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THE BCUPPERNONG GRAPE.
Editors Southern Cultivator: —Experiments in cul
tivating grapes of all other species having proved unsatis
factory, we were forced to be content with the Scupper
nong and varieties of its species. Strange to relate, it
required a Boston chemist to discover and divulge the
truth,.that after all, this is the best grape in America for
wine. Worthless varieties innumerable, grow almost eve
rywhere, and it may be that the childish remembrance of
the acrid, hard and acid fruit gathered from them, produc
ed a prejudice against the species which riper years did
not abate.
An Episcopal Clergyman, grand father of our lamented
General Pettigrew, is said to have been the first to call
attention to the celebrated White Scuppernong, now cul
tivated so extensively. The Flower’s Grape, a black va
riety of the same species, remaining on the vine till frost,
was found upon an uncultivated island in a swamp near
here, and being transplanted, received the name of its
discoverer. We owe our sister State of South Carolina,
for the Thomas Grape; and the Pamlico or Mish originat
ed in the eastern part of this State, whence first came the
Scuppernong. All but the first named are black. Now,
that attention is directed to the matter, a few years will
probably add many more varieties, adapted to all the
various soils and climates of the South.
A rather poor, sandy soil, seems to suit it best; provid
ed it be artificially enriched with such fertilizers as com
monly accumulate near dwellings, namely: ashes, soap
suds, bones, hair, old shoes, chips from the wood-yard,
leaves, straw, &c., &c. For large vineyards, these mate
rials cannot be procured in sufficient quantity, and wc
should therefore select a better soil with facilities for get
ting marl or lime, and an abundance of vegetable matter,
such as leaf-mould, swamp muck, decaying corn-cobs,
corn-stalks, &c. Farm yard and stable manures, and the
more powerful guanoes, bone dust andpoudrettc may also
be applied moderately with benefit.
As the roots run very near the surface, and extend at
least co equal to the top, the plow cannot be used to work
near them unless passed over the ground as a mere skim
mer; but a fork (hoe or spade) might be used so as to
open the soil without seriously displacing it, or breaking
the roots In planting, select well-rooted layers of one or
two season’s growth, and be cautious not to allow' a lengthy
exposure to dry air before they are put into the ground.
A space of several feet should he well broken and en
riched, and the roots buried two or three inches deep. If
the soil is well drained and porous, so as not to hold wa
ter in a puddle, it is best to plant in a shallow basin, thus
preventing the wind from blowing away the mulching of
leaves or Straw, whichwe consider of prime importance
the first year. By covering the earth several feet around
the plant, no weeds can grow; but it will grow and thrive
in spite of the droughts, which otherwise often destroy a
large proportion of them. To have the vine straight and
upright, after the plants get well started, pinch or cut off
all shoots but one, and tie it tightly to a stake as it grows.
The seeond year it will require an arbor, which in this re
gion is commonly made with lightwood posts notched on
the top and supporting a layer of common fence rails.
The limbs of a dogwood, with its flat-spreading branches
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR.
(cut while the leaves are off) laid upon the rails, affords
an excellent support for the tendrils of the vine, whose
branches should now be trained in every direction. The
wind is the greatest obstacle to training vines symmetri
cally, and unless guarded against will roll them up or fold
them into an unsightly or tangled mass to the permanent
injury of the arbor. Unless discovered and rectified im
mediately, the tendrils interlock, and it is almost impossi
ble to remedy the misfortune. Let this be remembered,
and die vines tied securely, but not so as to bind or cut
them. As they extend, apply new ligatures towards the
extremities and cut away those behind. After the fourth
or fifth year, it is customary to allow the branches to hang
over the edge of the arbor, and ligatures are no longer
required; but the arbor must be expanded from time to
time to prevent the branches from hanging too low, or
bending back one upon another. After the vine gets
■ stout enough to bear up well, it is not necessary to have
the rails nearer to each other than three or four feet, but
they require to be stouter ; enough should be used at all
events to prevent sagging. Although pruning is not ne
cessary to make abundant crops and a thrifty vine, it is
nevertheless highly advantageous to cut out all the dead
twigs that accumulate from year to year upon the base of
the arbor. A sharp, stout, knife should be used so as to
cut close to the green wood and leave no thorns to rend
hand or garment when reaching for the fruit. The best
time for this work is as soon after the fruit is gathered as
convenient. In harvesting, the benefit of pruning will be
appreciated, unless the common but outrageous method bo
adopted of mounting on the top of the arbor, with flail in
hand, and imitating the old mode of threshing grain. Ualf
ripe Seuppernongs and mature fruit of the Flowers’ vine,
have too strong attachment to mother, to let go readily;
and lamming both parent and offspring will not teach
them better. As the learned Bostonians have decided
against beating criminals and children, so we protest
against such inflictions upon the vine and its fruit.
As to the distance at which vines should be planted,
opinions differ; some advocating sixty or eighty feet;
others, twenty or thirty. Experience is wanting to decide
the matter; one advantage of the shorter distance is that
the ground will soon be covered and shaded, so as not to
require work to prevent the growth of weeds; and also
the per acre yield will sooner reach its maximum. In
stead of waiting fifteen or twenty years to gain this point,
you will reach it in six or eight; and afterwards, if the
vines get too thick, a portion of them might be cut out.
In gathering the Scuppernong, a broad sheet may be
spread upon the ground, and over it a forked stick placed
against the larger branches by a few succussions will
suffice to shake off the fruit. The Flowers’ grape require*
to be hand-picked, as they will not fall off until partially
decayed. It is impossible to give as yet, the productive
capacity of an acre, because we have no acres of well-ex
panded arbors to measure; but from observation, and the
expressed opinions of intelligent owners of vines, we think
it safe to estimate a yield of ten bushels of grapes for eve
ry space required to grow one bushel of corn. In a few
more years, this matter can be decided if the endeavor is
made, as there are many acres planted which may be made
soon to reach the point of highest capacity. Enough how
ever, is known to decide that the vine is far more lucra-