306 State Horticultural Society. 



PLANTING AND TRAINING VINEYARD. 



By T. A. Peffer, Independence, Mo. 



To the Missouri State ■ Horticultural Society: 



When I received word from the worthy secretary that he wanted 

 me to prepare a paper for the society, I felt thunder struck, although 

 I never heard of anyone being struck by thunder. Pardon my ina- 

 bility to express my feelings. Knowing myself as I do, never having 

 prepared a paper on any subject I finally come to the conclusion that 

 the worthy secretary was losing his mind and thinking it might only 

 be temporary, I wrote him to give the subject to some one who could 

 handle it as it should be handled. But what was my surprise when I 

 found out his case was hopeless and still insisted that I was the man 

 he wanted on that subject. After thinking the matter over I decided 

 the best thing I could do was to do as he requested. Now you vnll 

 have to accept this paper for what it is worth, and should it prove 

 worthless, you know whom to blame for cheating you. In presenting 

 this paper to you for consideration I am not going to tell you how long- 

 ago and where the first grapes grew, and the first man that ate them, 

 for I never saw the place, the grapes nor the man, but simply tell you 

 what I would do had I the means so to do in planting, cultivating, 

 pruning, packing and marketing grapes. In the first place select the 

 highest ground on the farm, but avoid a steep hillside, but if compelled 

 to plant there, mulch instead of cultivating. The ground should be 

 drained naturally or artificially and be moderately rich. Prepare the 

 ground by plowing and subsoiling to the depth of fourteen to eighteen 

 inches. Make the ground in as good shape as you would a strawberry 

 bed. Then mark the ground off ten by ten feet if plenty of land, if 

 not mark rows eight feet apart and ten feet apart in the row, running- 

 rows north and south. Always procure vines from a nursery that 

 makes the propagation of the grape vine a specialty. Such nurseries 

 grade their vines No. 1 and No. 2, and get the No. 1 every time; if the/ 

 be one, or two years old. I have purchased vines from a great many 

 nurseries, having dealt with one firm in New York for nearly thirty 

 years, sometimes buying in quantity and at other times only a few, and 



