question of national wealth or national poverty, and the poverty side of the question is pressing so closely upon the people at this moment, and all over the land, that it must be promptly met.

To facilitate trade two great agencies are absolutely requisite. One relates to the conveyance of the property to market, and the other to the equivalent to be received in exchange for it. These are known by the general terms, transportation and finance, and they are so inseparable in all mercantile transactions that the first may be not inaptly termed the bone and sinew, and the last the nerve and brain of commerce. They are, indeed, the chief handmaidens of commercial wealth, and the simplicity of the principles governing the seemingly complicated functions of each, and the harmony with which their actions respond to the ever varying impulses of commerce, possess for the enlightened merchant who fully comprehends them, the charm of philosophy and the rhythm of poetry.

The key-note of our national prosperity is sounded in the simple words, "Cheap transportation." They should be stamped upon the stripes of our national banner, and thrown to the breeze from every farm house, mill and factory throughout the commonwealth. Schoolboys should be taught that the suporior facilities for cheap transportation secured to Phoenicia, Athens, Venice, Genoa, the Florentine Republic, and Holland, the commerce of the world. Each retained it until its rival became the cheaper carrier; and, It is a notable fact, that art, refinement, literature, history and eloquence attained in each State its highest development during their commercial sway.

When we examine the relations of finance to commerce, it must appear evident to every disinterested thinker, that its proper functions cannot be performed perfectly, except on the basis of a medium of exchange that is recognized in every quarter of the commercial world. Gold and silver constitute the only medium thus universally recognized. An early resumption of specie payment is therefore essential to the restoration of our commercial prosperity.

The great historian. Hume, pungently remarks: "What a pity Lycurgus did not think of paper credit when he wanted to banish gold and silver from Sparta.. It would have served his purpose better than the lumps of iron he used as money, and would also have prevented more effectually all commerce with strangers as being of so much less real and intrinsic value." There is a volume of wisdom in this paragraph.

Paper money is the resort of nations when in desperate straits, and unless managed with extreme caution, inevitably results in disaster to commerce.

But there are other absolute requisites to the commercial prosperity of America, scarcely less important than cheap transportation, and probably of more moment than a sound national currency. I refer to the legislative trammels which to-day embarrass almost every department of commerce in America.

While it is not denied by any one that cheap transportation is absolutely essential to our national prosperity, and while the most enlightened nations of the earth-England, France, Holland, Belgium and Germany-witness, by their great prosperity, the advantage which flows from removing the trammels that cupidity or folly once placed upon their trade, we are actually erecting, in every part of the country, expensive structures to hamper and delay the traffic of our own people with foreign lands, as though it were possible to impose difficulties in the way of receiving their commodities, and not have these difficulties react to check the exportation of our own.

Tariffs are imposed which prevent us from purchasing in the cheapest markets of the world, and we are assured that the way to grow rich is to pay the highest prices for everything we consume, while not a tithe of the increase in price that is paid by

the people goes to support the Government, but to enrich, instead, a few monopolies. Let commerce be free. Tax the wealth of the citizens by any just method, but do not interfere with his right to exchange, with absolute freedom, the products of his own labor for those of his fellow-men, for that is an inalienable right which God made so for a wise purpose. This right is the great, if not the only stimulus to surplus production, and surplus production constitutes the real wealth of the world. Tax wealth, but leave free the stimulus which creates it. [Applause.]

The right to liberty of person in man is no more sacred than his right to freely exchange the products of his labor, because the two are identical in principle, and you cannot invade the one without trespassing upon the other.

Then let commerce be free. Let it not be said that a great nation, claiming to be the home of liberty, and which has, at such terrible cost of blood and treasure, stricken off the shackles from the slave, hesitate now to disenthral the labor of freemen.

Let cummerce be free as the genial sunlight, whose blessed rays warm alike the prince and the pauper, and which gild with their glory the palace and the cabin, and she will fill the mansion of the great with refinement and luxury, and the cot of the laborer with comfort and plenty.

While cheap transportation is vitally essential to commercial prosperity, we are expending more money annually in the erection of custom houses, to place artificial barriers in the way of commerce, than would be necessary to free the great rivers of this grand valley frow their shoals and dangers forever.

