey.

The soil in the bed should be deeply worked, and en-
riched with thoroughly rotted manure, if it should be re-
quired. Leaf mould, from the forest, is a very suitable
manure for this purpose. The best time for sowing is in
the fall. The drills may be fifteen inches apart. The seed
should be sowed pretty thickly, and covered about a half
inch deep. In the spring, when the plants are about
three inches in height, they should be thinned to three
inches apart in the rows. Brush may be put in as in
brushing peas, for the vines to climb up on. The surface
of the bed should now be thoroughly mulched with coarse
litter, after which the Adnes will require no further care
during the season.

In the fall, the plants may be dug up and the long roots
cut off, to within six or eight inches of the stem. The
stem may be cut back to two buds. The plants should be
carefully heeled-in for the winter, and the soil drawn up
around the stems so as to completely cover them.

The next spring, the plants may be put out, where they
are to grow. They should be in rows five feet apart, and
three feet apart in the rows. If there is an abundance

MY VINEYARD. To

of room, still greater distances are desirable. A stake
must be placed at each plant, and the vines kept tied as
they grow. The first and second seasons, it is better to
allow only one cane to each vine, and it is necessary to
keep it within moderate limits by pinching in the later-
als, and stopping the main cane at a foot or two beyond
the stake.

During the third and fourth years, each vine may pro-
duce two canes, which should be treated like those of the
previous years. In the fourth year, and occasionally in
the third, the vines will begin to fruit. This will enable
you to judge with some degree of accuracy as to the re-
sult of your labor, whether it is all lost, or whether you
have obtained a new variety of value. Of a thousand
plants, perhaps none will be like the parent ; probably
many will be inferior, but the vast majority will
doubtless have a sura total of qualities which make
them neither better nor wor'se, while a few may have
some, perhaps all of their qualities, superior to those of the
parent. These should be saved for further trial, while
all others may be at once destroyed. It will take many
years to determine positively as to the quality and value
of a new variety.

What is most needed just at the present, in a new variety,
is the combination of earli?iess with the qualities which
many of our best varieties already possess. Such a grape
could be grown farther North than any we now have, and

74 MY VINEYARD.

would be desirable in localities where the crops of the
present varieties are occasionally injured by early frosts.
Whether or not the lona, which has been produced by
great labor, and which now promises so much, will sup-
ply this want in every particular, can be positively de-
termined only by still farther trial.

2. Layering. — There is no method of propagation
which will produce so strong and vigorous plants, as lay-
ering. To produce plants by this method, wood, which
is either one year old, or of the current season's growth,
may be used. About the first of July select a shoot,
which is strong and vigorous, and bend it down to the
ground, being careful that the curve is not too abrupt.
At the point where the cane touches the ground, cut it
about h'alf way through, from the upper side, with a
slanting cut. Dig a hole, about three inches deep, and
fasten the cane into it, so that the cut shall come in the
bottom of the hole. A hooked stick may be used to
fasten down with. The hole may now be filled, and the
soil pressed down. The portion of the cane beyond the
point layered, may be tied up to a stake. The layer will
soon throw out roots, and may be detached from the
parent plant in six or seven weeks. It will now be a
strong plant, ready to set out where it is to grow.
Should it be set out early enough to become somewhat
established before the approach of winter, it would prob-
ably bear fruit the next season, though it would not be
desirable for it to do so.

MY VINEYARD. 75

3. Cuttings. — This is perhaps the most generally avail-
able of all the methods, and may be practiced by every
one with the utmost ease. It is the method by Avhich I
produced all the plants used in setting my vineyards, ex-
cept a portion of those on the first acre. Only well rip-
ened wood, which may be known by its firmness of tex-
ture and the bright lively color of its bark, should be
used. The cuttings should be prepared in the fill. The
wood may be cut into lengths of three buds each ; the
wood being cut away close up to the lower bud and left
about an inch above the upper one. It is better to have
the wood, where it is cut off, slant away from the buds,
rather than towards them, and great care should always
be taken to avoid injuring the buds. The cuttings may
be kept, during the winter, in the cellar, laid on the bot-
tom and covered with sand, or buried out-doors under a
slight covering of soil, and jjrotected with straw from freez-
ing. The requisites for their safe keeping are, a temper-
ature as cool as possible without freezing, and moisture
without an excess of wet.

The cutting bed should be made in the fall, j)reparatory
to early use in the spring. If at all inclined to be wet, it
should be underdrained. The soil should be worked to
the depth of sixteen inches, and thoroughly enriched with
perfectly rotted and finely pulverized manure. Leaf-
mould from the woods, and a small quantity of ashes, can
be advantageously added. The whole bed should be

7b 3IY VINEYARD.

thoroughly worked over, so as to be uniform m composi-
tion.

In the spring, as soon as the frosts are well out of the
way, lay off the bed into lines fifteen inches apart. With
a spade, dig trenches ten inches deep, one side of which
shall be smooth, and have a moderate but uniform slope.
Along these sloping sides the cuttings may be placed six
inches apart, in such a manner that the center point be-
tween the two upper buds shall be at the surface of the
ground, after which the trenches are to be filled and the
soil pressed down. The whole bed may now be mulched
with coarse litter, which may be put on deep enough to
come up to the upper bud of the cuttings. If the soil is
dry at the time of putting the cuttings in, it may be
thoroughly watered before mulching. The cuttings will
soon strike root, and the stems ought to make a growth
of from three to five feet the first season. If left to them-
selves, they will do very well ; but it is somewhat better
to keep the plants tied up to stakes, or pea brush may be
put in for them to climb upon.

There are numerous other methods of propagating by
cuttings, but the one just described, I have found to be
most successful. Sometimes, cuttings of only two buds
are used. In this case they are put into the soil so deep-
ly, that the upper bud is covered about an inch. Where
this is done, the upper bud not only produces a stem, but
roots are thrown out from its base. In this way fine

M.Y VINEYARD. 77

plants are sometimes produced. Where wood is very
scarce, this method is desirable, as there is a saving of
one-third.

4. Single Buds. — Nearly all the plants sent out by
nurserymen, are propagated from single eyes. This meth-
od requires artificial heat, but a good hot-bed will an-
swer very well for the purpose. The wood should be
selected and preserved in the manner already described
for cuttings. In the spring the wood may be cut up into
single eyes, leaving it about half an inch long below the
bud, and three-quarters of an inch above. At both ends
the wood should slant from, the bud, because, when pre-
pared in this way, the bud is much less liable to be injured.

Instead of ordinary soil in the hot-bed, use shallow
boxes, about three inches^ deep, filled with clean white
sand, such as is ordinarily found on the shores of lakes.
Make^nes across the boxes, about two inches apart.
Along these lines place the buds in a slanting position,
and deep enough so as to be covered about a quarter of
an inch with the sand, which should be pressed down
firmly. Care should be taken to keep the top of the buds
towards the surface. They need not be put in until the
first or second week in March. The sand should be kept
moist.

When the buds have thrown out roots, and the shoots
have become three inches long, they may be transplanted
into ordinary soil in another hot-bed. They should re-

78 MY VIXEYARJJ.

main here until the weather is warm and settled out-
doors, when they may be transferred to a bed prej^ared
accordmg to the directions given for a bed for cuttings.
They will need shade if the sun is hot, and water if the soil
is dry. When once established, they should receive the
same treatment as cuttings, started in the open ground.

One great advantage of this method it will be seen at
once, is the greatest economy of wood. But another and
greater advantage is the facility with which many vari-
eties are started, that can be multiplied in other ways
only with the greatest difficulty.

5. Grafting. — In modern times the grape is seldom
l^ropagated by grafting. The process is not a very dif-
ficult one, but other methods are so much more available,
that there is little advantage in employing it. Soine va-
rieties, as the Diana, which cannot be increased ^oy ordi-
nary cuttings in the open ground, can be readily prop-
agated by grafting. Nevertheless, even in the case of
these varieties, this method is no more certain, and not
nearly so available as that of single buds, or eyes.

The only method of grafting in which I have had any
experience, and a very simple and effective one, is one
which was first described in the American Agriculturist.
A vigorous shoot of the vine, which is to be used as the
stock, is bent clown and fastened into a hole in the ground,

MY VINEYARD. 79

in the same manner as for layering ; only instead of a
notch on the upper side of the cane, make a slit directly
through the center of the cane from top to bottom. The
slit may be about an inch in length. Select good strong
cions, which should have two buds upon them. From the
lower bud downwards, and flat-ways with the bud, make
the cion wedge shape, say two inches in length. Cut
the cion off, about two inches above the upper bud. Now
take the cion and insert it into the slit, up to the lower
bud. The hole may now be filled with soil, leaving the
upper bud just above the surface. When the cion has
commenced to grow, the stock may be cut off at the sur-
face of the ground beyond the graft. Roots will soon be
thrown out from the cion, at its junction with the stock.
The grafting may be performed in the spring, just after
the sap has commenced to flow. If the cions have been
kept in the cellar, and are dormant at the time of inser-
tion, so much the better.

