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INEW SERIES,)
t VOL. I. f
NO. 19.
[For the Banner of the South and Planters Journal.]
TIIE CONCORD GRAPE—(VITIS LA BRUSCA.)
jjlXi 1
MBfejmr . v
In order that the readers of the Ban
ner of the South and Planters’
Journal may have a clear conception
of the character and histoiy of this cele
brated Grape, the writer will give Mr.
Bull’s (propagator of the Concord) own
statement, and correspondence between
us five years ago. Ills views and pro
cedure are illustrative and instructive to
all who desire to improve our native
vines. Ills success is attainable by
any one having patience and sufficient
perseverance to continue experiments
understandingly. Seeds sown from the
iEstival is or Summer Grape will pro
bably be the best (except the Scupper
nong varieties) for improving and pro
ducing new varieties in the Southefti!
States:
‘•Raising new varieties from seed is
probably the best method of obtaining
improved varieties ; therefore, we may
take courage, and enter upon the task:
of growing seedling grapes.
Many new grapes are chance seed
lings—very good in their native lo
calities, worthless or ill adapted to our
BY THE CHRONICLE PUBLISHING fix IMPANY, AUGUSTA, GA.
FOR THE WEEK ENDING SA'l !RDAY, MARCH f, 1871.
climate ; some good, but too small forj
market, poor bearers, slender growers,l
or requiring such attention as to make:
them unprofitable. Agrape for general
cultivation must have such constitution
as will hear neglect, be comparatively
indifferent to soil and location, and be
always saleable Seedlings from the
Labruska will be most apt to succeed
at the North. lie who shall obtain a
new grape, improved in quality, will
not only receive a handsome profit,
but confer a lasting benefit on mankind. I
Having pursued it for nearly twenty!
years, I may, perhaps, save the be-;
ginner some time. I was led to it by!
the impossibility of ripening any of the
grapes then on the lists, living as I do
in the valley of the Concord. I turnedj
my attention to our natives, believing
that good grapes could be had of this!
Stock. I wanted a grape that should!
be vigorous, hardy, prolific, early, with 1
as good quality as possible. I found!
such a grape, a good eating grape fora
wild native, and began with this. In
five or six years the seedling bore a!
pint; the seeds of this were planted
again, and from these latter I obtained >
the Concord ; and from the Concord,|
in the third generation, I have grapes’
|of great variety. The < riginal wild
habit seems broken up; so •, some stock
as black as night, I ha ,-e obtained
grapes as white as the Ch isselas, deli
cate in texture and flav >r. I raised
many hundred more seed lings than I
had need to, and should ha ve succeeded
more rapidly, if I had plan ted the seeds
only of those grapes whicl showed the
most marked change from the original
type. The desire is not se »and, but fruit;
I to ameliorate the harsh flav or, softening
| the pulp, making the tVfffT more edible.
This is accomplished by planting the
; seed in a rich soil. The neio condi
\ lions change the plant. I istead of the
| meadow or pasture whe e the wild
parent grew with vigor, but coarse
| habits, the seedling revels in a conge
| nial soil, and stimulated, sh ,ws a change
iof habit. Depaniire fron the native
1 type is a sign of ini proven ent. In the
seed-bed vines will be bund short
jointed, smooth, solid, wii !i prominent
Imds. These desire specif 1 care; from
them will be had vines with greater
divergance from the origin v ] type, more
certain of success. Barrs i vines usu
ally have great luxuriant ? of growth,
in the first year the seed i> e d will be
filled with these rampart . and, to the
! novice, promising vines. My experi
ence leads me to reject them, oral least
plant them by themselves. Seeds con
tinue to come up for even four years in
succession ; the best grapes come from
these latter seedlings. Commence with
seeds of a chance or new v ariety having
vigor, earliness, and other qualities
a hich are desirable in the .Spring.
