STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCTETY. 137 



turist, S. G. Minkler. He says, emphatically, "The matter of good 

 culture of the grape being most profitable, does not admit of a question." 

 Some have replied that they found very little difference in the result of 

 either practice, and little profit in either case. Of these latter, I have had a 

 lingering suspicion that they were either imbued with a little inborn lazi- 

 ness, or had allowed their vines to suffer neglect, through attempting to 

 do more or take care of more than they were able ; and this suspicion 

 has been verified in visiting the vineyards of no less than three or four, 

 from whom I have received such responses, when the sight which pre- 

 sented itself raised a question in my mind as to whether the attempt was 

 being made to raise a crop of grass and weeds, or grapes. If the first, 

 then it was a grand success ; if the latter, it was certainly a lamentable 

 failure. Do you suppose, for a moment, that the parties owning these 

 vines would think of admitting the fact that the growth of weeds and 

 grass had any thing to do with the sickly-looking canes, small, ragged, 

 scattering clusters of fruit composed of miniature berries ? No. The\' 

 would reject any such insinuation with emphasis, and at once cite your 

 attention to the ^'■terrible drought''' as being the cause, forgetting, for the 

 moment, the fact that the drought had not been so terrible as to destroy 

 this strong and rampant growth of weeds and grass, which was even then 

 sapping the very life of the vines. On the contrary, I have heard but little 

 complaint of poor crops or poor grapes from those who have well and 

 thoroughly cultivated their vines ; and from such vineyards the product 

 has, in the main, brought good prices. 



There is no doubt in my mind that five cents per pound will pay for 

 Concords where good culture is practiced ; as this variety is capable of 

 producing on an average, annually, fully twenty pounds per vine, without 

 detriment or injury to it. Reckoning six hundred vines to the acre, 

 planted 8x8 feet apart, each vine carrying six canes, trained to wire 

 trellis, each cane five feet in length — thus planted, pruned and trained — 

 the Concord will produce, at the above price of five cents a pound, $680 

 per acre. Allowing §200 as interest on original investment, which is 

 ample, and $100 per annum for cultivation and otiier expenses attending 

 marketing, etc., leaves $380 net per acre. Where is the land farmed in 

 corn or other products that will produce any more ? 



The above statements are not fancy but facts, and have been more 

 than demonstrated in my own experience. I have not mentioned wine- 

 making in this communication, as all of this Society are, to some extent, 

 conversant with the method of making and cost of same. 



Before closing I wish to remark that I have never seen a soil yet, 

 upon which the grape has been planted, but that might been made better 

 by use of manure in some form or other; thus, in hard clays, deep plow- 

 ing, trenching, and the use of lime, and alkaline manures, will be found 

 beneficial; on all soils a limited use of salt or soda, with gypsum, ashes 

 and phosphatic manures, will be found to act wonderfully. On light soils 

 nothing in my experience is so good as a compost of sods and cow ma- 

 nure, applied as a top-dressing during summer. 