This is, in reality, a modification of the method of
propagating by cuttings. But many varieties, which can
not be increased by ordinary cuttings, may be easily in-
creased by the method just described. Tlie reason is,
that the cutting is supplied with abundance of food, the
sap of the stock, to grow upon until it has thrown out
roots of its own.

The ancients were very skillful in grafting the vine, and
employed it, very extensively as a means of propagation.

80 MY VINEYARD.

It is probable that they understood the art in all its
branches much better than we of modern times.

6. Hybridization. — This operation is employed for the
purpose of producing new varieties. It consists of im-
pregnating the flowers of one variety with the pollen of
another, in the hope that the good qualities of the parents
may be transmitted to the ofispring. Thus, if we have
one variety which is early and hardy, but the quality
poor, and another variety of good quality, but too tender
for out-door culture, by making a cross between the
two, we may get a new variety which combines the good
qualities of one parent with the hardiness of the other.
The seed of the fruit which results from the flowers, after
receiving the cross impregnation, are planted and fruited
in the manner described under the head of 23roj)agation
by seed.

MY VINEYARD. 81

CHAPTER IX.

SOIL AI^D SITUATION.

WIDE ADAPTATION OF THE GRAPE.

The grape is adapted to the widest diversity of soil,
from the heaviest clay to light gravel. I have seen it
growing, in its wild state, on the most rocky and rugged
hill-sides of New England, and in the deep, alluvial soils
on the river banks of the West. This wide adaptation of
the grape, in its cultivated state, is doubtless dependent
to a considerable extent upon the variety, the manner of
preparing the soil, and the mode of training. And yet,
so far as successful cultivation goes, the grape is confined
to certain localities, which are so like other localities
where it is not successful, that it would be difficult to
point out the difiTerence which causes the result. For in-
stance, the grape may be successful on one shore of a

stream or lake, while on the opposite side, or a little far-
4*

82 MY VINEYAKD.

ther up or down on the same side, it may succeed but
poorly, or not at all. It can not be determined with cer-
tainty, from any condition of soil, or climate, or exposure,
whether or not a given locality is adapted to the grape ;
it can be known positively only by trial. And even if one
variety is not successful, another may be completely so.
The Hartford Prolific is not highly esteemed in Northern
Ohio. It is considered a good grape in Pennsylvania, but
reaches perfection only in Missouri. Location has such
an influence, thata variety produced in one locality would
hardly be recognized as the same grape when grown in
another locality, although the care and treatment might
have been the same.

The grape is successfully cultivated from Maine to Cal-
ifornia ; but east of tlie Kocky Mountains it has become
a prominent business only in a comparatively few locali-
ties, of which perhaps the most prominent are Hermann,
Cincinnati, shore and islands of Lake Erie, and Pleasant
Valley, in New York.

LAKE ERIE GRAPE REGION.

In the Lake Erie region, perhaps the most successful
vineyards are on Kelly's Island, about ten miles from San-
dusky. The soil is a clayey loam,' somewhat inclined to
be heavy, and more or less abounding in lime, the whole
island being underlaid with limestone rock. It is only a
few years since grape-growing began to attract the atten-

MY VINEYARD. 83

tion of the islanders as a profitable business, although
grapes have been grown there for twenty or thirty years.
Six or seven years ago, good farming land was worth only
from twenty-five to forty dollars the acre*; now the same
land, if adapted to grapes, is worth from five to six hun-
dred dollars the acre, and in some instances has sold as
high as seven hundred dollars. It will be seen from this
that the profits of the business must be very large to
warrant the payment of sucli prices.

Catawbas and Isabellas are about the only varieties
grown on the Island. Most of the grapes are boxed, and
sent to Chicago, Detroit, and other large cities, and even
many find their way to Cincinnati. During the past sea-
son, the grapes have been selling at ten cents per pound
for Isabellas, and twelve and a half for Catawbas. One
cultivator sold from a half acre of Isabellas, six hundred
dollars worth of table grapes, and over two hundred dol-
lars worth of wine grapes. The fruit, however, had rip-
ened remarkably early, a.nd some of the first brought
twenty-five cents per pound.

The land is prepared for planting by ordinary plowing.
The first who went into the business used manure, but
they have now abandoned the practice as worse than use-
less. Undei'draining is generally practiced. Many of the
drains are constructed of stone, which are afibrded by the
quarries in great abundance. The vines are trained to the
ordinary post and wire trellis. The surface of the island

84 MY VINEYARD.

is level and smooth, except here and there the foundation
rock crops out above the surface.

The great advantage of this locality is the influence of
the lake. The ice chills the air in the spring so much as
to keep back all vegetation until danger from frosts is
past. During the summer the water becomes warmed,
and at the approach of fall gives off its heat, so that frosts
are kept back for two or three weeks. The long warm
autumns which thus result, are exactly adapted to ripening
the grape in its greatest perfection.

All along the southern shore of the lake are scores of lo-
calities where the grape has been found to succeed admir-
ably. While ordinary farms are worth fifty to sixty dol-
lars per acre, good grape land is frequently selling for
about four hundred dollars. It is probable that these
prices are higher than the profits of the business will war-
rant, especially when we take into consideration the great
rapidity with which the business is increasing.

As the production of grapes becomes more extensive,
and the markets are fully supplied, it can hardly be ex-
pected that present prices will be maintained. It is
claimed, however, that the amount of really good grape
land is so limited, that the business can not be increased
to such an extent as to materially reduce the present pro-
fits. It 4s to be hoped that this is not the case, and I do
not think it is. New regions where the grape succeeds

MY VINEYARD. 85

admirably are being continually discovered, and doubtless
new varieties will soon make their appearence, which will
be successful in many regions where the present varieties
can not be grown. Grapes can be grown at five cents
per pound, and leave a reasonable profit at that rate.
They ought to be grown in such quantities that the poor
as well as the rich can have them in the greatest abun-
dance.

PLEASANT VALLEY REGION.

The grape region of Pleasant Valley [)resents a remark-
able contrast to that of Kelly's Island. The vineyards here,
instead of being on level land, are on the steep sides of •
high hills. In many places the land is so steep that horse
cultivation is out of the question. The soil, too, presents
as great a contrast. Instead of clay, we find an exceed-
ingly stony soil, in some places appearing as though made
up almost entirely of small stones, fragments of slate rock.
The best of the vineyards are at Hammondsport, on the
sides of hills whose bases are washed by the waters of
Crooked Lake. Land on these steep hill-sides, which was
almost worthless before the introduction of grapes, now
commands from three to four hundred dollars an acre.
Little or no manure is used, and underdraining is practic-
ed to good advantage on land which is so steep as to
suggest the idea that it could be of no possible use. Much
of the land is terraced, it being so steep that it could not

86 MY VINEYARD.

otherwise be worked. The ordinary training on trellises
is employed. Slats are frequently used in place of wire.
Most of the grapes are shipped to New York. In some
vineyards none of the grapes are boxed, all being made in-
to wine.

Doubtless the stones, which are found so abundantly on
the surface of the soil, explain to some extent the success
of grape-growing in this region. They become warmed
by the sun, and the heat is thrown back directly upon the
vines and fruit, hastening the process of ripening. Re-
taining their heat longer than ordinary soil, and radiating
it slowly by night, the temperature of the vineyard through-
out the growing season is higher than it otherwise would
be. Doubtless the water on the lake, as well as the slope
of the land, which has a southern and south-eastern ex-
posure, also exerts a beneficial influence.

As the result of my observation and experience in re-
gard to soils, I conclude that moderately heavy clay,
abounding in lime, is best, but that the grape will succeed
in almost any soil when other things are favorable.

IMPORTANCE OF SITUATION.

On the other hand, I consider that the situation is the
most important point of all. Those situations will be
most successful where the seasons are prolonged by natural
causes. Thus, at Kelly's Island, and along the south shore
of the lake, the seasons are prolonged three or four weeks

MY VINEYARD. 87

by the influence of the water; while at Hammondsport
equally desirable results are brought about by the increase
of temj^erature, both night and day, from the character of
the soil and the aspect of the surface. A similar influence
is brought about in an artificial way by underdraining.
It is because the surplus water is removed, rendering the
soil warm, from the fact that evaporation from its surface
is diminished, that underdraining is so valuable an adjunct
of grape-growing.

