290 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



(Originally publisbcii in the ''Rural Home Journal.") 



BEST MODES OF CULTIVATING km GRAPE IN CALIFORNIA. 



By Col. A. IIAEASZTHY, 



MANAGER OF THE BDEXA VISTA VINICULTUIIAL SOCIETY'S VINEYARDS, SONOMA. 



In accordance with my promise, I give you a description of the present 

 mode of my planting new vineyards, and the way of bringing the old 

 phxntation from eight feet to four feet ai^art. Some ten years ago I 

 j^hinted my vines eight feet apart, and advocated this distance as well 

 verbally to my neighbors as in my essays. The reason for doing so was 

 that the native Californians had planted from five to eight feet apart. 

 This mode then seemed to me a good one, there being a plenty of land. 

 Economy in ground seemed to be useless ; besides, it was advantageous 

 to cultivate vines planted this distance with two-horse ploughs. Never- 

 theless I expci'imented with close planted vines, but of course it took 

 years before these trials could be conclusivel}^ tested. In eighteen 

 hundred and sixty-one, when I was sent Commissioner to Europe by the 

 State of California, I visited many of the Imperial Vinicultural Gardens; 

 among the rest that of Bijou, in France; as well as those on the Rhine, 

 and at "Wiesbaden. I found that at Dijon, for twenty-six years, experi- 

 ments were made in the garden with close plantations and wide, begin- 

 ning sixteen feet, and coming down to one foot. The grapes were each, 

 and every parcel separately weighed and made into wine ; and it proved 

 that invariably the closest plantation gave the best and most wine. The 

 same result was ascertained in Wiesbaden, and by many private indi- 

 viduals throughout Germany and France. The people all adopted close 

 plantations. Throughout the famous Burgundy district all vines are 

 planted one foot apart; in the Medoc, three feet between the rows; and 

 in the rows from one to t^wo feet. In Hungary two feet between rows, 

 and eighteen inches in the row. Italy and Spain, where but little progress 

 is made, are the only countries where vines are planted far apart ; and 

 your readers well know that their wine is not celebi-ated. Bat even 

 there a few individuals have begun close plantation, and produce a better 

 wine. The above named facts convinced me that my theory of wide 

 plantation was wrong; still, on my arrival at home. I kept trying my 

 experiments, and found in time that California is no exception in this 

 respect. The intelligent vine grower has no doubt found that if he 

 permits his vines to bear too heavily thej' do not develop sufficient sac- 

 charine matter, nor do they color well; that is, instead of being-^ a very 

 dark blue they will be pale — a kind of mulatto color. Of course there 

 are soils of very rich quality which will make exception to this; and if 

 the vine is pruned to few grapes the vintager has a great deal of land 

 to cultivate, and gets but little wine. Besides, it takes live or six years 

 before all the vines are bearing. During all this tiine the cultivation of 

 the acre of land having six hundred and eighty vines is going on at a 

 great deal of expense. The annexed tables will give a clear insight to 

 your readers. Both of these calculations are from actual experience. 



Close plantation, four feet each way, containing two thousand seven 

 hundred and twenty-two vines. 