Riant the grape whole, in rows to
, facilitate seedlings;' the placenta-like
substance in the whole grape nourishes
and promotes its power. The tender
seedling should receive no check ; shade
it from the sun, and water it, if neces
sary, until it gets three or four rough
leaves, after which it may be considered
safe. When seedlings have grown one
year in the seed-bed, with the aid of a
fork draw out the plants with care,
without breaking a single root, or dis
turbing the level of the bed, and there
by burying the seeds that have not yet
sprouted. The second year another
i crop f ■ ;, “'R will conic up ; treat them
I tli- s: . w to in:.!;> room for tic
Miird crop. ‘Thoselust I save with tn
'* s.. -J ow the vfcfrivi
improvement. Thu seediiiigs tin. •*
moved from theseed-bid should be put
out in soil enriched with b. tn dust,
ashes, and gypsum. Tfu se fertilfeora I
■eettStttCT-esstiy.'ai
manures give too luxuriant growth. I
prefer mineral manures alone. Do not
reject a vine too hastily, for the size
and quality of fruit will improve for
seven or eight years. I do not prune
seedlings, except to give them shape,
but pinch back any rampant branch.
Seedlings do not usually bear till the
fifth or sixth year.”
In 1806 Mr. Bull wrote to me that lie
bad several years previous sent the
Concord vine to France to test it as a
wine grape, and that he bad received
favorable reports, and that it was be
lieved that it would supersede many of
the diseased varieties of that country.
The Concord makes excellent red wine
of the claret order, and is the most pro
ductive of all the bunch grapes. It is
vigorous in growth of vine, very hardy,
and ripens its fruit early and perfectly,
from the Ist to 20th of August, in the
Southern States. Its strong and luxu
riant foliage resists mildew (or ordium),
and is seldom known to rot even in un
favorable seasons.
Mr. Geo. Ilusmann reports in bis
magazine (the Grape Culturist), that
he lias made over 2,000 gallons of
wine per acre from the Concord grape.
When well grown, its bunches and
berries are of large size, often shoulder
ed, quite black, and covered with
bloom ; skin thin, pulp soft, moderately
juicy and sweet, with somewhat of the
“Foxey” odor and flavor. It does not
keep very long after being taken from
the vines.
The Concord lias proved perfectly
hardy and healthy in all sections of the
South where it lias been tested. The
writer exhibited samples of Concord
wine at the South Carolina State Fair
I last Fall, made by air treatment, in
11870, that received the premium. This
' wine was perfectly matured in less than
j two months. For the vineyard or
m. n.
fOLD SERIES,)
l VOL. 111. I
garden market, or for wine, and as the
poor man’s grape, there are few if any
superior. v . A. C. Cook.
CovUycM Go., Feb. 1 1th, 1871.
f®plfci'ed Cotton Seed.
BY A t COLUMBIA PLANTER.
As much depends upon the proper
selection of seed for planting, in making
a good crop, as upon the fertilizer used
and the system employed in cultivation.
Since the war much attention lias been
paid to the selection and improvement
of Cotton Seed, and large sums ot
money have been made by those wlio
have sold these fancy seeds. But they
are not the only persons who have
made money by the improved seed.
The Planters who have exhibited judg
ment aiujl economy in selecting the best
; different- iatwuu the ordinary seed
War, Aitri' ilie improved seed of the
present day, is just as marked aud de
cided as the difference between the
natural product of the soil and that
treated with a highly concentrated fer
tilizer.
The writer has within the last few
years tried all or nearly all of the im
proved seed which have been put in
the market, and he has found some pe
culiar excellence in them all. The
“Moina” is a cotton of fine staple, is a
vigorous grower, very hardy, and yields
moderately well. The objections to this
variety are, Ist. It is too late in ma
turing. 2nd. It is very hard to pack.
These objections, in our climate, where
the seasons are none too long, and with
our poor spstem of labor, where itfis
very difficult to get the crop picked in
time, will be always serious disadvan
tages to the cultivation of the “Moina.”
The “Peeler” cotton, another long
staple variety, is more prolific than the
“Moina,” bears earlier, and the staple
quite as fine and long. But the “Peeler”
is not so prolific as some other varities,
and deteriorates in staple and product
iveness verv soon.
The “Boyd Prolific” as its name im
ports is recommended not so much for
the character of the staple as for its
prolific properties. This is one of the
best varieties now in use. It is special
ly adapted to thin worn lands. It is
a hardy strong variety, bears early, is
easy to pick, and begins to open much
sooner than the “Moina” or the “Peel
er.”
The “Dickson Improved Seed” have
been used very extensively during the
last few years. There are two Dick
sons who have introduced Cotton seeds
in the market, one residing in Hancock
the other in Newton counties. There
is little or no difference between their
seed. They are not either of them
distinct varieties like the “Peeler,” the
“Moina,” and the “Boyd Prolific,” but