PROTECTION.

Protection of the vineyard from sweeping winds is an-
other consideration worthy of attention. My own vine-
yard is protected from westerly winds by the belt of
woods on the west side of the farm, ah-eady referred to.
Success will be met with in many localities which are thus
protected, where it would not be without this protection.
In such places as are not protected by natural belts of
timber, artificial ones may be planted. They should be
composed largely of evergreens, and only a few years
are required for them to become large enougli to exert a
marked beneficial influence. In many sections of the West
the question of successful fruit-growing is simply one of
protection from sweeping winds. This is particularly so
on the Illinois prairies, where they now grow peaches and
other fruits in great abundance, while before planting
protecting belts of evergreens, they could not be grown at

88 MY VINEYARD.

all. It is said that protection makes a difference of some
ten degrees in temperature ; but this is not its greatest
benefit, because at the same degree, the injurious effects
of cold are much more severe when the wind is blowing,
than at other times.

MY VINEYARD.

CHAPTER X.

PREPARATION OF SOILS.

There is no one point in grape culture which demands
more attention than the preparation of the soil. The first
and most important requirement is that the soil should
be dry. Whatever mayWbe the case with the wild vine,
those which are in cultivation, will not succeed in wet
places. In the same field, within ten feet of each other,
I have seen vines of the same age, some of which
were luxuriant and loaded with fruit, while others were
dwarfed, sickly things, without any signs of fruit at
all. This difference was caused by a difference in the
soil; that where the first grew being dry and warm, while
the others were in a boggy place, somewhat wet, but not
excessively so. The cultivated vine will not live in any
place where there is stagnant water ; nor will it succeed
in any soil where there is an excess of moisture.

90 MY VINEYARD.

UNDERDRAINING.

Underdraiiring may be considered as well nigh indis^
pensable, and I have yet to see the soil which it would
not benefit, so far as grape culture is concerned. Its ad-
vantages consist in the increased temperature, amounting
to ten or twelve degrees, which it gives tlie soil by rapid-
ly carrying off all surplus water. This difference in tem-
perature is, in many regions, the difference between success
and failure. The drains should be put in so as to come
between rows, and not directly under them. They ought
not to be less than three feet deep, nor more than twenty
feet apart, unless the soil is naturally very dry.

DEEP TILLAGE.

Another requirement is that the soil should be deeply
worked. The chief advantage of this is the same as that
derived from underdraining. The soil being open and
light, the water passes rapidly through, thus preventing a
decrease in temperature which would result.froni its evap-
oration. Another advantage is the readiness with which
the roots of the plants penetrate the soil in all directions.
I have seen some vineyards, quite successful, planted on
land which had been simply plowed, as for corn ; but it
can not be doubted that a more thorough preparation
would have produced still better results.

MY VINEYARD. 91

The soil should be plowed and subsoiled to the depth
of at least sixteen inches, and afterwards thoroughly cul-
tivated or dragged, or both, until well pulverized. Care
must be taken not to work clayey soil when at all wet.

BORDERS.

More care should be taken in the preparation of a bor-
der for grapes in the garden, than for ordinary vineyards.
The same attention should be given to drainage, but the
soil should be worked to a depth of two and a half feet.
Old and well rotted manure may be supplied quite liber-
ally, as the grapes are supposed to be for table use, rather
than for wine. The border should be in a warm, sunny
locality, well protected from winds. . If the grapes can be
planted along the south side of a wall, but at least a foot
from it, so as to receive the influence of the radiated heat,
they will thrive finely.

MY VINEYAKD. 93

CHAPTER XI.

MANURES.

The subject of manures is one which should receive the
careful attention of every tiller of the soil. Success in
farming is very often dependent upon the method employ-
ed in saving and using manures. On every farm, no mat-
ter how small, the compost heap should be an important
feature. It may be managed in such a way as not to be
in the least offensive, and the labor bestowed upon it will
always be a paying investment. The way in which many
farmers on the rich prairie lands treat their manure, re-
garding it as a worthless nuisance, and allowing it to go
to waste, is all wrong. The consequences of this course
may not be very injurious to them, but it must be to their
descendants. It is folly to suppose that land, however
rich, will not become ultimately exhausted by continual
cropping. For myself, I am careful that no refuse matter

94 MY VINEYARD.

of any kind, either liquid or solid, shall go to waste. My
methods of composting are essentially the same as those
described in the works on agriculture, and in the agricul-
tural and horticultural publications. The quantity I col-
lect is sufficient to afford a rich feeding to my vegetables,
fruits and flowers, besides a liberal supply for the lawn
and orchard.

I have not as yet found it necessary to use manure in
the vineyard ; but it is hardly to be supposed that it can
yield its annual tribute of fruit without an ultimate ex-
haustion of the soil. But I apprehend the grape is one of
the least exhaustive of crops. The chemical constituents
of the fruit, which is made up largely of sugar and water,
are almost entirely found in the atmosphere. . The soil is,
therefore, lightly drawn upon in the production of fruit.
With ordinary farm crops the- case is different. AYheat,
corn, and meal, abound largely in phosphates, which the
soil can alone furnish. Hence these crops are rapidly ex-
haustive, and frequent manuring is necessary to maintain
the fertility of tlie soil.

The soil of the vineyard, however, must furnisli all the
inorganic constituents of the wood* of the vine. If this
wood be taken away, and no return made, the soil must
from this cause be gradually exhausted. This explains
the reasons for the benefits which are said to arise from
manuring the vineyard with chopped trimmings and cut-

MY VINEYARD. 95

tings taken from the vines by pruning. All of tlie earthy
constituents of the soil which the growing plants have
taken up are thus returned at once. It is probable, how-
ever, that the application of an equivalent amount of ashes
would be fully as beneficial.

Some of the directions given for tlie preparation of a
soil suited to the grape, by the older authors, are amusing
if not instructive. In one case, after enumerating a dozen
ingredients which must be used, the author slips in a cau-
tion against having any of them deteriorated by an admix-
ture of clay ! In many instances the exactness demanded
in the preparation of the soil would suffice a careful
apothecary in the compounding of the most difficult medi-
cines.

If the soil is good enough to raise a fiir crop of Indian
corn, it will do well enough, at least for a while, without
manure. If it be poorer than this, it must be manured
until its fertility has reached this standard. Only the
finest and most thoroughly rotted manure should be used,
that which is fresh and rank, and all fermenting substan-
ces must be discarded. Lime and ashes are valuable fer-
tilizers.

It should be remembered that any excess of manure
causes an undue growth of wood, and prevents fruiting.
The object for which the fruit is grown, whether for table
use or for wine, should have some bearing upon the sub-

96 MY VINfriTARD.

ject. If for the table, the soil may be somewhat richer,
with a corresponding increase in the vigor of the wood,
and, to some extent, in the size of the fruit ; but where
designed for wine, the saccharine matter of the fruit, so es-
sential in the manufacture of good wine, is more largely
produced on a poorer than on a richer soil.

(97)

MY VINEYARD. 99

CHAPTER XII.

PRUNING AND TRAINING.

The method of pruning and training which I jDursued
with my first acre, is in some respects superior to any-
other method. It is very simple, and easily understood.
No method could be better in those localities where it is
necessary or desirable to lay down the vines for winter
protection. It will be seen that the young growing canes
can be supported by tying at any point of their growth,
which is very important. With ordinary wire trellises,
tliis is not the case, as the young cane has to grow from
one wire to another before it can be fastened. In most
sections, also, this method is less expensive than where
trellises are employed. Another advantage is tliat the
stakes may be put in before planting, and thus used to
train to from the first. In other methods, stakes have to
be put in to support the vines until old enough to train to

100 MY VINEYARD.

the trellises, when they have to be removed — all of which
is lost labor.

I would recommend this method to all persons unac-
quainted with grape-growing, who propose to plant a few
vines. It is doubtless the best method to be adopted in
trying grapes in any new locality, for the purpose of ascer-
taining the adaptation of the locality to grape-growing.

