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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