Fifteen millions of dollars judiciously expended would give at least twelve feet of water all the year round from St. Louis to New Orleans. This would enrich America, and by opening to the commerce of the world the immense granary embraced in the giant arms of the Mississippi, would cheapen food and bless mankind, not only at home, but on distant shores, "as far as the breeze can bear the billows' foam."

Instead of expending this $15,000,000 for this noble purpose, we see ten of it expended on a single granite pile in New York, and the remaining five will, in all probability, be exhausted in completing the custom-house in your own midst. The uses for which these costly edifices are designed is a reproach on the intelligence of the age. While the great want of the country is cheap transportation, our laws forbid our American ship-owner from purchasing his ships wherever he can buy the cheapest, and thus interfere with his supplying to his countrymen this great essential to our prosperity, and leave the carrying trade of America hopelessly in the hands of foreign

ers. One of England's most illustrious statesmen, justly declared: "Whosoever commands the sea commands the trade of the world. Whosoever commands the trade of the world commands the riches of the world, and consequently the world itself.” With the splendid advantages which nature and American genius gave us to compete for the commerce of the world, we have the humiliation of knowing that to-day threequarters of our own commerce upon the ocean is carried for us by foreigners.

How long must such lessons as these be thrust upon us before we can be taught wisdom; before we can abolish forever this miscalled policy of protection? How long must it be before we can throw open these prison houses of trade and let commerce be free. They are the promoters of sectional and social ill-will; the barriers to international amity; and the harbors of commercial leeches, where the smuggler and the perjurer holds the honest merchant at disadvantage.

Demand from your law-makers the abolition of custom-houses and the creation of a plain and just system of providing the requisite revenues of the State that shall leave commerce free. Do not be cajoled by the public patronage, which expends a few hundred thousand per annum in their erection, and which, by their blighting influ

ence, deprives you of countless millions; but demand that this worse than waste of money be appropriated to deepen your great rivers, and construct canals necessary to join their tributaries with the ocean, and encourage the construction of your great transcontinental railways.

Let your ship-masters buy their ships where they find them cheapest, and float the stars and stripes above everything that belongs to your countrymen. Let commerce be free, and honest competition will soon solve the great problem of cheap transportation on land and sea.

Let commerce be free, and manufactures will then feel a healthful development, uninfluenced by the fear of altered tariffs. Her work-shops, mills and factories will then, more than ever, constitute the nursery from whence liberty in every land and age has called forth her sternest advocates of equal rights and genuine Democracy.

Let commerce be free, and the disenthralment of labor will be complete. Then will honest toil be truly dignified and honorable, and then will agriculture, once deified in ages past, again be recognized as the guardian goddess of manly independence, and the shelter of every household virtue." [Applause.]

GRAPES IN 1876.

BY GEORGE HUSSMANN, SEDALIA, MO.

The last season was an unusually trying one on grapes, for the early part of the season all varieties looked exceedingly promising, set fruit abundantly, and the vines started luxuriantly. But the wet weather during June and July frustrated the best hopes of our vineyardists throughout those sections of the State where grape-growing is followed most extensively. Rot and mildew, with all the diseases to which the grape seems to be subject, made their appearance, and where full and swelling bunches had set, they were soon reduced to solitary berries. Nearly all varieties suffered, but especially the Concord, which formerly was one of the healthiest, failed badly again, and now proved one of the most unreliable. I have been told that many vineyards in the valley of the lower Missouri and Mississippi were not even gathered by their owners. Goethe and Martha, although also rotting badly, fared better than Concord, and produced from one-fourth to half a crop. Massasoit and Lindley, also Wilder rotted badly. The Catawba, although not rotting as bad as Concord, lost all its leaves, Herbemont, Cunningham and Hermann, were affected by a sort of dry-rot or sun-scald, and lost nearly all their fruit. The same may be said of Rulander and Louisiana. Taylor also lost two-thirds of its crop. Among those which suffered least, I name the following:

Ives.-A pretty full crop and but little rot. It seems to be one of the hardiest; it may be that its skin is so thick and its quality so poor, that even the rot disdains to attack it. It is reliable, but would I not grow better grapes than Ives, I would quit altogether.