In regard to this matter of protection, I think the sub-
ject deserves more attention than it is now receiving. In
many localities good crops can be raised by simply laying
down the vines and covering them slightly with earth,
where they could not be raised if this care were not tak-
en. And in other localities, where the vines are not ap-
parently injured by the cold, a larger and better crop of
fruit will frequently be obtained. In every vineyard, I
think it would be a desirable practice to lay do^\^l a few
vines every year. If a severe winter should occur, and
kill all the exposed vines down to the ground, as at Cin-
cinnati a year or two ago, the i^rotected vines would
afford a crop which would sell at large prices.

Directions for training may be concisely given as fol-
lows : The soil should be prepared by draining, j^lowing,
subsoiling and staking, and the vines planted as already
described. During the first season let only one cane grow
from the vine planted, and this should be from the lowest
bud that starts. Keep the vine tied to the stakes. It
should receive but little or no pinchmg. The object for the

MY vin:eyard. 101

first season is to get strong, well established plants, that
is, jDlants with an abundance of roots ; and the amount of
root which a plant makes is in proportion to the amount
of leaves and branches above. In the fall cut the vines
down to within a foot of the ground.

During the second season allow two canes to grow.
These should be from the two lowest buds which start
with vigor, it being desirable to keep the stump as short
as possible, so as to facilitate covering. The laterals may
be pinched when a foot in length, and again after every
two additional leaves. Each cane may be allowed a bunch
of fruit without any injury. In the fall, cut the two canes
down to two buds each.

During the third season, allow four canes to grow. If
any accessory buds formed a^ar the head of the stump
should throw out vigorous shoots, t;ike these for the canes ;
if this should not be the case, then the four canes can be
obtained from the buds — two on each of the last years' *
canes — left for the purpose. Two of the canes may be
trained to the stakes, and allowed to bear two or three
bunches each ; the other two canes may be trained to the
slats, (which should have been put on in the spring.)
^o fruit should be grown on these last two canes. In the
fall cut away entirely the two canes which have fruited ;
on the other canes shorten in the laterals, being careful
not to injure the buds at the base. These two canes may
be laid down upon the ground, and a little dirt thrown

102 MY VINEYARD.

over them. Or tliey may be left on the trellises, if protec-
tion is deemed unnecessary.

During the fourth season, two new canes are to be
grown, which will doubtless be afforded by accessory
buds. These are to be trained to the slats, while the two
canes of last season are to be fastened to the stakes for
fruiting. Each bud will probably produce a fruit
branch, which will bear from three to five bunches.
These branches should be stopped at the second leaf be-
yond the last bunch of fruit. It is better not to allow
more than about twenty bunches of fruit to a cane. The
loss in the number of bunches will be more than made up
in the increased size and superior quality of those which
remain. When flower clusters are to be removed, it should
be done as soon as they ^ke their appearance, as the
process of flowering is very exhaustive to the plant.

The fall has been mentioned as the proper time for prun-
ing. In localities where the winters are severe, the tips or
exposed ends of vines are frequently injured, even when
the remaining parts receive no apparent harm. For tliis
reason the canes ought not to be cut back close to the bud
that is designed to grow, as by so doing it would frequently
be destroyed. It is better to leave an extra blid or two,
to be cut away in the spring, after the severe cold of win-
ter is passed. By this means the buds designed to grow
are left vigorous and strong. This second pruning, or
any spring pruning, should not be delayed until the snp

MY VINEYARD. 103

has commenced to move, as it flows so freely from the
womid as to seriously injure the vine. When winter pro-
tection is given the pruning may be completed in the fall.

A cut is given at the beginning of this chapter showing
the appearance of two vines at the beginning of autumn.
A careful inspection will give a clear understanding, if the
text has not given it, of the mode of pruning and training.
The fall pruning consists of cutting the laterals from the
canes on the slats. These canes are to bear the first next
season. The canes now in fruit must be cut entirely
away. The point requiring the greatest care is to se-
cure vigorous buds from which new canes are produced
next year. Nearly always there will be found several
Avell developed accessory buds on the head of the stump
at the base of the canes. All those which commence to
grow, must be rubbed off, except the two strongest.
These will furnish the new canes. In case a vigorous cane
is not furnished by accessory buds, one may still be had
from the lowest bud on the cane which is to bear fruit. It
is seldom that a necessity of this kind occurs. When it
does, all trouble for the succeeding year is usually obviated
by the subsequent formation of abundant accessory buds.

It will be seen that the growing canes on the slats are
longer than the fruiting ones. This is a positive advantage
as the increased length which is afforded the cane during
its season of growth, makes it all the stronger, and what

104 MY VINEYARD.

is more, adds to the health and vigor of the vine. At the
flill pruning, these canes may be shortened to the length
of the upright stakes.

MY YINEYARD. l05

CHAPTER XIII.

MORE ABOUT PRUNING AND TRAINING.

In this chapter I propose to give as concisely as possible
the plan pursued with my last few acres of vineyard.
The plan is essentially the one adopted by most grape
growers in my vicinity, and generally throughout the
whole grape region in which I am situated. The jDlan
possesses some advantages over the one elsewhere de-
scribed and illustrated in this work, if grapes are grown
in large quantities; but for only a few vines, or a very
small vineyard, this remark does not apply.

TRELLIS.

The trellis used is made of wire and stakes, or small

posts. The posts are usually split out of oak, chestnut,

or other durable timber, and should be large enough to

give strength to the trellis. The posts are set eighteen

feet apart in rows, which run north and south, so as to
5*

106 MY VINEYARD.

give a more uniform exposure of the grapes to the sun.
The posts should be long enougli so as to be from four
feet eight inches, to five feet in height, after being set.
Four wires are then stretched along the posts, being fast-
ened to each post with a staple, which is driven in so
firmly that the wire is prevented from slipping through.
By this means the wire is prevented from sagging in one
place more than another, and the strain of contraction and
expansion by heat and cold is evenly distributed among
the posts. The two end posts should be larger than the
others, and braced so that the contraction of the wires
will not loosen them. The first wire is placed about four-
teen inches from the ground, and the others the same dis-
tance apart. This brings the upper wire about four feet
eight inches from the ground. Sometimes only three
wires are used, but I prefer four, as it permits tying up the
vines more thoroughly. I think tliis advantage more
than compensates for the extra expense. The w4re used
is No. 9, annealed iron. If the trellises are eiglit feet
apart, and four wires are used, about twelve hundred and
fifty pounds will be required for an acre. As to the
proper distance apart for the trellises, there is a difi*erence
of opinion. I think eight feet the most desirable, but
would increase rather than diminish it.

MY VINEYAKD.

107

FIRST YEAR.

The vines are planted six feet apart in rows, using all
the care elsewhere described. If the vines are six feet
apart, there will he three between each two posts of the
trellis. Sometimes the trellises are put up as soon as the
vines are planted. In this case the vines are kept tied
up the first season ; otherwise they are left to trail upon

Fig. .1.

Fig. 3.

the ground. According to my experience, the vines do
nearly as well in this way as when tied up, but of the two
methods the latter is preferable, although additional labor
is required. No pruning or pinching is desirable during
the first year. I do not think it adds in any way to the

108

MY VINEYARD.

size or vigor of the i>laiit. At the end of tlie first season
the vine will probably have reached the top of the trellis,
and will have lateral branches of considerable size. It will
have something of the appearance represented in Fig. 2.
At the fall or winter prnning the plant is cnt down to two
strong buds, and will now appear as shown in Fig. 1.

SECOND YEAR.

During the second year a cane is produced from each
of the two buds left at the last pruning. The canes may

Fi.

be treated like the one cane of last season, except it
would be well to pinch back, once or twice during the
season, the stronger laterals, so as to develop as fully as

MY vi:n^eyard. 109

possible the two main canes and their buds. All severe
l^riming and pinching must be guarded against, here as
elsewhere, for fear of forcing the buds designed for next
season, into premature growth this season. This is partic-
ularly the case as the vines get older. Fig. 3 is intended
to rejDresent the appearance of the vine at the end of the
second season. At the fall j^runing, the two canes may-
be cut back to three buds each. Fig. 4 shows its ap-
pearance after pruning.

THIRD YEAR.

Six buds were left at the last pruning, from which six
canes can be grown during the third year. Each of these
canes Avill probably bear two or three bunches of fruit
each, which would give twelve to eighteen bunches to the
vine. There is danger of the vine being injured by over-
bearing, on which account the bundles should be thinned
to not more than ten or twelve to the vine. The laterals
may be pinched back a little more closely than during the
last season, and the canes may be stopped when they have
reached a little beyond the height of the trellis. Fig. 5
shows the appearance of the vine at the end of the season.
The subsequent pruning consists of cutting three canes
down to two buds, and shortening the three remaining
canes to about three feet. The vine will then appear as
shown in Fig. 6.

