VOL,. T.XTTI
JUN I219a8
INDIANAPOLIS,   JUNE 13, 1908.
NO. 24
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GRAPE CULTURE.
One-Year Vines  Best.
1st Premium.—The ground should be
prepared one year in advance by raising
on it a crop of potatoes, or by summer
fallow; but were we prepared to plant, we
would not defer planting. Plant, at any
rate, and cultivate as you would corn or
any other small crop. Make the soil mellow, and plant the vines somewhat deeper than they stood in the nursery. You
will be surprised to see the rapid growth
your vines will make. High, rolling
land, of a gravelly nature, is in our opinion best adapted to successful grape culture. The grape needs heat and sunshine,
the former to ripen the fruit, and the latter to prevent mildew. The best vines
are those grown from cuttings having two
eyes, in which a single system of roots
radiate from the lower eye, like the spokes
of a wheel, and the vine grows out of the
top bud. One-year old vines are to be
preferred iu all cases, if first class, even
if two years old, root pruned and transplanted vines should be offered at the
same   price. In   planting,     the   single
tier of roots should be set as low in the
ground as may be and still keep the upper
node, from which the vine has started,
out of the ground, so that new roots will
not grow from it. Unless this precaution
is taken, a new upper tier of roots, thus
encouraged to grow, will after a time,
or sometimes in a single winter, throw the
vine out of ground and expose these upper
roots in an injurious way, and this condition of frost in clayey soil will gradually,
usurp and displace the others, and the action remains permanent.
The best time of the year for planting
is that which occurs first, always premising that the soil should be mellow and friable. If in autumn, a shovelful of loam
should be used so as tocornpletely bury the
two or three buds that are left upon the
vine above the surface. The earlier in
autumn or spring that the work is done the
letter, providing the conditions are as
stated. The distances at which vines
should be set will depend somewhat upon
the strength of the soil and the mode of
training adopted. The hest is believed to
he in rows eight feet apart, with the vines
six feet apart in the rows which perfectly
run north and south.
Grape vines will thrive equally well
when trained to the side of the house or
other buildings, or to the pillars of the
porches.
Almost any hoed crop may be grown in
the vineyard for one or two years, if an
Equivalent amount of fertilization be given
hut after this time grape vines only. Cultivation should be shallow, perhaps two inches is ample, and this should be done in
a way that will not disturb the larger
roots, the great body of which lie from
three to six inches deep. Cultivation
should begin each year as soon as tho
ground will pulverize in the spring and be
renewed after every packing rain, or, in
the absence of rain, before a crop of weeds
has time to show the third leaf.
As young vines throw up several shoots
'luring the first two or three summers af-
,er Phinting, care should be taken to re-
™°ve them; also to cut off all branches but
Qe leading one, to a height of sixteen or
twenty inches. The first year the vine
">»y trail on the ground, but the second
y should by all means be tied up to a
- ^9t*fc«,.-» —-We have no opinion to offer respecting the two leading systems of grape
culture, stake or trellis, as both are
warm advocates. The stake system appears to be the cheapest in cultivation, because the cultivator can work both ways.
Pruning can be done at any time between the fall of the leaf and the 20th of
March, cutting back to two or three eyes
on the young timber. Grape vines that
have come to a bearing age may generally be pruned so scientifically as to make
the prospective results very certain. By
examining vines while they are growing
anyone can very readily see from which
buds of the previous year's growth have
sprung  the   branches   that   are   producing
in a warm climate and near a large body
of water, yet there is no reason why we
should not produce it sufficiently for home
use, in any part of the country. A light
soil with good natural drainage is best
adapted to its growth. Where the soil is
iu ther heavy it should be artificially drained. The ground should be of such conformation that the water will not stand
about the vines in a wet time; besides in
a damp place there is more danger of mildew.
To grow grapes merely for home use
does not admit of such a variety as when
a vineyard for commercial purposes is
planted, and yet it is a good idea to have
different  varieties  in  order  to  extend  the
A Marion County Farm Ilo use.    Home of John (,. Rand.
the fruit of the current year. This will
serve as a guide to the pruning for the
next crop, and so on from year to year.
Shoots from the axillary buds where the
old aud new wrood are joined will hardly
ever produce fruit. The first bud beyond an axil will be found fruitful, but
the clusters that grow from the next bud,
and for several further on, will generally
bear the shouldered bunches of the crop.
We have found that 6 buds on a strong
cane, so selected, will generally yield 3 fine
clusters each, and occasionally four. We
may look for this number of clusters from
the buds of very strong and vigorous canes
of the last year's growth, up to the capacity if the vines so pruned. Hence,
according to the number of perfect clusters
we estimate the vine capable of producing
we can readily select those giving the
best promise, and cut all the others off.
