36 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



6-7 EDWARD VII., A. 1907 



For more Northerly Districts with Low Elevations where Climate is much like that 



at Ottawa. 



Black. — Champion, Manito, Early Daisy, Moore, Campbell, Worden, Wilder. 



Bed. — Moyer, Brighton, Delaware, Lindley. 



White. — Golden Drop, Winchell, Diamond. t 



For Districts where only the Earliest Kinds will Ripen, 



Black. — Champion, Manito, Early Daisy, Moore, Campbell. 



Bed. — Moyer. 



White. — Golden Drop. 



EXPEESMENTS EST GRAPE CULTURE AT OTTAWA. 



System of Training. — Most of the vines in the vineyard at the Experimental 

 Farm are planted in rows 10 feet apart, with the vines 10 feet apart in the rows. In 

 part of the vineyard 148 vines were planted in rows 4 feet apart, with the vines 3 feet 

 apart in the rows. These vines were trained according to the Post or French method, 

 stakes being driven down and the vines tied to them. After a thorough test it may 

 be said that this method is quite unsuited to a climate where it is important for the 

 grapes to get as much light and sunshine as possible, as the foliage is very dense wdien 

 the vine is confined to a single post. It was found that the grapes ripened about a 

 week later and not so thoroughly when grown by this system than by the more open 

 methods. 



Some vines were planted with a view to forming an arbour, but it was soon found 

 that the need of winter protection rendered this system unsatisfactory. The Fan and 

 Horizontal methods have also been tried, but it was found for a climate such as there 

 is at Ottawa where the vines have to be covered with soil every winter a method had 

 to be adopted which would reduce the labour of covering to a minimum. It was found 

 that when trained by the Horizontal Arm system the arms, which are i)ermanent, get 

 stiff and are difiicult to bend down and cover with soil. A better method was found in 

 a modification of the High Renewal system, the only important difference being that 

 instead of renewing every year, the arms are left on for at least two years to insure 

 having ripe wood and reduce the danger from winter killing. The two arms may be 

 renewed in alternate years if considered necessary. By this method the arms, which 

 start from a head near the ground, are always supple and easily bent down and covered 

 with soil. In the report for 1901 the method adopted at the Central Experimental 

 Farm is more fully described. In the report for 1896- full particulars are given of the 

 planting and care of vineyards and the methods of training the vines for the best 

 grape districts. 



Protecting Vines During Winter and Spring. — It has been found that in order 

 to insure the vines coming through the winter in good condition it is necessary to 

 bend them down and cover them lightly, soil being found to be the best material for 

 this purpose. This covering has not so much value as a means of protecting the vines 

 from low temperatues as in protecting them from sudden changes of temperature. 

 This was well shown this year when there was little snow and the vines thus much more 

 exposed than usual to low temjDeratures, and when the vines came through in fine 

 condition. 



The soil should be left on the vines as late in the spring as possible without injury 

 to the swelling buds, as a few degrees of frost after the vines have been uncovered are 

 sufficient to destroy the crop for that season. At Ottawa the vines are not uncovered 

 until the second week of May. 



Experiments to Preserve Grape Juice. — From 1893 to 1896 and 1897 experiments 

 were conducted with different formulas for the preservation of grape juice. Twenty- 

 three different methods were tried. The conclusions reached were ' as follows : — 



