December 15th

Gut off the vine about six feet from the bottom, wash it with mild soap suds, wrap with straw, and lay it down in front of the house. Sprinkle some rat destroyer about, cover the border inside and out with ten or twelve inches of manure to keep the frost from the roots, and the work is done for the season, except to examine the glass to see if it leaks, and open occasionally when the sun is too hot, and to see that the mice do not trouble the vines.

Second Year

Open the house as the season advances, so as to air, and that the buds may not burst too soon. About the first of April, if the season is favorable, uncover the vines, and let them lie down until all the eyes have pushed an inch; raise them by degrees, that they may all swell alike; then fix them to the vine trellis. From the time the house is opened, sprinkle every day, except on damp, cold days, the same as last year.

May 1st The eyes have now pushed a foot or more. They are now called spurs. Many of them will show fruit. Pinch off all the fruit except one or two, which may be retained to test the kind. Never let more than three clusters remain on the vine the first year of fruiting, and never but one cluster on a spur. Discontinue the syringing of the vine while the fruit is in blow, and keep the house more closed and warm. As soon as the fruit is formed, pinch off the end of each spur about an inch above the first leaf beyond the cluster, and all the other spurs three or four eyes from the vine. Do not allow the spurs to be closer together than eight inches; rub off all that are nearer. As the eyes burst and push out, continue to pinch of the shoot, always an inch above the next eye. This you will have to do six or eight times during the season, to every spur, to keep them in check, or "at home," as it is called, and that the light may strike the vines on the back wall, (which are not in fruit this season - not doing as well as the front vines, that receive the full force of the light and sun).

When the fruit has attained the size of a pea, go through the vines with a pair of sharp pointed scissors, and thin out the fruit full one half, always taking the smallest berries; and from time to time go over the vines and thin out the fruit until it begins to color, after which time it will be of no use. This will be about the 5th of August Up to this time you have watered regularly with the soap-suds and guano, and syringed the vines from one to three times a day, as the weather has admitted. As soon as the fruit begins to color, discontinue the watering, and keep a current of hot dry air passing through the house, that the wood may get thoroughly ripened and prepared to do its duty next season. And if the fruit should turn soft and feel cold, cut it off at once; your vine is overcropped, and if suffered to stay on, will destroy the crop for another season and very much weaken the vine.

About the 20th of June, sprinkle two pounds of the flour of sulphur at mid-day, when the house is hot and dry, that some of the dust may fall on the foliage. This will prevent the mildew. Repeat the same about the 1st of August By the 15th of August the Chasselas grape will be ready to cut Keep the current of hot air passing through the house. Pinch off the upper end of the vine to stop the growth and throw the sap into the lower part of the vine, and swell the buds.

September 15th. Black Hamburgh are now ready to cut Your Black Prince and Frontignan will hang on the vine until December, if you keep the house open and cool. December 15th. Cut the vines back to within two feet of where you did last year, and all the spurs to within an eighth of an inch of the vine. Don't fear for your fruit next season; there will be plenty of buds push from the base of the spur. Wash the vines with a preparation of soap-suds and sulphur - four pounds of sulphur to two quarts of soap-suds, mixed to the consistency of cream; apply with a paint brush, and be sure to touch all the parts. Some add a little tobacco. Cover the vines with straw, and the border with manure, the same as last year.

Third Year

As the season advances, open the house often when it is warm, to keep the vines back so that the buds will not push too soon. Better not uncover until the 10th of April, than have the buds push and then receive a check. When you do start them, water the house freely and keep up a moist atmosphere, and guard against a check. Uncover the borders, and replace with new or fresh manure from the barnyard, to warm the roots. Examine the drain, to see that all water is carried off readily; for much - yes, one-half of your success depends upon keeping the roots in a proper state; no stagnant water must on any account be allowed to remain at the bottom of the border. Let the vine remain down on the border the same as last year, until the buds have pushed one or two inches; then raise by degrees. Several eyes will push from the base of last year's spurs; rub off all but one, so that the spurs will be about six or eight inches apart on the vine. Always rub or pinch off the spur; never cut Water regularly the same as last year. As the fruit shows itself, select six or eight of the finest looking clusters on each vine, and pinch off all the rest at once. Keep the house closed and still during the time the fruit is in blossom, and not touch the vine with water until the fruit has set.