110

MY VINEYARD.

FOURTH YEAR.

The three canes, left at the last pruning, will this year
produce branches, each of which Avill have two or three
bunches of fruit. These branches may be stopped at the
second leaf, beyond the last bunch of fruit. Besides these
three canes, six buds were left at the last pruning. From
each of these a cane can be produced for fruiting during

Fi^. 5.

the fifth year. It is not well to allow too many bunches
to the vine. A larger amount and better quality of fruit
is obtained by judicious thinning. As to the amount of
thinning, no directions can be given, as it depends largely
upon the strength and vigor of the vine, and the variety

MY VINEYARD. Ill

Fig-. 6.

of grape. In the fall, the three canes, which have fruited,
may be cut entirely away ; and the six canes, which are
to fruit next year, cut back to abont three feet.

SUBSEQUENT MANAGEMENT.

The princij^al point in subsequent management is this,
to produce each year from four to six strong and vigorous
canes for fruiting the succeeding year. To ensure the
production of these canes, care must be taken at the fall
or winter pruning to leave sufficient buds for the purpose;
but very frequently canes will be produced from adventi-
tious buds, lower down on the vine than those from buds
left for the purpose. In this case, the cane from adventi-
tious buds should be left for fruiting ; and it is always de-

112 MY VINEYARD.

sirable to i^roduce new canes as low down on the vine as
possible. The number of fruiting canes will depend upon
variety of grape and strength of vine ; but, as a general
thing, from four to six to each vine will be sufficient. By-
care and attention in making the most of every strong
adventitious cane, the entire vine may be renewed every
six or eight years to within a few inches of the ground.
In this way a great number of years will pass, and the
stump of the old vine will not have reached an objection-
able or inconvenient height. As a general thing it may
be set down, that four-lifths of a vine in full bearing, is
cut away at the fall pruning. For instance, suppose the
vine has five canes which have fruited, and five canes
which are to fruit the next year. The fruited canes are
cut entirely away ; the canes for fruiting are cut back to
three feet, and any laterals which may have attained any
size, are cut ofi*. The first reduces the vine one-half; the
second about one-fourth ; and the last usually enough to
make the whole reduction amount to four-fifths.

MY VINEYARD. Hi

CHAPTER XIV.

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A VINE.

On one occasion, not long ago, I visited a friend who
has a small number of vines wliicli are perfect models in
form and vigor. One of them was j^articularly remarka-
ble for its symmetry. " If that vine," I remarked, " were
to tell its OTvn story, it would be one of great care and
untiring attention." " Not very great," my friend replied ;
*' and as to telling its own story, I see no reason why it
should not. I frequently talk to it while engaged in the
work of bringing it up in the way it should go." Not
many days afterwards I received the following paper,
bearing the title I have placed at the commencement of
this chapter :

"When very young, I know not how old indeed, but
nearly as far back as my memory goes, (you would have
called me a bud in those days,) I used to take great de-

114 MY VINEYARD.

light in the anticipation of future enjoyment. My father
was a venerable vine, kindly in disposition, and well to do
in the world. His roots penetrated the soil far and wide,
where abundant nourishment for his whole family was
easily gathered. What a splendid time, so I soliloquised,
will I have the whole of next season ; (it w^as now fall,)
nothing to do in the way of obtaining food for myself, no
searching the dark soil here and there for delicate tit-bits
— nothing of the kind ; my venerable papa will do all that.
My only task will be to put forth a few leaves, and digest
the nourishment which will be so abundantly furnished.
The gentle summer showers will refresh me when I am
thirsty, the genial sunshine will warm me when cold, and
the cooling breezes will fan me when the heat becomes
oppressive. What a continued scene of enjoyment will
my life present ! I can scarcely await the slow approach
of spring, so that I can enter upon it. But the force of
circumstances were quite overpowering ; so I settled down
for a long winter's repose.

But alas for any calculation which can be made regard-
ing the affairs of this transitory world. I had scarcely
fallen to sleep when awakened by the noise of voices in
conversation. They came from the gardener and his as-
sistant. " Here, Patrick," said the first, *' cut all of these
vines through here down to two buds, and save all the
well-ripened wood for single bud cuttings." " Sure, and
I'll do that same," was the willing response of the other.

MY VJN^EYAED. 115

Kot many minutes had passed before the sharp knife of
Patrick had taken me and many of my brothers away
from the protecting care of our respected ancestor. Where
now, thought I, are all the fine calculations for next year's
enjoyment ? But I said nothing, consoling myself with
the reflection that the society of my brothers Avas still left
me. Some time after a number of us were taken up and
carried into a propagating house, a strange looking build-
ing with a glass roof. The air was warm, almost uncom-
fortably so ; on one side was a long bench, covered with
sand, made still warmer than the air of the house, by
means of what they called bottom heat. I had scarcely
made these observations, when the self same bloodthirsty
Patrick came along with his knife and deprived me of my
only remaining consolation, by separating me entirely
from all my kindred. I recalled to mind an old saying
that misfortunes never come singly, and thought what a
fine illustration my fate afibrded of 'its truth. Presently
they took me to the bench, and putting me in the sand in
a slanthig kind of way, covered me completely up. Bur-
ied alive, thought I ; and at the same time wondered
why they failed to make this last misfortune complete by
not putting me in head downwards. But they did not do
it, and herein was a slight shadow of consolation, only it
was so dark in there that I could hardly see the shadow.
For several long days I kept very quiet, waiting for some-
thing to turn up. But nothing happened, or seemed

116 MY VINEYARD.

likely to. So I put np a leaf or two above the sand to see
what was going on. Among ray first experiences was a
drink of water which Patrick was kind enough to give.
What a comment is this, thought I, upon those anticipated
enjoyments! Instead of the gentle summer showers
which were to refresh me all so nice, tlie incorrigible Pat-
rick comes along and gives me a little sprinkle from a tin
watering pot ! And thus it is, frequently, in life. The
fine castles that we build, grand and gorgeous to look
upon, too ofttn in the reality are only plain houses, and
even these sometimes Avith broken windows and a leaky
roof.

Before many days I began to get quite hungry. I was
now dependent on my own resourses, not having the kind
papa to get me food as I had anticipated. So I put out a
few roots in the sand to see wliat could be found, and poor
picking it was you can rest assured. I believe I should
have starved to death if it had not been for the food my
venerable papa had surrounded me with before I was tak-
en from his hospitable trellis. But I had hardly com-
menced wondering what would become of me, when who
should come along but Patrick, and taking me from the
sand, place me in a nice little pot, filled with the richest
soil. What a feast Avas that — a regular thanksgiving.
There Avas such a nice lot of food close at hand, that be-
ing thrown on my oaa^i resources did not seem so bad a
thing after all. I grcAV quite rapidly, and it was not long

MY VINEYARD. 117

before I felt crowded in my new abode. My roots had
nearly filled the pot, so that there was hardly a chance to
stir. This inconvenience had not lasted long, when the
inevitable Patrick, whom I had learned to look upon with
some degree of favor, took me out and placed me in a
larger pot. This was a sensible operation, as I had out-
grown the old one much as a school boy outgrows a pair
of shoes.

In my new abode I continued to grow strong and vig-
orous. It was not long, however, before spring arrived.
I w^as now taken from the pot and placed with a great
inimber of companions in a bed out of doors. This bed
had been j)repared w^ith the greatest care. It was mellow,
and dry and warm, and the supply of food was so abun-
dant that it required no great exertion to get all we wanted.

On the whole w^e passed the summer very pleasantly.
They gave us but little care, and I should say that we did
not need more, because many of us were at least five feet
tall at the close of the season. When we were planted,
they gave us a good mulching of coarse barn-yard manure,
and then let us shift for ourselves, except that they pulled
out a few large weeds which made a very obvious display
of large capacities for stealing our food. At the approach
of cold weather they cut us all down to about four buds,
dug us out of the bed, and heeled us in, covering us after-
wards entirely with earth.

Early next spring, some of us were taken out, packed

118 MY VIXEYARD.

in moss, and sent some distance by rail. Without any re-
markable incidents on the journey, we arrived here, and I
was shortly afterwards planted in the very spot where
you see nie now.