Perkins This, although very foxy and apt to drop from the bunch, may yet be valuable, as it is early, has a beautiful color, and will sell well in market.

Nortons' Virginia.-This old stand-by, although rotting slightly, yet produced a fine

erop of exceedingly large and juicy berries and fine bunches.

Cynthiana,-The same, and as this latter makes a wine finer in flavor and more agreeable than Nortons, in fact the finest red wine which can be made here, it is surprising that it is not planted more extensively.

The Elvira has again proven one of the most reliable, and whoever has seen it as I Jid, in Mr. Rommell's vineyard, among the general destruction of nearly all varieties, averaging twenty to twenty-five pounds to the vine, of its solid lusters laying even on the ground, without hardly any rot, and has tested its exquisite wine, cannot help but

feel that a new era is dawning upon us, and that Mr. Rommell has at last found what we have been locking for in vain so long, a perfectly hardy, healthy white grape, good enough for the table, and making a fine white wine which can be produced always, But, good as the Elvira is, Mr. Rommel has still several seedlings which he thinks will come nearer perfection yet. These, however, have not been tried so long, and although they have withstood this and last seasons' test, he wishes to give them two further seasons' trial, and should they stand these without flinching, they will go out before the public.

The following are the most promising, and have received names, as they certainly deserve to be named:

No. 5. Taylor Seedling. Transparent-Bunch larger, more shouldered and compact than its parent, and has always set well; berry about the same as Taylor, white, transparent, with grey dots, no pulp, thin skin, very sweet, fine flavor. Will make a wine of the highest quality, and as it is a strong, healthy grower, and seems very productive, may be as near to the perfection of a white wine grape as we can hope to reach.

No. 8. Taylor Seedling. Amber-Strong, healthy grower, dark brown wood, bunch large, shouldered, moderately compact, berry medium, oblong, pale amber, when fully ripe, sweet, very juicy, fine flavor, pulp, melting thin skin, requires about same time as Catawba, and does not seem subject to mildew and rot. As this is larger than Elvira in bunch and berry, and very productive, it will make a very attractive table and market grape of the finest quality, and will also, no doubt, make a fine wine.

No. 10. Taylor Seedling. Pearl-Strong, healthy and stocky grower, large heavy leaf, bunch heavier than Elvira, berry full medium, round, pale, yellow, skin thin, pulp soft and melting, fine flavor, very sweet and juicy. Ripens with Concord, or a few days later.

No. 12. Cross between Maxatanney and Delaware. Beauty-Growth strong and healthy, large, heavy leaves, bunch full medium, shouldered, berry about like Catawba in color and size, fine lilac bloom, superior quality, sweet, soft pulp, very fine flavor, free from disease so far, ripens about same time with Concord.

It is remarkable that most of the promising new grapes in this State have sprung from Taylor Seedling. There is another, raised by Mr. William Wegdemeyer, at Hermann, and which he has named Vehland, which bids fair to rival the Elvira, and even excels it in weight of must. It has borne very heavy crops of fine perfect bunches for several seasons, and wine of the finest quality has been made of it. It is a longer jointed grower than Elvira, resembling its parent more in leaf and growth, but as the leaf is thinner than Elvira, it may not be able to withstand our changeable climate as well. It is certainly very promising, and I shall watch it with a great deal of interest. It is certainly encouraging, that now, when the European varieties (Vitis Vinifera) are almost annihilated in France by the Phylloxera, and this insect also threatens to destroy the vineyards of all Europe and California, we are getting new accessions to our lists of hardy grapes, and that they should mostly come from the Cordifolia, (or Ryiaria, as Dr. Engelmann has it), class, which also is Phylloxera proof, as the Taylor and Clinton have proven in France. It is not improbable, that our State is destined to furnish the stock by which the grape-growing interest of Europe and California will again be established, when their Vinifera succumb to this destructive insect. There can be little doubt that we must look to the Cordifolia and Aestivalis class for our leading wine grapes, and if the seedlings keep improving in size and beauty, as they have done within the last few years, also for our market and table grapes.

As to the causes of rot and mildew, it seems to be idle to speculate. We know this