As soon as this is completed, pinch off the end of the spur one inch above the next eye from the fruit, and all the others, except the leading shoot at the top, which you of course tie up to a wire trellis.

June 1st, remove all the rough and loose manure from the border, and fork in the remainder. June 10th, mulch the border with tan bark, about two inches thick, to keep the roots in an equal temperature and prevent the sun from operating too powerfully upon them. Care should be taken that there be at no time a sudden change in the house; open by degrees, and close in the same manner. If the leaf turns yellow, examine the glass; there is probably a defective light of glass, which draws the sun and scorches the vines. If the glass is defective, wash it on the inside with a preparation of whiting and boiled oil and turpentine. Never syringe the vines when the sun shines upon them; get up the moisture by keeping the floor wet.

When you prune the old wood of a vine, (which may be done without detriment, or danger of its bleeding, any time after the 1st of July,) use a very sharp pruning knife, and make one smooth, straight cut. The leading ones must be stopped soon after they reach the top of the house; but leave two or three laterals, to keep the sap in motion, which are to be stopped at intervals of two or three days. Pinch off all tendrils, and keep the whole strength of the vine in as small a compass as possible; but never remove the leaves from the vine, or you will destroy the flavor of your fruit. If you require more light, spread out the spur and tie it to the trellis. There should be at least one leaf between the fruit and the sun. Be sure and give plenty of air and room to the clusters, that they may get perfectly ripe, or the flavor will be destroyed. Black Hamburgh should be black, not red, as is frequently the case, from being kept too close and confined, and not open to the air, as they should be.

In selecting your fruit, care should be taken to have it equally distributed over the vines. This will add very much to the appearance of the house as the fruit progresses.

Tie all the spurs to the trellis as soon as the fruit has set, water regularly, sprinkle with sulphur the same as last year. When the fruit has attained the size of a small pea, commence to thin out, always taking the smallest berries. If you want large berries, you must thin out severely; take two out of five berries; the strength will enter those that are left, and cause these to grow beyond your expectations.

Then commence to shoulder or tie up the clusters, and spread them out so that the air will pass freely through the clusters, and ease the main stem. After the fruit begins to color, avoid all handling. If you touch the fruit, it will destroy its beauty, and cause it to rust If it is necessary to handle it after this stage, use a glove.

Give the vinery plenty of air, plenty of heat, and plenty of moisture. Remember that large fruit and 1arge clusters are the objects to be attained.

This is the manner in which I have treated my vines for the last three years, and never have had any trouble from rot, rust, insect, shriveling, or shrinking; and in seventeen months from the time the vines were planted, I took the second premium at the State Fair at Rochester; and this season the first premium at Utica, haying raised nine clusters on each vine, and exhibited grapes the weight of which was as follows: Black Hamburgh, 2 lbs. 12 oz.; Zinfindal, 2 lbs. 14 oz.; Black St. Peters, 3 lbs. 2 oz.; and all were ripened by the 5th of September, although the season was backward and unfavorable.

What the vines will do another year, of course remains to be seen. I think, however, they are in good condition, the wood being well ripened; and with proper care, a good crop may be expected.

It will be seen that this statement is plain and to the point; and could I have had these notes to refer to when I commenced, they would have saved me a great deal of trouble. And I think that with these notes, and the help of Downing's work and a work on the grape published by J. F. Allen, Boston, Mass., any one may raise the foreign grape without any fear of failure. And certainly, to see the house well in fruit one season, will go a great way toward paying for what some would call trouble.