The first summer passed very pleasantly. The soil
must have been nicely prepared. It was so exceedingly
mellow that my roots could get around with the greatest
ease. There was a little lime which I was glad to get
hold of now and then, because I am as fond of it as most
people are of salt. During the season I grew pretty much
according to my own notion, except when they thought a
lateral was getting a little too long, they stopped it. In
the fall they came along with pruning shears, which they
used in a careless sort of way, as is proven by the fact
that they cut me back to only fifteen inches in height. A
mighty pretty way that is to barber a fellow, thought I.
But as it seemed to be quite the f ishion among all my
neighbors, I did not so much cnre.

The next spring they came along and rubbed off all but
my two upper buds. From these I produced two very
stout canes during the season, the laterals being kept
pretty closely pinched in. Feeling somewhat ambitious,
I produced this season a couple bunches of fruit, whereat
I felt as much pride as a boy does with his first whiskers,
or a hen over the first egg. The gardener who had charge
of me in those days, felt very much gratified. And I suj^pose
he was entitled to some reward for nil the trouble he had

MY VINEYARD. 119

been to in taking care of me. But if lie had left me more
alone, and not cut and pinched me so much, I am sure I
should have been equally well gratified. Perhaps trials
and tribulations are necessary to the proper development of
character. It is at least a true philosophy of life to
count all afilictions as blessings in disguise. And if these
disguises, as sometimes happens, are so well put on that
the blessings are.not recognized, we must still exercise our
faith that they are there, and that all things are working
together for good. In the fall these two canes of mine
were shortened to four feet.

The next spring, this was my third year in the vineyard,
they built a trellis of five wires attached to posts, so that
the lower wire was fourteen inches from the ground. On
this lower wire they fastened the two canes, in opposite
directions, and called them arms. And now what do you
think was done next? All of the buds on the underside
of the arms were rubbed ofl"; but from each of the buds
on the upj^er side a cane Avas allowed to grow, making six
canes on an arm. These canes were tied to the trellis as
they grew, and the laterals kept ^^I'etty well shortened in.
Feeling somewhat in the fruiting way, I produced one or
two bunches of fruit on each cane, about twenty in all ;
but I did not feel so proud of them as I had done of the
two bunches the previous year. At the fall pruning, the
gardener cut ofi" all the canes down to two buds. This
bit of cane which he left on he called a spur. And there

120 MY VINEYARD ,

I stood, the whole winter through, with arms outstretched
to their fullest extent. It would have become quite fa-
tiguing had not the trellis afforded me a good support.

The next, the fourth year of my vineyard life, a cane
was produced from each of the two buds left on the spurs,
making a dozen canes to an arm. These were treated pre-
cisely as those of last season, but the amount of fruit I
produced was very much increased. I think there must
have been some sixty or seventy bunches in all. In the
fall, each alternate cane was cut entirely away, aud the
rest down to two buds.

From that day to this my life has been simply a repeti-
tion of my fourth year's experience. Many good crops
of fruit have I borne, but I do not feel exhausted, or that
old age is creeping upon me. Indeed, when I recall to
mind the stories I used to hear father tell of some of our
ancestors who had rejoiced in the summer sun of half a
dozen centuries, the notion creeps over me that I shall
live and bear my fruit foi* at least a hundred years to

MY VINEYARD. 121

CHAPTER XV.

BRIEF EXPOSITIONS.

In this chapter I propose to consider very briefly some
matters connected with grape culture, a few of which have
been glanced at, but none of which have been dwelt upon
at great length. Indeed, it is not designed to make this
work a scientific treatise ; there are already enough of
those, and very good ones, too. Nevertheless, if the pur-
pose is successful of making this record of my experience
plain enough for all to understand, I do not see why it
may not serve as a guide for others, whereby they may
reach a degree of success in grape-growing equal to my
own.

Tying. — In tying up young and tender shoots, or even
mature canes, care should be used against tying too tight-
ly, as the free flow of sap may be obstructed. I obtain a

supply of material for tying from basswood bark. In the
6

122 MY VINEYARD.

spring, a bass wood tree from eight to ten inches in diame-
ter, of which my woods afford an abundant supply, is
felled, the bark peeled off and sunk in the lake, (a running
stream is better,) so as to be entirely covered with water,
being f istened down with stones. In two to three weeks
the sappy and glutinous substances of the bark are soaked
out, so that it can be separated into the fine and delicate
layers of which it is composed. Xo material could be
better than this for the purpose of tying. \Yhen it can
not be obtained, any soft string or stout woolen yarn may
be used.

Packing Fruit. — The boxes used in packing grapes for
shipping, are of different sizes, holding from five to twen-
ty-five pounds. They are sold according to their capacity,
usually at one cent a pound, a five-pound box costing five
cents, and so on for larger sizes. Establishments for their
manufacture are found in all the principal grape legions.
In packing, the top is first nailed on, and a sheet of thin,
white paj^er put in ; whole bunches of grapes are first put
in, being packed as closely as possible without jamming
them. The vacant places left, after putting in as many
whole bunches as the box will contain, are filled with
parts of bunches, and lastly with single grapes, so that all
the space is occupied. Another sheet of paper is now laid
on, and the bottom nailed down. By this means, when the
boxes are opened, only entire bunches are found at the top.

MY VINEYARD. 12o

Picking foe Wine. — Grapes intended for wine should
be left on the vines as long as jDossible without danger
from frosts. The peculiar qualities necessary to the man-
ufacture of a good wine, are only developed, or at least,
are developed most largely late in the season. In picking,
the utmost care should be employed in throwing out all
diseased or imperfectly ripened berries.

Systems of Pruning. — The diiferent systems of prun-
ing and training described in the grape books are almost
innumerable. Many of them are very fine, if we are to
judge from the illustrations. But I apprehend that the
wonderful success with which many of them are carried
out is more imaginative than real. Nevertheless, the
grape is the most tractable of plants, and can be worked
into a wide variety of forms ; but those only are best
which are most simple.

Time of Pruning. — Much latitude can be taken as to
the time of pruning. In the fall, soon after the leaves
have fallen, I consider best. The winter or early spring
answers very well, but it should never be delayed until
the sap has commenced to move. When cuttings are to
be made of the wood, early fall is the only good time to
prune. In the cooler regions, Avhere protection is not
adopted, the precaution against too close fall pruning,
elsewhere given, must be observed.

Effects of Pruning. — One effect of pruning, which is
the desired one, is to force the vine into a precocity of

124 MY VINEYAKD.

bearing which it does not have in its wild state; but an-
other eifect, and an undesired one, is the engendering of
disease. This last effect is of least frequent occurrence in
those systems of training which requires the least pruning.
Hence, excessive pruning should be guarded against ; but
it does not follow that no pruning at all would be a desir-
able system of culture. What we desire of the vine is
that it shall subserve our wants. This it will not generally
do in its natural state, or when left to its natural tenden-
cies ; artificial means are therefore employed to bring
about the desired end.

Vines without Pruning. — Nevertheless, I have seen
vines succeed admirably when left to themselves. Being-
planted at the side of large trees, they climbed to the top,
and bore rich treasures of fruit among the branches. And
these vines were free from disease. But it must be re-
membered that with all varieties, and in all localities, these
results will not obtain. The opposite is the rule ; this the
exception. Still, to all who can do so without inconven-
ience, I would recommend a trial of this method with a
few plants.

Training near the Ground. — They tell me that in
Minnesota, though I have never seen it, they have a way
of training their vines upon trellises only a few inches
above the ground, much as they would train melons. The
claim is, that the grapes are ripened by the rndiated heat
of the soil, when they would not be on an upright trellis.

MY VINEYARD. 125

Farther than this, the fruit may be easily covered, should
an untimely frost occur. A small quantity of fruit might
be grown in this way. A trial of it would be worth mak-
ing in a cold locality.

Diseases. — The grape, in common with all cultivated
fruits, is liable to disease. In any given locality, it seems
to confine itself to certain varieties ; while in other locali-
ties these varieties may Avholly escape and others be at-
tacked. My vines have never been diseased until the
past season, Avhen a few were attacked by mildew, and a
few by rot. The injury, however, was very slight, al-
though a more unfavorable season could scarcely occur.
Most every thing mildewed more or less — even the grow-
ing corn in the field to some extent. I apprehend there
are no remedies for any grape diseases. Prevention is
what should be looked to. It may be effected by thor-
ouo'h underdraining^ and careful tillao^e.

o o o

Insects. — There seems to be no animal or plant which
is not designed for other animals or plants to live upon. I
remember on one occasion seeing a beetle in my hot-bed,
so loaded down with lice that it could scarcely move.
They were literally eating it alive. But what was my
surprise on looking closer, to see upon these lice numerous
smaller ones engaged in the process of devouring them.
I do not know how much fxrther the system would have
been revealed by the aid of tlie microscoj^e. The vegetable
world has to stand a double portion, it being not only

126 MY YIXEYARD.

preyed upon by other vegetables, as in the case of mildew,
but by animals as well. At present, the enemies of the
grape, or rather the lovers of the grape among the insect
tribes, are not numerous enough to be seriously destruc-
tive. The farmer should first learn to distinguish between
those insects which prey upon others, and those which prey
upon plants, and then wage a ceaseless war of extermination
upon vegetable eaters of every kind, and in all stages of
their development. Let the insects which ravage upon any
crop once get the upper hand, and it were a hopeless task
to quell them. Kill one insect this year, and next year it
may save the ravages of a thousand. And it matters not
by whom it is killed. A bird's method is as effectual as
any ; therefore save those birds which are insect eaters.

