The communications in the September number of the Horticulturist, touching the question of originality in the system of Grape-culture proposed in my recent work on that subject, may seem to require some reply. So far as my personal interests are concerned, I do not feel that my system needs any defence; but as I believe the plan I suggested is one which will prove of great value to the country, I am unwilling that it should be condemned and put down by writers who misapprehend its nature, or who from any motives desire to place obstacles in the way of its introduction into general use.

The "Review of the Grape Question," by Mr. A. S. uller, is in no respect a correct or fair statement of the matter. The most important error consists in saying, that under my system of vineyard culture there is a "loss of the crop every other year." Let me say once more, that only every other vine is cut down every year, so that half the vines are constantly in fruiting condition; and as I have more than double the usual number of vines on a given space or border, I maintain that as large and valuable a crop of Grapes will be obtained annually by this method as by any other yet practised in this country.

Mr. Fuller attempts to show that the alternate renewal system which I recommend for the vineyard is not new, by quoting from a work by "one Miller, published in England in 1731, in which some directions are given for cutting down canes in the forcing-house, to give them rest, and to restore the vines after hard forcing. My reply to these quotations is,.that they do not relate to common grapery or vineyard culture, nor do they touch the subject of my specific renewal system at all; and it is a most unjust inference to say that the " renewal system of Bright was in vogue in England in the beginning of the last century." Every intelligent reader, at all conversant with the subject, will see that this assertion is positively untrue. We often cut down vines to get stronger canes, but this has nothing to do with the method of culture and the general renewal plan proposed in my work.

I now sum up my position thus: I assert that at the time I published my work on Grape-culture, there was not, to my knowledge, in the current horticultural literature of the English language, any recommendation of any such short cane, single stem renewal system, so stopped and pruned, as I have proposed; nor has any such system ever been practised, so far as I know, (and my knowledge of the fact is by no means limited,) in England or America. Mr. Fuller may go back a century or more, and hunt up in some obsolete old work directions about forcing vines every second or third year; or if he should dig long enough he might possibly find, in the ruins of Herculaneum or Pompeii, a vine that had been so treated; but this does not touch the question, whether or not the entire, distinct, and definite system of vine-culture which 1 present is a new and original one as compared with other systems now or formerly practised or suggested. I believe this to be the best plan of growing grapes that I have ever seen, and I can not submit to have it fobbed off as an old, worn-out, useless idea on such irrelevant and perverted evidence as that above referred to.

The question of originality in this matter is not now personal to myself alone, but a question of importance to the members of the horticultural profession at large, and with them 1 leave it. If my system is new and valuable, the public ought not to be fogged with false testimony, nor will I permit it to be done if I can help it.

Mr. Fuller sneers at my selling a Grape Fertilizer for so much per ton. If Mr. F. belonged to the Lord Hyacinth and Charles Yellowplush class of literary fops who esteem it fine manners to turn up their noses at all matters connected with trade, I should not be surprised at the attempt to underrate me, nor would I notice it; but coming from a laboring, trading member of our craft, I can not refrain from turning back this sarcasm with the simple remark, (penned iu a spirit of infinite mercy,) that it is unworthy of its inventor.

The communication from Dr. Benson demands a brief and courteous notice. The writer presents good evidence to show that inside borders for the vinery were suggested [by London and Johnson, and an inside divided border by Hoare. I do not suppose that I am entitled to much consideration for my proposed improvements in vine borders, but so far as the question of originality is concerned, the quotations made by Dr. B do not cover my plan. My new border is not only inside and divided, but it is detached from the front wall and from the floor of the house by a four-inch flue or air-conductor. Hoare's "hollow wall" (very common in England) is not a positive detachment of the border from the wall, and will not successfully protect the border from frost. My border I still believe to be new in one of its leading and most valuable features.

In the detached border, entirely inside the house, the vines are perfectly protected against changes of weather at all seasons. They can be kept back, in a cold vinery, as long as may be desired in spring, so as to avoid late frosts; they may be ripened off early in the fall by withholding water; and when a crop of grapes has been matured the fruit -may be kept upon the vines for weeks and months in a state of great perfection, while open vines, planted in a border partly outside, can scarcely be preserved, in a rainy season, for a week, even if they should be ripened successfully. A detached inside border will preserve grapes as effectually as if the vines were planted in pots with outside borders. I have known cases where hundreds of pounds of grapes, grown at much expense under glass, for private use, have ripened imperfectly in wet seasons, and rotted and fallen off so rapidly that the whole crop was in danger of being lost within the limits of two weeks; and the grapes, being unfit for market, had to be converted into bad wine to save them from utter waste. With inside detached borders, no such accidents can happen. Neither rain nor frost can ever affect such borders.

The temperature and moisture of the roots are entirely under control, and the advantages to be derived from these circumstances arc too obvious and important to need further comment.

The experience of the last season with the single stem renewal system in the vineyard and grapery but confirms my former opinion of its merits. The economy, certainty, and neatness of the system moro than satisfy my mind as to the practical value of the plan. In working on a large scale in the vineyard I have made a few improvements in the management of the vines. For instance, during the period of greatest growth in Jnne, we let the laterals run to three or four joints, or even six or eight, without stopping, as carefully as in pot-vine culture, for two reasons: first, to prevent bursting the main eyes; and second, because it saves time and labor. Again, when we do stop the laterals after making several joints, instead of pinching the tips we break them off in the middle of a joint, just Where a new leaf or lateral is starting, taking off several joints at once, instead of doing this by pinching at several operations. No bleeding takes place, and only a temporary check is given to the lateral. So of the top of the cane. After pinching once at tho height of five or six feet, (the top of the trellis,) we let the top lateral or main cane run pretty freely, and then break it back two, three, or half a dozen joints, as may be necessary, to keep it within convenient limits.

The same plan I have adopted, this year for the first time, in pot-vine culture, and with canes in the grapery, breaking the tops back roughly, two, three, or half a dozen joints at pleasure, to a lateral or main bud, which is freely starting. After one or two such shortenings of the main cane, you get two or three laterals or maiu buds at the top in a freely-growing state to serve as safety-valves to the ascending sap, thus preserving all the lower buds with certainty, and preventing an inconvenient, injurious, and unsightly extension of the cane. By the last of August the growth of the vines becomes more moderate, the wood begins to ripen, and we then remove the laterals almost entirely from the four or five lowest joints, and shorten all the upper laterals to two, three, or four joints, according to their freshness or ripeness. The labor of dressing the vineyard after this plan is comparatively trifling, and perfectly simple when once understood. Any intelligent boy, fifteen years of age, can do the work. I feel confident that this system of Grape-culture will be very generally admired and adopted when its merits become known. A personal examination of it in the field is, however, vastly more instructive than any written explanations.

I intend to have the whole matter carefully examined and reported upon, by competent authorities, as soon as I can show an acre or two of vineyard and several graperies on this plan in full bearing, which will be very soon.

[We shall be glad to have this subject discussed so long as it can be done profitably, and without the indulgence of personal ill-feeling. Both parties, however,I have had a pretty sharp rap at each other, and we propose to have them shake hands and discuss the subject in a friendly way, and forbear calling each other's motives in question. He who keeps cool generally makes the best argument. When the debate is closed we propose to sum up. - Ed].