As to varieties, the Concord holds first
place among the blacks, while the Niagara occupies the same position among the
white varieties. Pockington and Martha
are good white grapes. Then of the red
or amber, there are the Catawba, Brighton
and Delaware. Other good black grapes
are Moore's Early and Worden.
B. E. K.
Qood Drainage Required.
2d Pemium.—To produce grapes for
home use requires but very little time and
expense. When we consider that only
a few vines are required, and that when
once started they continue to grow for a
generation with but little attention, we
may say that the expense and labor are
infinitesimal.
While the grape appears to thrive best
ripening period. Most of us also desire
the different colored varieties, and it often
occurs that different members of the family have their preference. The Concord
is perhaps the most universally popular
grape that grows. A couple of these
should be included; a couple of Moore's
Early, which ripens ten days earlier than
the Concord; also a couple of Delaware,
which is a small, red, sweet grape of excellent quality. The Catawba is a late
grape and is excellent for wine. The Niagara is one of the most popular of the
white varieties, and ripens about the
same time as the Concord. These would
meet the demands of the ordinary family,
but if another variety should be desired,
the Brighton may be added. It is a
large, red grape of good flavor, hardy and
ripens early. If it is desired to increase
the number of vines, shoots may be laid
down in a trench and covered, when they
will take root at intervals and throw up
branches. These can. be taken up separately and set out as desired. Or if it
is especially desired to economize, one
plant of each variety may be purchased
and others propogated from them in this
way.
I prefer to plant grapes in the spring.
The ground should be made rich by working well rotted manure into the soil. Old
bones put about the vines is beneficial. No
weeds or grass should be permitted to
grow then, and do not permit the chickens to wallow about the roots. Don't
stick the grapes in fence corners or under
trees, but give them a place where they
can be kept clean, and when they have
made sufficient growth supports should be
provided,    but the railing may be of any
material that will support the vines. The
plants should be from 8 to 10 feet apart
and where necessary the vines should be
tied to the trellis. Our grapes are usually trimmed in February, and are cut
back from two to four buds of the previous year's growth.
Last year the grape crop was nearly a
failure here, and what matured was of
inferior  quality. Much  of   this   could
have been prevented by spraying. Before
the buds swell, spray with copper sulphate
solution and Paris green; when leaves are
half grown, Bordeaux and Paris green,
and repeat wheu fruit is set. Two weeks
later, Bordeaux mixture, and if later
spraying is thought necessary, weak copper sulphate should be used. It may
not be always necessary to spray so often, but where other fruit is being sprayed it does not require much time.
I know families that have all the grapes
they can use, who never spray, trim the
\ hies or give them any attention whatever
except to pick the fruit. However, this is
not the way to get the best fruit of the
best quality. Make conditions most favorable, and be satisfied with nothing but
the best. J.
Fighting- the   Insects.
3sl Premium.—If we .wish to produce
grapes of first class quality we must give
them   some   attention. This   was   not
much thought of until quite recently. Especially last year, on account of insects,
the vines that were not treated did not pay
at .ill. We should not neglect pruning;
this is of great importance also. All
vines should be cut off and all loose bark
removed and burned, thereby destroying
many insects. The pruning of grape vines
should be done in February, or not later
than first part of March, on account of
sap flowing too freely if pruned later. I
found it necessary to prune the second
time this season to remove the dead vines
which escaped my notice when pruning
early, as they all looked alike at that
time.
It is well to arrange the vines on an arbor in such a manner that they will be
evenly distributed. If vines are too thick
in places they are apt to mildew. Grape
vines will do little good on the ground
or lying in the weeds and grass.
There are many more enemies of the
grape than some of us think. There are
the grape curculio, flea-beetle, root worm,
rose chafer and the grape berry moth. The
young grapes are sometimes destroyed by
gray rot; there are also black rot and ripe
rot, as well as some leaf enemies, so it is
very plain to see we have something more
to do than pruning and that is it is quite
necessary we should spray, especially for
all fungous diseases, which are prevalent
in moist and hot weather. Of course,
vines that are kept thrifty are less likely
to suffer severely.
When buds first begin to swell spray
with Bordeaux mixture; repeat when flowers first unfold, with Paris green added;
then when fruit has set apart; three to
four weeks later Bordeaux only; then
a little later a weak solution of copper sulphate, applied in the form of spray, is
effective against the grape curculio, berry
moth, root worm and all other insects
which devour the foliage and fruit. It
should be remembered this preparation will
be washed off with each hard rain and
must be repeated, and also the spraying
must be done thoroughly.
Concord, Niagara, Brighton and Camp-
Continued on page 9,