Planting. — I know of no better method of planting
than the one I pursued with my first acre of vines. It
might be done with half the care and trouble, but such
slackness would not be profitable.

Time of Planting. — I have always planted in the
spring, and think that time the best for all regions where
the winters are severe. As a general thing it matters ht-
tle as to time, if tlie planting be well done. With sufficient
care, a plant may be moved in the height of summer with-
out injury. Whether you plant in spring or fall, be sure
to cut back the top so as to fully balance any loss the
root has sustained.

Manure. — I believe in manure. Plants must have food,

MY YIXETARD. 127

but kind and quantity should be considered. A giant
may eat largely of bacon and find it agreeable, but a
dwarf might get the dyspepsia. The cultivated vine is a
dwarf, as you may know by comparing it with a wild one.
This is one reason why greater care must be exercised
with the quality and quantity of its food than is necessary
with most plants. Other reasons have been elsewhere
given. Give your vines food ; if there be not enough al-
ready in the soil, then supply it. But do not give too
much ; and be sure the quality is right.

Situation — This is of first importance. It matters not
how great skill may be employed, a vineyard can not be
successful unless nature has made the situation favorable.
Still, a few vines may be grown by most any one who has
a house. But a vineyaid as one's employment, and a few
vines for the gratification of one's self and family, are
quite different things.

Peepaeatiq]^ of Soil. — This is of second importance.
The different processes of preparation are arranged accord-
ing to relative importance in this way. Fineness of tilth ;
underdraining ; subsoiling. There must positively be
fineness of tilth, else the roots become exhausted in clamb-
ering over and around big lumps in search of food. On
the other hand, if the soil be the least wet, there can be
no fineness of tilth without underdraining, so that the soil
may become dry. The one is a corollary of the other.
The truth is, all the important processes of grape culture,

128 MY VINEYARD.

or any other branch of farming, are, as it were, dove-tailed
together, and any one of them were well nigh useless
without all the others.

Soil. — This is of third importance. I should arrange
the different kinds of soil, according to their relative im-
portance, as follows : Clay ; clayey loam ; heavy clay ;
sandy loam ; light sand or gravel ; aUuvium. By the first
I mean a moderately strong clay, but not the heaviest.
Any soil is greatly improved by lime.

Distance apart. — My first vines were six feet by six ;
those more recently planted are six feet by eight. I
think the last distance best for vineyards.

MY VINEYARD. 129

CHAPTER XVI.

VARIETIES.

One of the most remarkable features of grape culture is
the adaptation of certain varieties to specific localities.
The same grape may be worthless in one place, good in
another, and the best of all varieties in a third ; or it may
succeed in a given locality for a few years and then be-
come a failure.

The Catawba and Isabella are the varieties planted in

the Lake Erie regions, to the almost total exclusion of all

others. Were I to extend my vineyard, I should plant

equal quantities of these varieties. Still, the Catawba has

well nigh failed from disease in the Cincinnati region, and

has been superseded by other varieties at Hermann. It

is possible that it may meet a similar fate here, but at

present it is our most profitable grape.

Full ;iccount of all the varieties, Avhich are very numer-
6*

130 MY VINEYARD.

ous, are given in the grape books. In testing the adapta-
tion of any new locahty to grape culture, it would be well
to plant a number of different varieties, selecting those
which have obtained a reputation of being successful in
different regions. It would be a hazardous proceeding to
plant a vineyard in a region where the grape is not posi-
tively known to be successful. A trial should at first be
made on a small scale, which will be rendered all the more
definite and decisive by including a number of varieties.

The following are the varieties which I have planted :
Catawba, Isabella, Delaware, Clinton, Concord, Anna,
Diana, Rebecca, Allen's Hybrid, and six of Roger's Hy-
brid. Some of them have been recently j^lanted, and have
not commenced bearing. I am, therefore, unable to judge
of their success. But of all the varieties with which I am
acquainted, the Delaware combines more good qualities
than any other. Its earliness renders it well adapted to
the more northern and colder regions. In the garden, or
on a small place, when only a few vines are to be grown,
this should be the leading variety.

For trial in new localities, the following would perhaps
be most desirable : Delaware, Concord, Catawba, Isabella,
Hartford Prolific, Norton's Virginia, Clinton, and of the
newer sorts, Adirondac, Creveling, lona, and Israella.

MY VINEYAKD. 131

CHAPTER XVII.

NEW GRAPE REGIONS.

In most regions where the grape has been found suc-
cessful, land is held at so high a figure as to preclude its
purchase by men of limited means. But there are doubt-
less hundreds of other localities where the grape has not
been introduced, which will ultimately become as success-
ful as any now known. On many of the steep and rocky
hillsides of the New England States, where the wild vine
now clambers in rich luxuriance, bearing its heavy burthen
of fruit, there are doubtless many places where the culti-
vated vine might be grown with very satisfactory success.
The same may be said of the shores of hundreds of small
lakes scattered throughout the country, where the volume
of water is sufficient to exert an ameliorating influence
upon the climate. I have in mind a small lake, only a
mile in length, and of still less breadth, which so retards

132 MY VINEYARD.

the autumn frosts that peaches can be ripened upon its
shores, while at the distance of only two or three miles,
they are almost always destroyed. In one or two instan-
ces, also, where the corn crop has been destroyed a mile
or two from the lake by extraordinarily early frosts, in
the immediate vicinity of the lake it has been fully matur-
ed. Such a locality would doubtless be congenial to the
grape. And I can scarcely conceive of a j^leasanter spot
for a rural home, with all its quiet enjoyments, than the
shoies of some of our beautiful inland lakes, where the
chief employment of the husbandman might be the culture
of the vine.

WHO SHOULD PLANT GRAPES?

. The grape is so luscious a fruit, and grape-growing so
pleasant, and withal, so profitable an employment, that I
would say to every one who is the owner of a farm, or
even a garden of the smallest dimensions, try a few vines:
the task will be but slight, and it may lead to more suc-
cessful ^results than you have any conception of. True, in
very many instances, failure w^ould be the result ; but the
chances of success are numerous enough to warrant the
undertaking.

There is no plant like the grape to adapt itself to all
sorts of localities. No place could suit it better than the
sunny side of a building, near to the wall. Here it would
luxuriate, searching out its food from places which other

MY VINEYARD. 133

plants would hardly find, and elaborating it into the rich-
est fruit. A fruit tree, a currant bush, a hill of corn, or
even a flower, would hardly find a foothold in such a place
for want of room. Plant one vine in the best spot which
you can find; it will appreciate every care and attention
which you bestow upon it, and will do its best to return
to you an abundant reward. If it succeed in this, you
will presently bring it companions to keep it company.

MY VINEYARD. 135

CHAPTER XVIII.

ANCIENT METHODS OF CULTURE.

I have been somewhat interested and instructed by a
study of ancient methods of culture. One is not a little
surprised to find, as the result of his studies, that our
knowledge of horticulture, of which we are not unfre-
quently ready to boast, is in many departments scarcely a
step in advance of theirs who lived thirty centuries ago.
In the matter of grafting it is probable that our skill is
not equal to that of the ancients. As regards the vine in
the old world, the methods of culture seem to have chang-
ed but little since the days of Hesiod, who w^rote largely
upon the subject three thousand years ago. This was
more than a thousand years before the days of Pliny,
whose own voluminous works are eighteen centuries old,
but for soundness and accuracy in many particulars have
hardly been surpassed up to the present time. It is true

136

MY VINEYARD.

that these old writers incorporate strange notions and ridi-
culons explanations into their discourses ; but the rnles
laid down, and the directions given, are generally the ones
which, even at the present day, lead to success.

