It is our duty to profit by experience. The results of the past year have taught a lesson to be improved by vineyardista, as a matter of pleasure as well as profit. Among those who laid down their Grape-vines in the fell of 1860, are now, at the fruit-ripening season, to be seen many cheerful countenances, the owners pointing with glowing satisfaction to well-loaded vines, bearing ripe, delicious Grapes, produced, as they firmly believe, by their discretion in protecting the vines a year ago, some of whom, I am happy to say, have realized a money value for their products which enables them to say that Grape-culture is profitable as well as pleasurable. The protection of vines in this Northern climate is a necessity; they may escape five years out of six, and yet, if the crop is lost once in that time, the grower not only loses his crop, but very often loses his confidence, so that he neglects to prune, cultivate, and train, and perhaps, through carelessness and neglect, loses his crop of future years, and ultimately the cost of his vineyard. I do not here allude to those who neglect to take the Horticulturist, and thus lose, through ignorance, both crops and investment, though there are many such within the writer's, knowledge.

When one sees a neglected vineyard, and inquires the reason why it is not cared for, he is often told, " It won't pay," Why not? "Because it is so much trouble to cover the vines in winter." Let us look at this, and see if it is so. The writer, who is an enthusiast on Grape-culture, desirous to try experiments, lost many of his vines by a neglect to cover them, or by leaving them tied to the stakes and trellis, to see what would happen to them, while the other portion, covered with earth, or laid on the ground and covered with leaves and snow, were not only in good order in the spring, but have borne abundantly of good ripe fruit, and have already ripened wood for another season, ripening both fruit and wood many days earlier for their protection. A neighbor, with a large vineyard, producing annually many tons of Grapes, covered a part of his vines, which have yielded bountiful crops this season; he has lost, by his estimate, from two to three thousand dollars on those left exposed, the expense of covering which would have amounted to a trifle less than two hundred dollars. Omitting this small expenditure, his unprotected vines have barely paid the expense of cultivating the past summer; indeed, a part of his vineyard has not even been plowed this season, showing that he was discouraged.

I could cite many more instances, if necessary, but a word to the wise is sufficient. It must be remarked, that the winter of 1860-'61 was the severest upon many fruits that has been experienced during the present century, either on this continent or in Europe. The cold was intense for perhaps twenty-four hours at a time, and was preceded and followed by moderate weather, with a clear winter sun. There is good reason to believe that native Grapes would bear the severest cold if they were not suddenly exposed to a bright sunshine, after being congealed into solid ice; it may not, therefore, be necessary to bury them in the ground, but it is undoubtedly the most economical mode of protecting them, is found to be effectual in every instance heard of, and is doubtless attended with less trouble than any other method of covering and protecting known. It can be done rapidly; with an hour's practice, a man becomes very expert. First, let the vines be pruned tod trimmed ready for tying in the spring; then run a plow two or three times between the rows, near the middle, say about three or four feet from the stakes or trellis, and so far from the vines as to lay no roots bare; then let two men work together, one of whom gathers the canes, and holding them together, lays them on the ground lengthwise of the rows, while the other throws two or three shovelfuls of earth to anchor them, and continues to throw, on more earth, where needed, until the first is ready with more canes from the next vine.

They proceed thus through the row. Returning, they each use the shovel to complete the covering. It may all be done in less time than the two men would dig a row of potatoes. This is much easier and less expensive than, covering with straw; besides, straw beds become harboring-places for mice, which often damage the canes when short of food. Another method is to construct hurdles to lay over the vines, but it is both troublesome and costly, except on a small scale. Vines are sometimes well protected by laying on the ground, with stones upon them, to prevent swaying about in the wind. There are some hardy varieties which have withstood the vicissitudes of our climate, and which may be said not to need any protection; but they may live in one location, and be winter-killed in another; or, under varying circumstances, the wood of one may be more perfectly ripened, and thus be able to stand severer tests. It is better to caver them all; they are then sure to come out all right, and will bear their fruit three to five days earlier for it, which is an item of great importance, adding more value to the crop than all the labor and expense of protection.

In the spring, the canes may be lifted with a garden fork, and allowed to lie on the ground until the proper time for tying to the stake or trellis.

(The trouble of covering vines is no doubt greatly overestimated; the advantages are well stated by Pratiquer. A friend on the Hudson, who'has a vine, yard of several acres, has for ten years or more covered the whole of it. We purpose by and by, to examine the advantages and disadvantages of the plan, and give an approximation of the cost per acre. - Ed].