Pliny writes largely upon the vine. His directions for
its culture are almost as complete as any that can now be
given. He indulges in long discourses upon the great
excellence of numerous varieties, and in one place gives
the poet Yirgil a sound scolding for mentioning only fif-
teen^varieties in the Georgies. As an illustration of what
ought to be done, he describes ninety-one varieties of
grapes, and fifty of wine.

One marked feature which distinguishes ancient from
modern culture, is the training of vines to trees, a method
occasionally adopted by the ancients. Virgil tells us how
this ought to be done :

" Be mindful when thou has intombed the shoot,
With store of earth around to feed the root ;
With iron teeth of rakes and pcongs to move
The crusted earth, and loosen it above.
Then exercise thy sturdy steers to plow
Betwixt tlie vines, and teach each feeble row
To mount on reeds and wands, and upwaid led
On ashen poles to raise their forky head.
On these new crutches let them learn to walk,
'Til, swerving upw ards with a stronger stalk.
They brave the winds, and climbing to their guide,
On tops of elms at length triumphartt ride."

Says Pliny upon this point : " In Campania they attach
the vine to the poplar ; embracing tbe'tree to which it is
thus wedded, the vine grasps the branches with its amor-

MY VINEYARD. 137

ous arms, and as it climbs, holds on with its knotted trunk
till it has reached the very summit ; the height being
sometimes so stupendous that the vintager, when hired, is
wont to stipulate for his funeral pile and grave at the
owner's expense."

Yirgil continues his discourse by giving directions for
pruning :

" But in their tender nonage, while they spread
Their springing leaves, and lift their infant head.
And upwards while they start in open air,
Indulge their childhood, and tlie nurselings spare ;
Nor exercise thy rage on new-born life ;
But let thy hand supply the pruning knife,
And crop luxuriant stragglers, nor be loth
To strip their branches of their leafy growth.
But when the rooted vines with steady hold
Can clasp their elms, then husbandman be bold
To lop the disobedient boughs that strayed
Beyond their rank ; let crooked steel invade
The lawless troops, which discipline disclaim,
And their superfluous growth with vigor tame."

Among the ancients the vine was frequently called a
tree, an appropriate term so far as the size of many of the
plants is concerned. Pliny says that "in Populonium
we see a statue of Jupiter formed of the trunk of a single
vine, which has for ages remained proof against all decay.
At Metapontum, the temple of Juno has long stood sup-
ported by pillars formed of the same material ; and even
at the present day we ascend to the roof of the temple
of Diana by stairs constructed of the trunk of a single

169 MY VINEYARD.

Many ancient naturalists, as ^Yell as modern travelers,
agree in their accounts of the immense size and great age
which the vine attains in Eastern countries. Pliny gives
an account of a vine six hundred years old. Miller, in his
work on the vines of Italy, says that they are considered
young at a hundred, and that many have been in cultiva-
tion upwards of a hundred years. "With us the vine does ''
not seem to attain so great a size as in Oriental countries.
It has, however, been observed of large proportions in the
rich alluvial soil of the Ohio Valley, several having been
measured which were three feet in circumference at the
base of the stem, with branches two hundred feet long,
encircling and festooning the tops of huge poplars and
sycamores. An account has recently been given of a vine
in California which has a trunk ten feet in circumference.
It is stated to have had seven thousand bunches of grapes
upon it at one time, the estimated yield of fruit being
eighteen thousand pounds.

The grape attains its greatest perfection and complete
lusciousness in Syria ^nd Persia, and upon the declivities
of the Himalaya and Caucasus mountains. It was in this
region, in the beautiful Garden of Eden, where Adam and
Eve first pruned the vine, and were doubtless

* * * "bold

To lop the disobedient bouglis that strayed
Beyond their rank."

MY VINETAKD. 139

Milton recounts the daily labors of this venerable pair
in the following language :

" On to their morning's rural work they haste,
Among sweet dews and flowers, where any row
Of fruit trees, over woody, reached too far
Their pampered boughs and needed hands to check
Fruitless embraces ; or tliey led the vine
To wed his elm ; she, spoused, ^bout him twines
Her marriageable arms, and with her brings
Her dower, the adapted clusters, to adorn
His barren leaves."

" From the remotest periods of antiquity, the vine has
been celebrated as a type of plenty, and a symbol of hap-
piness. The pages of Scripture abound with allusions to
the vine as emblematical of prosperity ; and it is declared,
in describing the peaceful and flourishing state of the
kingdom of Israel, during the reign of Solomon, that Ju-
dah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his own
vine and under his fig tree."

The history of the vine is almost or quite as old as that
of man. It has followed him as he has spread throughout
the world, and is now found in almost every clime. In
our own country, the first organized efforts at viue-grow-r
ing date back more than two hundred and thirty years.
These first efforts, however, met with little success, being
confined almost entirely to European varieties. It was
not until about forty years ago that the introduction of
the Catawba, a native seedling, gave an impetus to grape
culture, and brought about the wide-spread business

140 MY VINEYARD.

which is receiving so much attention at the present day.
Hundreds of new varieties have been originated since the
Catawba was introduced ; but none of them, perhaps, are
so generally successful or so well liked. Its praises are
thus sung by Longfellow •

" Very good in Us way is the Verzenay

Or the Sillery, soft and creamy,
But Catawba wine has a taste more divine,

JMore dulcet, delicious and dreamy.
There grows no vine, by the haunted Rhine,

By the Danube or Guadalqiiivier,
Nor island or cape, that bears such a grape

As grows by the Beautiful River."

MY VINEYARD. 141

CHAPTER XIX.

THE RESPONSE.

" * * * Does the " record " answer the inquiry
which you seem to make? "Too late to go a-farming?"
So many things are to be considered that one can hardly
say. In your meditation upon the subject, above other
things, one sliould be kept in mind. Can you infer it to
be aught else than your lamentable bachelorhood?
Why Providence should have visited you with such a
judgment, I know not. But it is never too late (so wise
men say) for reform and repentance, even to the eleventh
hour ; and how much more available must the eighth
hour be, which is scarcely passed. With a helpmeet, a
dear companion of your joys and sorrows (and there will
be both) then look ahead.

If you can find within you the least germ of love for a
rural life, my advice is, nourish it with care ; and if it
flourisheth, then cast around for some country home wliicli
shall be congenial to your tastes. The change would be

142 MY VINEYARD.

a wide one from your editorial qiiill, and your dealings in
politics, in which every one must need engage who is con-
nected with the partizan press. I have never disguised
tlie estimation in which I hold politics, with its dark and
devious ways ; and you know well enough my want of
sympathy for those who ex^^erience its tribulations. For
me, a political atmosphere is not congenial. I get my fill
of it once a year when I go down to the village to put in
my vote. It is seldom that the inevitable Jacobs fails to
exhibit himself at the grocery corner exj^ounding to Pat-
rick's evident gratification, the glorious principles of the
Constitution ; being at all times ready to enforce his ar-
guments with liberal potations of so-called Bourbon, and a
moderate supply of filthy lucre. " And is it no more ye
would be after paying me ?" says Patrick ; " wasn't it a
half dollar a vote ye gave to me in the auld days of silver ?
and isn't it worth twice that now ?"

The truth is, my friend, the whole slough of politics
needs a thorough underdraining, to let oif the stagnant
waters, and admit a purer air; this done, ashes and lime,
and purifying salt should be applied with a liberal hand.
It is possible that by this reclamation, good fruits, though
not of the best, may be produced.

In the farm life there are both prose and poetry ; but
both are good. The pure air, and bright skies, and warb-
ling birds, and blooming flowers, are not all imagination ;
they are real, and he who will may enjoy them. It is a

MY VINEYARD. 143

wrong notion that farm labor is not compatible with re-
finement ; the dirty boots and coarse blouse in which you
drive your team afield, do not militate against the finest
slippers and most spotless linen when you repair to the
drawing-room. But is there room for mental culture ? In
no employment is there more, except it be a purely profes-
sional one. Or perhaps I should say, might there be more.
At present, farmers work too much, more than is needful
or profitable. From sun to sun is too long for any man
to work. But we are making progress ; books, and pa-
jjers, and magazines, are everywhere, bringing with them
thought and refinement. On how many tables among my
neighbors would you expect to find the Atlantic f You
would be surprised that the number is so great. The
truth is, there is already more of social refinement among
people who work — actually work with their own hands —
than you of the city seem to suppose.

For my part, I believe in farming. Should you con-
clude to try your hand at it, I hope you may meet with
no serious disappointments, which you will not, if you
love, as I do, to go out and work " among sweet dews and
flowers." * * *